The Columbus Blue Jackets; or How To Make The Playoffs When Every National Pundit Doubts You
We've heard it all before:
Two Playoff appearances in 16 seasons.
Not enough stars.
Not enough talent.
Bobrovsky is too much of an injury liability.
Not enough depth.
Tortorella is washed up.
And yada yada yada....
As Columbus Blue Jackets fans, we have had to endure 16 seasons that have featured hockey ineptitude, a revolving door of names many of us never get to know, a cancelled season, and no coaching stability. We had seen this team finish last or next to last in their division every season but one while they were in the Western Conference. We had seen just 2 playoff appearances that involved being swept by the Detroit Red Wings in 2009 and the thrilling, but eventually heartbreaking, 4-2 loss to the Penguins in 2014. We had seen 9 head coaches and 7 different captains during the first 16 seasons of Blue Jackets hockey. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, Hockey News, and countless others predicted that the Columbus Blue Jackets would finish at or near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division this season.
The victory hug between Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and Captain Nick Foligno is a sight that Blue Jackets fans love to see and create memes about, since let's face it, these are the real relationship goals. This season, it has happened more than ever, and that's not an exaggeration.
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If you are a Blue Jackets fan, like I have been since the beginning, then this 2016-2017 season has been nothing short of incredible.
Columbus is on the verge, with a win today at New Jersey, of their first 100 point season, and clinching only their 3rd playoff berth, and first since 2014. There is a good chance the Blue Jackets will achieve their first 50 win season before it's all said and done. Depending on how Washington does, there is even a chance that Columbus could win the President's Trophy for most points in the season and win the Metropolitan Division, both of which would also be firsts for this hockey club.
These firsts would only add to the growing list of team firsts and team records set already this season by the CBJ. Wins by a goaltender? Sergei Bobrovsky has already set that team record with 38, which also leads the NHL. Best Plus/Minus rating for a season? David Savard currently has that mark with a +25. The Blue Jackets have set their new mark for longest winning streak at 16, which is just one off of the all time record for longest winning streak at 17. This is the fastest they've made it to 40 wins and the fastest they've made it to 90 points. Finally, Cam Atkinson has tied the team record with 7 game winning goals, and there are 12 games left to try and break that mark (he also leads the team with 33 goals).
Cam Atkinson tied the team record yesterday for most game winning goals is a season (7) with his overtime winner at the Barclay's Center against the New York Islanders. Cam leads the team with 33 goals, which is currently tied for 4th in the NHL.
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The biggest question for all of this is simple. How in the blue hell have they done all of this when they were not supposed to be this successful?
That's a question that can't be answered so simply. However, I believe there are 3 big reasons that have contributed to this magnificent run of success for the Blue Jackets.
John Tortorella is fiery, blunt, animated, and has been known to have the occasional war with the media. He also happens to be one of the most prolific American-born hockey coaches in the history of the NHL, with a Stanley Cup and over 500 coaching victories to his credit.
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First of all, you don't win without quality coaching. Going into this season, when creating a list of top flight coaches, John Tortorella would no longer have been on that list. His ship had seemingly sailed after a failed run as coach of Vancouver. His Stanley Cup days in Tampa, along with his amusing, though ultimately Cupless, run with the New York Rangers, were seemingly forgotten. Torts no longer had the benefit of the doubt, no longer had the notoriety, and only had this one last chance to prove anything as an NHL coach. With a meager start to this season, it looked as though Columbus would be in for yet another mediocre year, and that Tortorella's coaching wouldn't do much to change any of that.
That all changed in early November. The Power Play unit became one of the best in the league. The hustle picked up. The defense shored up in front of Bobrovsky. There was a sense of team hockey that hadn't been seen with the Blue Jackets in quite some time. We saw the 16 game winning streak. We saw this team lose without feeling like an inevitable losing streak was upcoming. Most importantly, we continue to see this today, as players keep hustling after loose pucks, fighting back after a turnover and creating one of their own, and we see a team that has a fight and determination the likes of which Columbus has always longed for in their hockey team.
You don't get those types of changes just on a whim. They come from coaching. Whatever John Tortorella said or did at that point, it worked, and it continues to work. He has struck a chord with these players. From Foligno all the way down to the rookies, this team has took to Tortorella's words as though they are gospel, and they haven't looked back since.
Zach Werenski is 2nd among all rookies in assists, and leads all rookie defensemen with 46 points. With names like Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine hogging the spotlight, Werenski has flown under the radar as one of the best rookies in the NHL.
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While good coaching will take you places in any sport, another key is getting the most from the youth of the team. Four of the top 7 scorers on the team are under the age of 25, including young Center Alex Wennberg, who leads the team in assists and is 2nd in total points. Rookie Defenseman Zach Werenski, who is 2nd on the team with 35 assists and leads all NHL rookie defensemen with 46 points, has been a pleasant surprise. Along with his defensive prowess, he has been a force on special teams. He leads all rookies with 17 Power Play Assists. Other young guns, such as Josh Anderson, Boone Jenner, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo have all exceeded expectations this season. Korpisalo, just for example, had his first shutout in a 7-0 win against the Islanders in February, and yesterday picked up his 6th win of the season in an OT win at, once again, the Islanders. You need the veterans to the leaders of your team, but to get the kinds of contributions from young players that the Blue Jackets has seen has been a godsend for this team's success.
There have been Captains of the Columbus Blue Jackets that have had the talent, but not the heart. Nick Foligno not only has the talent to be an all star in the league, but he also has the heart of a lion, and is hands down the leader of this team.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
All of this being said, you need something to glue it all together. You need a leader, both on the ice and off, in order for all of the pieces to come together to create a championship season. The Blue Jackets have just that in Captain Nick Foligno. Since arriving in Columbus in 2012, Foligno has shown charisma on the ice, and has been the leader off the ice that this team has needed for years. While his 2015-16 season may have left a lot to be desired, his obvious disappointment in his own performance last year showed the world a lot of the quality of character Nick has. He was his own biggest critic, and that has only helped him throughout his career. Just look at Game 4 of the 2014 Playoff series against Pittsburgh. You don't get the kind of reaction from an overtime winning goal that we saw from Nick Foligno without having to face an uphill climb to get where you are today.
Listen, I'm not saying Nick Foligno has the talent of Gretzky or Jagr, because all I have to say is that he doesn't have to. He is the emotional leader of this team. That's not to say there aren't other leaders on this team, as we are always seeing leadership from just about every player that touches the ice for the CBJ this season. They all take after Foligno. Without Nick Foligno, this team would still have the talent, the skill, the coaching, and the intangibles that a team needs to win. What the Blue Jackets miss the most if you remove Nick Foligno is the heart and determination of a champion, and there is no price tag on that.
So far, we have seen team victory celebrations, similar to this, a team record 46 times for the Columbus Blue Jackets. If they can pick up number 47 today, then the the Blue Jackets will be playoff bound in 2017.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets have done so much in the 2016-2017 season, at least compared to what they have done in years past. Considering the lack of success we have seen as fans over the first 16 seasons, the complete turnaround to President's Trophy contender this season feels that much more significant. While we must not set in stone that a Stanley Cup is a guarantee for this team this year, we can't overlook the fact that, with this group of budding stars, with this rejuvenated coach, and with this amount of leadership, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that this team could indeed be raising Lord Stanley's Cup in June.
PS There is no way I can end this post without One More Bob Hug....
I have seen things like this on Twitter captioned #RelationshipGoals. As a CBJ fan, it's not something I can argue with.
