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Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

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http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=186767&hubname=nhl
heres an article from tsn, it also has about 4 minutes of sportscentre clips attached to it. worth a look i guess.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=3962
A Little Controversy Never Hurt Anyone… Assuming it Happens in Your Favor
Today @ 2:05 AM ET | Comments (6)
The Flames continued their winning ways at home tonight, but the game was interesting for goals that didn’t count and goals that did by the time it was over.

The first period was controlled by the Flames and included a power-play where they managed to keep the pressure in the Columbus zone for almost all of the two minutes and generated some great chances, but Pascal Leclaire was equal to the challenge and kept his team in the game by shutting down some great chances by the Flames. The period was coming to a close when an interference call against Andrei Zyuzin sent the Jackets to the power-play with just over 2 minutes left. On that power-play, the Flames PK was doing a great job of pressuring the puck, but an untimely line-change gave the Jackets the chance they needed to capitalize as the Jackets converted a nice 3 way passing play to net the games first goal. It was disappointing not only because it was yet another late-period goal which tend to be big momentum shifters, but because it came so close to the end of a power-play that had been held in check by the Flames penalty killers.


The second period was fairly forgettable overall… Although the Flames outshot the Jackets 10-4, they didn’t seem to have the flow they had in the first and a little apprehension was creeping into the fans minds as the arena got fairly quiet and the play of Leclaire was looking disturbingly like the type of performance where a hot goalie leads an underdog team to an upset win.

All that changed just over four minutes into the third. Jarome Iginla was able to capitalize on a goal mouth scramble to knot the game at one and then just over two minutes later things got weird. In what can only be described as odd, the goal light behind Leclaire lit up on a shot that beat him but caught iron behind him. This caused the Flames arena horn to sound signifying a home team goal, it also triggered the pyrotechnics behind the goalie that are a staple of Flames scores. At this point the Jackets froze and looked to be ready to dispute the call to the ref… who was actually waving the goal off… The whistle never went however, and Chuck Kobasew playing to the whistle like you’re always told to was able to deposit the puck behind a visibly bewildered Leclaire.

To add to the confusion, just moments later there was another disputed call, when the Flames looked like they had scored again. And although the replay showed that the puck Must have been over the line due to the positioning of Leclaire’s pads, there was no true visual evidence and the goal was waived off after another lengthy debate at the penalty box.

The final result was a needed although largely unspectacular Flames win. Perhaps the Jackets are playing better with Hitchcock as their new coach, but the way the played tonight it was definitely their goaltending that gave them any chance of winning this game. Thanks to an odd play, and some heads up play by Kobasew the Flames escaped with the win.
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i really dont know what to say, maybe im looking for reasons and stretching but all this has really started to eat at me. you have quick whistles, whistles that never seem to come, stunts like this, then you have nash going to the net were hes obviously drilled from behind on a cross check.

over and over it seems that these things go against the bugs. at a certain point i guess you have to shrug it off and keep playing, but sometimes itjust eats at me. i cant remember the last time i left the rink or turned off my tv thinking, boy we got lucky and got some calls in out favor tonight.

all and all happy with pazzy and pic, i really do think pic will see most of the season with the big club. he has it. not the best player but he brings it every night.

one would think a week or two then maybe some movement if the tide doesnt begin to turn. likely modin, carter will be dealt at the deadline for draft picks but thats all conjecture at this point...
 
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JO,
Why have Carter and Modin been such busts this year? System, coaching, chemistry?

When they brought in Carter I thought to myself, "Well if he can stay healthy he's usually a 40-50 point guy, but he brings some grind to the team."

Haven't seen any of that this year. This is the most frustrated I've ever been watching a hockey team, and I'm a Pens fan from years back.
 
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ysubuck said:
JO,
Why have Carter and Modin been such busts this year? System, coaching, chemistry?

When they brought in Carter I thought to myself, "Well if he can stay healthy he's usually a 40-50 point guy, but he brings some grind to the team."

