Columbus Blue Jackets Report

[Buckeye]

Blue Jackets: Plenty to crow about
Hitchcock likes what he sees in youngsters' play
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 3:37 AM
By Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Coach Ken Hitchcock has referred to the Blue Jackets' first four preseason games as the experimental phase of training camp, with so little time to practice and so many games out of the chute.

Experiments often turn out ugly, like the Blue Jackets' 4-3 preseason loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last night in Nationwide Arena.

Thirty penalties, 16 for Chicago and 14 for the Blue Jackets, swallowed the game whole. Of the 60 minutes, only 24:26 was at even strength.

But in the midst of all the whistles, Hitchcock found plenty to smile about.

"If you're not too caught up in the final score," Hitchcock said, "it was hard to watch this game and not get pretty excited."

Defenseman Kris Russell, 20, is making a big push to skip from junior hockey to the NHL.

Last night, Russell scored a goal and played 25 minutes, 37 seconds without a giveaway.

At 5 feet 10, 167 pounds, Russell was the most dangerous player on the ice, especially when the Blue Jackets had a man advantage.

"(Russell) is just a good player," Hitchcock said. "I don't care (about his) height and weight, they just don't come around very often like that.

"The thing that everybody is worried about is how does he handle the traffic and the size. But because he has such excellent positioning, he handles it without a problem."

Hitchcock kept fighting the urge to gush, and he kept losing.

"His stick positioning is something that takes you years to teach. Age is irrelevant when you play with that kind of composure. Age goes right out the window."

Russell played three exhibition games last season, but he didn't look this good.

It's to his advantage that most of the Blue Jackets defensemen are the strong and sturdy type, not known for their puck moving.

"When people get labeled as an offensive player, they're always going to be known for that aspect of their game," Russell said. "But your defense has to be just as good, and it's something I've worked hard on."

Hitchcock also raved about the performance of right winger Gilbert Brule, center Derick Brassard and right winger Jakub Voracek, who got his first taste of the NHL.

The Blue Jackets took a 2-0 lead in the first period on power-play goals by Jason Chimera and Russell.

Chicago scored the next four, three on power plays. Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks' budding star, scored the last of them at 4:51 of the third period.

Rick Nash's six-on-three goal (five-on-three with the goalie pulled) made it 4-3 with 2:27 to play, but the Jackets couldn't get the equalizer.

They're 0-2 in the preseason.

[Buckeye]

Bob Hunter commentary: Hits keep on coming as Jackets buy into new philosophy
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 3:37 AM
By Bob Hunter

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

That deep-red exclamation point on Sergei Fedorov's lower lip was in fact a scab, a remnant of a stick to the mouth the veteran center received during practice Monday.

Fedorov exited the ice with blood gushing, sat on the bench and checked his teeth, stopped the bleeding and then returned to practice a few minutes later.

The 37-year-old alternate captain shrugged when asked about it.

"That's what we do," Fedorov said. "No pain, no gain."

That wouldn't be a bad tag line for the Columbus Blue Jackets' camp. Coach Ken Hitchcock is determined to make sure that the soft label the team has worn like an apron in past years is gone.

But it's not just about being tough, it's about being tough to play.

"No matter what your skill level is, every team has skill in this league," Hitchcock said. "You want to be known as a team that checks hard. You want to be known as a team that no matter what the skill level is, that you're committed to that part of the game, because that's how you win. All the offense now comes from checking. You create all your odd-man rushes from checking, you frustrate the opposition by checking. The way teams like Detroit were built for years, everybody talked about Detroit's skill, but it was their checking that overwhelmed you. And that's what we want to do."

So it is that rookie Derek Dorsett hit James Vandermeer so hard in the first minute of last night's exhibition with Chicago that he caused an offside. Ole-Kristian Tollefsen leveled James Wisniewski a few minutes later. Nikolai Zherdev mixed it up in front of the Chicago goal. Tollefsen made another hit that rattled the boards, and the mostly empty arena resonated like the Grand Canyon. It went on like this, the mostly young "speed lineup" of the Blue Jackets manning up to the Blackhawks and showing that they can indeed be difficult to play against.

This is still a work in progress -- hey, this is still the experimental part of the preseason when the games aren't measured by the score. But while fans are enjoying exciting glimpses of youngsters such as Jakub Voracek and Derick Brassard, the training in aggressiveness should be comforting to those who tired of seeing that other Jackets team play.