Haven't seen any of that this year. This is the most frustrated I've ever been watching a hockey team, and I'm a Pens fan from years back.
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personally i dont think modin has been that much of a let down. sure he hasnt produced all that much in the goals department but hes played solid two way hockey. i think him and vyborny need to be more assertive in their offensive game, hell its been a month since david has lit the lamp (i use that out of jest after last night)

ive also been disappointed in dancing anson carters play.

i really dont know, i know right now you can see a transition, but im seeing lapses back to the old games.

the thing that continues to stick out is what i deem the cooper syndrome. the going gets tough, the team gets going. they still seem to fold when the chips are on the table. all said after that second goal last night you have two ways to approach it, bag it and quit. or step up and play with a burr up your ass. i didnt see the guys quit, but i felt it was a slow death. i knew it was over. somethinig you dont see out of good teams (think of tressel coached teams. and to some extent what weve seen from mattas teams the last two years).

i dont know some other guys on here :cough:bk:cough: could weigh in probably better than me. (he knows a lot more than he lets on)


the other thing that bugs me while im at it 19 fucking shots, how many times are we gonna take blankteen shots and expect to win? pazzy has played out of his ass the last two games with what a .95something save percentage and given up three goals and we cant get a point?

others feel free to weigh in.
 
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I thought they were making some progress in Hitch's first couple games, but last night it was back to the old one guy trying to carry the puck into the zone and getting mobbed by 2-3 guys taking it the other way. They also seemed to lapse back into the perimeter game again in the zone. It would be nice to see us get a frigging rebound once in a while. When you only score 0-1 goals a game a garbage goal sounds kind of good right about now. Only problem is someone needs to be within 15 feet of the goal for that to happen. To me the only thing I see sustained improvement on is our hitting and forechecking.

I think Modin will fit in fine once he gets some consistent time with a steady line and develops some chemistry, they players all seem to love him. Carter on the other hand, seems a little outspoken for a guy not producing shit. That sounds like the perfect recipe for a ticket out of town (probably what he wants anyways)
 
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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS 4 OILERS 0
Jackets unload while taking it out on Oilers

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




EDMONTON, Alberta ? A night earlier, a few hours south in Calgary, the Blue Jackets were the picture of frustration.
They had played extremely hard and lost 2-1 to the Flames on what amounted to a fluke goal in the third period.
Last night, in the land of 20-below temperatures, the Blue Jackets put forth one of their better efforts, blasting the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 before 16,839 in Rexall Place.
The mood had lifted, too.
Left winger Jason Chimera, born and raised in Edmonton, was named the game?s third star, prompting this back-andforth in the dressing room.
Captain Adam Foote: "Your mom must have picked the stars, Chimmer."
Chimera, laughing: "No, no. It was my dad."
And on it went, a muchneeded bit of levity for a club that had lost five in a row on the road and 10 of its last 11 overall.
Alexander Svitov, Gilbert Brule, Anson Carter and Dan Fritsche each had goals, Fritsche?s an empty-net exclamation point with 52.3 seconds left. Fritsche also had two assists, his second three-point game of the season.
Goaltender Fredrik Norrena had 21 saves for his first NHL shutout.
"We?re playing really well right now," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We?re doing a lot of really good things.
"Tonight was a reward for how well we?ve played lately, and it?s good to see the guys get rewarded."
The Blue Jackets went up 1-0 at 8:50 of the first period on a bang-bang goal by Svitov, his first since Oct. 20.
The Oilers had a sobering first intermission, learning that leading scorer Ryan Smyth had suffered a broken right thumb when he fell behind the net during the first period.
The Blue Jackets, who have been scorched by Smyth on numerous occasions the last five-plus seasons, must have breathed a little easier knowing he wasn?t coming back on the ice.
Unlike Friday night, the Jackets didn?t relent.
Only 22 seconds into the second period, right winger David Vyborny was hit with a double-minor for boarding and hooking, giving the Oilers four minutes of power-play time.
Edmonton managed but one shot on goal, which Norrena swallowed with ease.
At 12:13 of the second period, the lead grew to 2-0 on a Blue Jackets power-play goal. Point man Ron Hainsey fired a shot that was deflected by Fritsche off the crossbar, coming to rest behind Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson as Brule dived to poke it home. Brule?s second goal of the season was his first since Oct. 21.
Only 88 seconds later, Carter poked home a rebound off a Chimera shot to make it 3-0.
"Tonight, we scored goals in places where we haven?t scored them before," Hitchcock said. "We talked about where we needed to get the puck, and the guys did a better job of getting it there."
Roloson was gone after the second period, yanked for a second straight game. He was replaced by Jussi Markkanen, who saw only two shots in almost 20 minutes.
By the third period, though, the Blue Jackets were in shutdown mode, and Norrena turned away all nine shots.
"I saw most of the shots today," Norrena said. "I felt relaxed. We controlled the puck."
Fritsche said, "Obviously playing back to back isn?t easy for any team. But we responded.
"To me, this is the best team game we?ve played so far."
The Blue Jackets played without right winger Nikolai Zherdev, who suffered an "upper body injury" against Calgary. They also lost defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen after the first period. Tollefsen got his "bell rung," Hitchcock said.
[email protected]
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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Picard?s physical play catches Hitchcock?s eye