"The wheel started to turn a lot last year, and we've just added players who are willing to turn the wheel even more," Hitchcock said. "(Jiri) Novotny, (Michael) Peca, (Jan) Hejda … these are all players who are willing to turn the wheel. The scouts have gone out and drafted players like (Tommy) Sestito and (Jared) Boll and Dorsett and these guys who are willing to turn the wheel too."

The Jackets didn't exactly go on a hockey shopping spree in the offseason, in part because some of the team's young talent is thought to be a year or two away. But there's a sense that if the soft Blue Jackets turn into the tough Blue Jackets, this could be more important than writing a couple of big checks for talented guys who might not buy into the check-all-the-time system.

How much of a difference can simply playing tougher make?

"It's huge," Tollefsen said. "If you can be intimidating, I know how it is. To be this way is going to be fun. When we were a little bit down before, where we come out the first couple of shifts and just got run over, and that's always tough. It's going to be fun to be that (tough) team."

They aren't there yet, obviously, and even if they were, there would be no way to know at this stage. What's important is that indications are good they will get there eventually.

"I think everybody gets it," Jason Chimera said. "Everybody came here in the best shape I've seen anybody come in, so I think guys are ready to go and ready to play that way."

Fedorov is obviously one of them.

"We will be difficult to play against," he said.

It's hard to argue with a guy who has his own exclamation mark.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.

[Buckeye]

Blue Jackets: Shelley will make presence felt -- somewhere
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:32 AM
By Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Rick Nash might be the Blue Jackets' franchise player, but enforcer Jody Shelley is the fan favorite.

Shelley's popularity is only part of the reason that coach Ken Hitchcock could face difficult decisions in the 2007-08 season when filling out his lineup card.

A slew of up-and-coming young players and a handful of offseason signings have created a traffic jam of sorts on the Blue Jackets' Nos. 3 and 4 forward lines.

The result could be fewer games for Shelley, say a target of 60 to 65 games among the 82.

"Jody's certainly going to have a role here on our team," Hitchcock said. "He's got a big bite on our team … a huge bite."

But Hitchcock, still more than two weeks from opening night, said he's not quite sure how Shelley's role will be defined.

Shelley, a veteran of 349 NHL games and 103 NHL fights, has been in the league long enough to know that job security is fleeting.

Among the candidates for fourth-line duty this season are Jiri Novotny, Manny Malhotra, Curtis Glencross, Steven Goertzen, Derek MacKenzie, Zenon Konopka, Geoff Platt and Alexandre Picard.

"I control where I fit in, really," Shelley said. "That's how I've always looked at it. That's what training camp and the preseason games are for. You have to show the coaches what you bring to the table."

Unlike a handful of other NHL clubs, the Blue Jackets' top 12 forwards are still up in the air -- not so much who, but where they fit.

If rookie center Derick Brassard makes the club, that could push centers Sergei Fedorov and Michael Peca down a line. If Nikolai Zherdev sticks at center, that would open up a job at right wing.

Those are just two possible scenarios.

Until the top two lines are settled, Hitchcock won't know exactly how he wants the third and fourth to look.

"Do we spread the wealth (of skilled players) among three lines, or do we load up on two scoring lines and have two checking lines?" Hitchcock said.

"Either way, there won't be much difference in our third and fourth lines, the minutes they'll play. Those guys will have to be able to play good minutes."

Against highly skilled clubs such as Detroit, it's always a temptation to sit a player such as Shelley. Previous Blue Jackets coaches Doug MacLean and Gerard Gallant used to plan on giving Shelley nights off, but it rarely happened.

"There are some teams that just don't have that element," Hitchcock said. "But that's not all we think Jody brings to the table.

"He's a very good forechecking player. The one area we want him to have more composure in is on the boards with the puck. But in every other area, he can help us most nights."

Shelley, who lost 7 pounds during the offseason, is noticeably slimmer and quicker. He's in better shape than ever, he said.

"I prepare to play 10 to 12 minutes at night, even though I don't," Shelley said. "I prepare to play on the power play and the penalty kill. If they want me to play goalie, I'm ready for it. The point is, I always want to do more when they ask me to.

"I want to play. I want to help us win."

[Buckeye]

Tweaked groin, both he and Hitchcock clain it is minor and leaving the game was purely precautionary, but given Lecalire's past history, I am leary.

www.dispatch.com/live/content...C.html?sid=101

Jackets slip up against Oilers

Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:21 AM
By Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

EDMONTON, Alberta -- In one sense, the Blue Jackets stalked out of Rexall Place last night feeling dejected.