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




EDMONTON, Alberta ? Left winger Alexandre Picard, the Blue Jackets? No. 1 draft pick in 2004, left quite an impression Friday, playing his first game under coach Ken Hitchcock.
"He was excellent," said Hitchcock, who wasn?t handing out many compliments after a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
With a few more performances like this, Picard?s days of shuttling between Syracuse and Columbus could be finished.
Hitchcock was impressed by the way Picard threw his body around against the Flames, how he led the Blue Jackets? charge in an intensely physical game.
"That?s my job," Picard said. "We can play hard. We can battle for every loose puck. We can hit them just like they hit us.
"That was the game plan for us."
Picard, playing only his third NHL game this season, was put on a line with center Alexander Svitov and right winger Dan Fritsche. It?s a line with very little NHL experience.
After the game last night in Edmonton, Svitov has played in 126 NHL games, Fritsche 99 and Picard 20.
"Those are three really young guys," Hitchcock said. "We would really like to give those guys added responsibility as the season moves on. They?ve got a little niche right now. They?re a checking line and they?re dug in as a group, and we?ll keep them together."
Breakaway broken

Picard had a chance to put the Blue Jackets up 2-0 in the first minute of the third period, just after they killed off a bench minor for too many men on the ice.
Left winger Rick Nash fed Picard with the puck moments after he sprung out of the penalty box, beginning a not-quite breakaway toward Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.
A Calgary defender was in hot pursuit of Picard.
"I didn?t have a lot of speed because I was just leaving the penalty box when the puck got there," Picard said. "I felt somebody behind me, so I didn?t think I had a lot of time.
"I saw the open net, low blocker, so that?s what I did. It was a nice (kick) save, but I should have faked and gone to the other side."
Picard still is looking for his first NHL point.
Slap shots

From the Sad But True Department: In five-plus seasons, the Blue Jackets have been shut out more times (49) than they?ve won on the road (48). ? Right winger Nikolai Zherdev was scratched with what a spokesman described as an upper body injury, causing a ripple effect through the forward lines. Of note, David Vyborny was switched from center to right wing, joining a line with left winger Rick Nash and center Sergei Fedorov.
[email protected]
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http://www.canada.com/topics/sports...=1e516664-0df0-4f76-b5f0-74a5dcc79fb3&k=33347
Columbus buys into Hitch

Former Edmontonian's coaching philosophy, winning know-how, appeal to Blue Jackets players






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Columbus Blue Jackets Rick Nash, left, and Sergei Fedorov sandwich Steve Staios during the Blue Jackets' 4-0 blowout at Rexall Place on Saturday. The Oilers have lost their last three games.
Photograph by : Brian Gavriloff, The Journal









Jim Matheson, The Edmonton Journal

Published: Sunday, December 03, 2006 Article tools


Font:
EDMONTON - Ken Hitchcock walked into Rexall Place on Saturday and people actually offered up a hearty hello, and not because of any pre-Christmas cheer.
"What was unique for me was people said, 'Welcome home.' There's been a lot of other language passed with what we did when I was with Dallas," said the former United Cycle skate sharpener and new Columbus Blue Jackets' coach.
Hitchcock left the rink with a big smile on his face and a 4-0 win over the Oilers -- his team's best effort in the five games he has been behind the bench.
The Jackets, now 2-3 under Hitchcock, smothered the Oilers.
Fredrik Norrena got the perfect game, although he says he didn't relax and think about a shutout until there were about 12 seconds left.
He needn't have worried. His team did an admirable job keeping the Oilers, who have now lost three in a row, at bay.
Former Oilers winger Jason Chimera, who had a very strong 19-minute game for the Jackets, is tickled to have Hitchcock calling the shots.
"He puts things on a level you can
understand ... hockey players are down-to-earth guys and he explains things easily," said Chimera.
"Guys are buying in. He speaks a language we want to hear."
It's been awfully dark in the tunnel in Columbus for years.
"We see a little bit of light now," said Chimera, who was well aware that Hitchcock won a Stanley Cup in Dallas and had won about 60 percent of his NHL games.
"He had instant credibility with the players, and the ones who won't listen to his coaching and his message will eventually be out the door.
"He's been around a long time and won, and guys realize that. Listening to him is the right thing to do. He's taught us to work smarter. In the past, we'd work so hard but be out of position."
How many people tried to talk Hitchcock out of taking the first life jacket
offered after he was fired in Philadelphia in October?
"A lot. I was talking myself out of taking any job, too," admitted Hitchcock. "I went to the interview in Columbus with apprehension. I thought to myself, 'Is this what I want to do?' But, I remembered going to Dallas for the first time to coach in January, 1996. ... We were talking about trying to become a competitive franchise again there and not falling off the map and becoming an also-ran.
"What I like about Columbus is it's a tremendously focused sports town (Ohio State). When I came back from the interview, I said, 'Here's a bunch of Canadians running a franchise, so why not dig in.' "
This is a huge challenge for Hitchcock, though.
"This is like pure coaching. I have to coach my tail off every day for this team to be successful. If I don't, I'll let a lot of people down.
"I came back to Philadelphia, (he was a pro scout after getting fired) and I had a long talk with Clarkie (former GM Bob Clarke). He told me, 'Never mind where you're going. You have to decide whether you want to jump in, and you have to have the energy to do it because you'll need every piece of it.' "
Columbus centre Sergei Fedorov has played for Scotty Bowman in Detroit and now for Hitchcock. He likes what he sees so far.
"Scotty was more mental and Hitch is more about details. He shows you how he wants you to play. That's the biggest difference," said Fedorov. "For me, it's very easy communicating with Hitch. What he preaches is what I've already gone through (in Detroit)."
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Dispatch

NHL BLUE JACKETS
Nash is a work in progress
Hitchcock wants youngster to be complete player, not just a goal-scorer

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

20061205-Pc-E1-0600.jpg

NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH The Blue Jackets? Rick Nash, left, has scored only seven goals in 23 games this season after scoring 31 and 41 in his previous two seasons.
20061205-Pc-E1-0700.jpg



DENVER ? For the past three seasons, the Blue Jackets? offensive philosophy can be boiled down to two words:
Rick Nash.
As a 19-year-old in 2003-04, Nash led the NHL with 41 goals. Last season, in only 54 games, he had 31 goals. He was the go-to guy. The main man. The franchise.
The high expectations might have finally gotten to Nash, who is on pace to score only 23 goals heading into tonight?s game against the Colorado Avalanche in the Pepsi Center.
"I can?t think of many other 21- or 22-year-olds who have been looked at to create offense as I have here," Nash said. "It?s a tough thing to do.
"In the past, (president and general manager Doug MacLean) has always told me there are a lot of things in life more difficult, more full of pressure than playing hockey, and I?ve always tried to approach it like that."
In less than two weeks on the job, coach Ken Hitchcock has been reading Nash?s body language, and he is mildly concerned.
"Rick carries such a burden," Hitchcock said. "And he doesn?t need to wear that burden of having to be ?the guy? every night.
"That?s a tough burden for a guy 22 years old."
The scene makes Hitchcock?s mind wander back about 10 years.
"It?s very similar to when I had Mike Modano in Dallas," Hitchcock said. "When Mo didn?t score and the team didn?t win, he was really down. You could see it written all over him, that he didn?t feel like he was doing enough.
"Rick and Mike have similar personalities, from what I can tell. They internalize a lot of things."
Hitchcock helped Modano out from under the weight of high expectations by teaching him the finer points of hockey and, thus, more ways to affect a game.
It?s a process that will be used with Nash, too. Recently, he joined the Blue Jackets? top penalty-kill unit.
"Rick?s obligation to the organization is to become a complete player, not just a goal-scorer," Hitchcock said. "The league is littered with goal-scorers, but for us to win, he needs to become a complete player.
"Like with Modano. He learned to impact the game in other areas. His point totals never changed, but his plusminus (rating) changed dramatically and he had an impact of opening up space for other players, and that?s what Nasher?s capable of, too. He just needs to relax and play. He needs to feel good about himself in ways other than just shooting the puck into the net."
It?s worth noting that many folks in Canada raised eyebrows when Hitchcock was hired to coach the Blue Jackets, wondering how his hard-line philosophies would jive with the Jackets? young talent, especially Nash and right winger Nikolai Zherdev.
Hitchcock was on the Team Canada coaching staff when Nash was benched during the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy.
So far, Nash and Hitchcock have gotten along swimmingly.
"I really like the way Rick is playing right now," Hitchcock said yesterday after practice. "He?s getting three or four quality chances a game, and he?s turning a lot of pucks over with his reach and his checking."
The bottom line, Nash said, is he wants to start winning games. The Blue Jackets have been one of the worst franchises in the NHL since drafting Nash in 2002.
"Hitch?s thing is that everybody has to score goals and everybody has to check," Nash said. "It?s not just up to the goal-scorers to score, just like it?s not only the checking guys who need to check. You need everybody on board.
"I know I?ve got a lot to learn yet in this game. I want to be a more complete player. So, yeah, of course, I?ll listen to him. I?ll do whatever it takes." [email protected]
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Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK ROUNDUP
Modin will play tonight; two others not ready