The Jackets were brutal on special teams, and it cost them in a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

In another sense, the Blue Jackets felt pretty lucky.
Goaltender Pascal Leclaire, whose early career has been dogged by leg injuries, left the game at 5:58 of the second period, complaining of a tight hamstring.

After the game, the Blue Jackets -- from coach Ken Hitchcock to Leclaire himself -- stressed that the injury was minor, that Leclaire might be out only a brief while, if he missed any time at all.
"We'll see how it is (today)," Leclaire said. "But I don't have any sharp pain or anything.

"It's more like a tweak, but it's not something I wanted to take a chance on."
Leclaire said he felt his right hamstring tighten after he made a snap save with his right pad on a shot by Edmonton's Kyle Brodziak with 1:49 left in the first period.

"It kind of surprised me," Leclaire said of the shot.
During the first intermission, he had the leg wrapped by trainers, and back-up Fredrik Norrena was put on alert.

"I felt like it was slowing me down (in the second period)," Leclaire said. "I wanted to try it, but it was slowing me down, and that's not fair (to the team).

"Plus, we didn't want to make it worse."

The Blue Jackets got a power-play goal by Ron Hainsey at 14:10 of the first, only six seconds after Rick Nash came up empty on a penalty shot attempt.
The Jackets, though, had ample chances to seize control of the game, but failed at each turn.

With 5:47 left in the second period, and the score tied at 1, the Blue Jackets had four minutes of power-play time, thanks to a double-minor (tripping, unsportsmanlike conduct) on Oilers center Jarret Stoll.

The best scoring chance over the next four minutes was by Edmonton's Andrew Cogliano, who's short-handed breakaway shot on Norrena bounced over his shoulder was headed over the goal line before Jackets defenseman Hainsey swept it out with his stick.

"Our 5-on-5 play gave us a chance to go on the power play," Hitchcock said. "And we didn't get it done. We didn't work hard enough at it. We didn't have enough guys hunt down loose pucks."

Cogliano gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead with 10:32 left in the third when he slipped behind Manny Malhotra and redirected a feed by Robert Nilsson.
Again, though, the Blue Jackets let a huge chance slip away, failing to score despite 61 seconds with a two-man advantage.

Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson made at least three key saves during the stretch, but Hitchcock was displeased with the Jackets' approach.
"When you're afforded the chance to go on the power play, you have an obligation to the rest of the club (to work hard)," Hitchcock said. "And we didn't meet that obligation."

Edmonton's Ales Hemsky had an empty-net goal with 16 seconds left.

If Leclaire doesn't show marked improvement today, the Jackets will likely have to recall a goaltender from their minor-league affiliate to serve as Norrena's back-up. As of last night, however, Hitchcock was optimistic it wouldn't come to that.

"It's not a big deal," Hitchcock said. "It's really just day-to-day right now."

[Buckeye]

Michael Arace commentary: Improved Jackets rate as real-deal contenders

Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:21 AM
Bv Michael Arace

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Blue Jackets last night began a three-game swing through Alberta and British Columbia. They will carry themselves well, not only on this trip, but also for the remainder of the season. They are legitimate playoff contenders for the first time. The plan is coming together.

That much was clear Saturday night, when the Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 before a near-capacity crowd in Nationwide Arena. It was the Jackets' first shootout victory of the season, it came against the Wings, and the building was alive with bloodlust. But the key aspect of the game was not how it felt, but how it looked.

When the Red Wings came roaring back in the second period, the Jackets, tiring on the second night of a back-to-back, did not break down. The fact that they won is secondary. Their poise was the story.

"We've built a good ethic in a year's time," captain Adam Foote said. "In the past, when we didn't have our legs, we lost games trying to do too much. Now, we stay in the system, wait for the other team to crack or look for our own chances. That's a veteran team. ... I'd say we're 20 percent off from dominating a game completely."

The Jackets got off to an 8-3-2 start, which was an overstatement, then went 1-5-2, another overstatement.

Center Michael Peca returned from a groin injury and they thumped Minnesota 4-0 in St. Paul. One night later, they beat the Red Wings.

"There's a different attitude when we're on our game -- it becomes like clockwork," center Manny Malhotra said. "By no means do I mean any offense to Minnesota, but that was kind of a boring game. We were always in position. We were winning battles. It all made sense."

Heading into last night, the Jackets were in third place in the Central Division and fifth in the Western Conference. There is nothing fraudulent about their relatively lofty standing. They've earned it.

"I was hoping and projecting that we could compete consistently, but you have to see it, and you have to see it every night," general manager Scott Howson said. "With just a few exceptions, we've competed consistently. We've given ourselves a chance to be competitive for a playoff spot. That's the first step."