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




DENVER ? Blue Jackets left winger Fredrik Modin, who missed the past three games because of a groin injury, will return to the lineup tonight against the Colorado Avalanche in the Pepsi Center.
The news on two other Blue Jackets wasn?t so good.
Neither left winger Nikolai Zherdev nor defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen will play.
Zherdev has an upper body injury, possibly to his right shoulder, suffered Friday in Calgary. He did not play Saturday in the Blue Jackets? 4-0 win over Edmonton.
"(Zherdev) could skate (this morning) with the rest of the guys, but he won?t play," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He?s not ready. He?s still sore and tentative."
Tollefsen left the Edmonton game early after taking a blow to the head. Before he?s allowed to return to the lineup, he will be tested to rule out a concussion.
Defenseman Filip Novak, recalled last week before the road trip started, will make his Blue Jackets debut.
"I would like to bring more offense," Novak said. "But it?s my first game here, so I?ll, of course, try first to play a very good game defensively."
Novak had one goal and 11 assists in 19 games with minor-league Syracuse. A former second-round draft pick of the New York Rangers (2000), Novak played in 11 games with the Ottawa Senators last season.
One of those games was against the Philadelphia Flyers, then coached by Hitchcock.
"He played good," Hitchcock said. "And he?s smart with the puck. This is a great opportunity for him. And I?m sure he?s looking forward to it, after sitting around here with us for a few days."
No laughing matter

Blue Jackets left winger Rick Nash got lucky.
Two days after a vicious slash between the legs by Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson, Nash showed no ill effects in a lengthy practice yesterday.
Nash, who dropped to the ice and assumed a fetal position after the hit, called it a "dirty, dirty play."
Hitchcock added a little levity to the situation.
"Rick is going to get married someday," he said. "And he?s going to want children. He?ll have to be careful."
Slap shots

Two Blue Jackets draft picks have been invited to Team Canada?s camp for the World Junior Championships later this month in Sweden. Defenseman Kris Russell (third round, 2005) and goaltender Steve Mason (third round, 2006) will attend camp beginning next week in Calgary. ? David Vyborny, who spent 10 games at center, is back at right wing. He joined Nash and center Sergei Fedorov for the Edmonton game and will remain there tonight. ? Novak will likely pair with Anders Eriksson. [email protected]
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Nash looks kind of lost in Columbus right now. Maybe the All-Star Game can light a fire under him. His organization is obviously on the verge of change after throwing as much stuff against the wall as they could only to watch it slowly slide down like a handful of Quaker Cinnamon and Spice Oatmeal. The other night in Edmonton, Dwayne Roloson took his stick and, in Mike Tyson, old-school uppercut fashion, gave Nash's undercarriage a major "How's your father!" No one did anything. Nash lay on the ice for a while and then slowly skated to the bench. He didn't say anything to Roloson, either. Neither did any of his teammates. Nash is playing and acting like a 22-year-old making $4.5 million. Oh wait, he is 22 and he is making $4.5 million. I'll give him a pass because I like him. Blue Jackets fans paying $100 a ticket probably would like to see some more passion. If Mick Jagger can bring it every night at age 63, why can't young NHL players? In his last 157 NHL games, Nash has 79 goals. He's a big-time talent caught in a rough place. And he has a great hockey name. That's good enough for me, baby.
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i tend to agree on nash's attitude. hes always been an "aww shucks" guy. that fire needs lit.

i also was struck that i didnt really see a reaction when rolo (former property of the blue jackets) took that shot. you cant go after a goalie, but i really expected someone would take exception to what happened. it never happened. (minus pic and hell go after anyone, anyplace, anytime well everytime, anywhere)
 