Howson might have made the best two free-agent signings in Jackets history, and nobody is talking about it yet. Peca's value has increased on a daily basis. And Jan Hejda, after a nondescript training camp, has been the shut-down defenseman the Jackets have so badly needed. The combined price for the two was a relatively cheap $2.3 million.

The Jackets have gotten just two goals and 11 points from two key forwards, David Vyborny and Fredrik Modin, who has been limited to six games because of injury. Last year, or any other year, their struggles would have been devastating. Not this year. Solid play from the rank-and-file, along with the emergence of three young stars, has fortified their collective gut.

Left winger Rick Nash is a beast. He had 16 goals and 27 points in 23 games before last night. He is one of the 10 players in the league and hurtling toward the top five. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire already has set a franchise record for shutouts in a season with six. Nikolai Zherdev, well, there he is. Against Detroit, he followed up a brutal turnover with inspired play in all three zones. Anyone who saw his open-ice hits has to know he has a heart, and a developed sense of atonement.

"He shows he cares," Foote said, "and that is huge."
The Jackets won't win the Stanley Cup. They can, how-ever, make the playoffs. They're going to be 19-14-6 on New Year's Day, and they'll be set up for a second-half run for which we have no frame of reference.

Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.

[Buckeye]

Jackets taking no chances with Leclaire's sore leg
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 3:07 AM
By Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Pascal Leclaire has been the Blue Jackets' best player during the team's franchise-best start to a season, so the goaltender's injured right hamstring remained a hot topic yesterday.

The Blue Jackets are sticking to their story that it's a day-to-day injury.

Leclaire spoke only briefly with reporters in GM Place.

"It's not going to be too bad," Leclaire said. "It's a couple-of-days kind of thing."

Leclaire was hurt in the second period Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

The Blue Jackets will recall a goaltender from Syracuse today, either Tomas Popperle or Adam Munro, to back up Fredrik Norrena.

"Pascal wasn't going to play in Vancouver anyway," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We'll read the situation again for Saturday (in Calgary).

"It's not bad at all, though. It's very slight."

The Blue Jackets are grateful that Leclaire has learned a lesson.

Last season, after missing two weeks because of a sprained knee, Leclaire felt a tweak in the knee during warm-ups for a game but did not notify the medical staff.

Two minutes into the second period, he needed help getting up off the ice and ultimately needed surgery.

"Everybody handled it differently this time," Hitchcock said. "As soon as there was a gray area, we just pulled him right out. He's not coming back until he's 100 percent. That could be one day or one week."

Losing Leclaire for an extended amount of time would be a big blow to the Blue Jackets, who are 11-9-4 heading into Thursday's game against Vancouver.

[Buckeye]

Blue Jackets: Westcott's future in doubt
Defenseman likely suffered concussion again
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 3:07 AM
By Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott likely suffered yet another concussion Saturday, ruling him out of the club's short-term plans and calling into question his NHL future.

Westcott left the club in Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday and returned to Columbus after complaining of headaches.

The news yesterday was not good.

"We'll wait for the doctors to tell us (what's next)," general manager Scott Howson said. "But we have been told that he's symptomatic."

Detroit's Niklas Kronvall slammed Westcott into the boards late in the game Saturday in Nationwide Arena.

Westcott's head did not appear to be struck, but his body was jolted.

Westcott finished that game, which the Blue Jackets won 3-2 in a shootout, but began feeling symptoms on the flight Sunday from Columbus to Edmonton, then had headaches the following morning.

"That's when we sent him home," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We want to make sure we do what's right for the player."

Last week, Westcott said he had likely suffered four to six concussions during his career, and that he hasn't felt 100 percent at any point this season.

"Maybe 75 percent," he said.

Westcott didn't play after Jan. 6 last season because of lingering symptoms from a concussion.

He suffered his most recent known concussion Oct. 23 when he was checked by Chicago's Kevyn Adams.

Tests in the next 24 to 48 hours likely will determine whether Westcott suffered another concussion on the Kronvall hit.

Westcott did not return a message left last night.

Neither Howson nor Hitchcock would speak to Westcott's long-term prognosis, but it's safe to assume the Blue Jackets, not to mention Westcott, are concerned his career could be in jeopardy.

Westcott, 30, has played in 11 games with the Blue Jackets this season, putting up one goal, two assists and a minus-4 rating.

Last season, he signed a three-year contract extension through 2009-10. He's set to make $1.1 million this season and $1.85 million each of the next two seasons.

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