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=johnson_george&id=2686263
This is, after all, a man capable of teaching Brett Hull that there are, as rumored, two ends to an ice hockey rink, a task rivaling Columbus convincing the Spanish court that man could not sail off the edge of the world.
A man who transformed styling-mousse Mike Modano from all flash and tinsel into a trustworthy two-way player.
And now, Ken Hitchcock has taken on arguably his most taxing assignment yet: the enigmatic Rick Nash.
Nash, the Columbus Blue Jackets' poster boy for just about everything (massive upside, failed promise, etc.), is an extravagantly gifted, maddeningly inconsistent and decidedly one-dimensional piece of gold-chip stock.
"Great players," preached Hitchcock with the fervor of a tent evangelist in mid-rant, "do more than score goals."
All Rick Nash can do is score goals. Not that it's a bad trait to possess, but too often if the goals dry up, he looks listless and uninspired.
The Nash-Hitchcock relationship is central to how the one-time Dallas and Philly tactician will fare in the sleepy hockey climate of Ohio. Nash is his test case. His barometer. He won't have trouble convincing old pros Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote to buy in. They've supped on success before, understand the process and the sacrifices, and are sick to the teeth of the losing in Columbus.
But it's the Rick Nashes and Nikolai Zherdevs who need to be cultivated and shaped into winners, rather than budding stars. When Hitchcock says, pointedly, "you have success in this league when you learn to check," he's targeting a few key people in the message. And it doesn't take Scotty Bowman to figure out exactly whom.
Hitchcock is a teacher, as he says. But not from the Mr. Chips school of rumpled cardigans and squishy-soled Hush Puppies. This is someone not averse to administering tough love.
Demanding. Relentless. Unbending. Just a few of the adjectives used to describe Ken Hitchcock over the years.
"Nik to me is on the learning ropes of being a good professional player," he reasoned. "Diet. Rest. The balance. He's taking baby steps. These are things Rick already knows. His obligation to this organization is to become a complete player, not just a goal scorer. He needs to feel good about himself for things other than goals.
"He's eager to learn that stuff, but he doesn't need the burden of having to be the guy every night. He's 22 years of age."
For his part, Nash said he doesn't feel at all overwhelmed by expectations.
"I don't think that way at all. Fedorov's headed to the Hall of Fame. Anson Carter scored over 30 last year. Zherdev's a great young player. I want to produce. But I'm not the only one who can, or has to," Nash said. "Hitch is the perfect guy for this job. He's coached world-class players. He's won Stanley Cups and Olympic gold medals. He's done it all. When he walks into any dressing room, he has instant respect from the players."
The similarities between today's Rick Nash and a young, emerging Mike Modano are many.
"They're the same in that they both internalize things," said Hitchcock. "If Mo didn't score and the team didn't win, he got very down. But he learned the importance, the value, of contributing in all areas. If you check, his point totals never changed. But his plus-minus did."
Hitchcock already has Nash out on the penalty-killing unit, trying to drum more responsibility into him. The days of a couple points in a losing cause being good enough will soon be at an end, if they aren't already over, no matter what name happens to be stitched onto the back of your jersey.
"You have to change your value system," lectured Hitchcock. "You're not going to score 80 to 90 goals in this league anymore. So players have to learn to contribute in other areas."
The dark areas. The dirty areas. The areas that separate the riffraff from the respectable.
Heaven knows there's ample room for improvement with this outfit. This is a franchise, remember, that has just as many shutouts against (49) in its history as road wins (49); one that has already been blanked six times this season and finds itself mired on the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
"Hitch," said Fedorov, a Stanley Cup winner under Bowman's tutelage in Motown, "is going to make us better. He's great with the details and the organizing. He's a proven winner. He's going to demand we work as a group. No exceptions."
He won the battle with Modano and, ultimately, Hull. Can he win it with Nash?
Following a 2-1 loss at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary on Friday night, the Jackets are 1-3 since Hitchcock arrived. All three losses were by one goal. But they are still losses.
Hitchcock insisted he sees a lot of similarities between this job and the one he took over in Big D during the 1995-96 season.
"Here," he said, "we're dealing with respectability. This is a young team. They make mistakes. We just have to teach and weather. But from what I've seen, they're willing to learn.
"My job is to keep the train on the tracks. In Philly, the attitude was 'Cup or bust.' Every year. Here, we're trying to build something. It takes time. It takes patience. I know the long-term way to get a team to be a winning hockey club, to get into the playoffs and do damage in the playoffs.
"But there's some pain to go through before you get there."
Those directly involved please take note: Epidurals are expressly forbidden.
George Johnson, a columnist for the Calgary Herald, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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