Columbus Blue Jackets players, coach Pascal Vincent 'all on the same page'
Not long after accusations surfaced that Mike Babcock was violating the privacy of Blue Jackets players, the embattled coach and the team's captain, Boone Jenner, refuted the claims.
The Blue Jackets issued statements from each, and the initial pushback was strong. Johnny Gaudreau followed with similar thoughts as Jenner. Zach Werenski weighed in during an appearance on a local radio show.
All three had the same consensus: Babcock’s intentions were harmless, and the allegations were overblown.
All three changed their opinions by Monday, when they met with reporters on media day at Nationwide Arena. Since issuing their initial thoughts, those three plus the rest of the team had gone through a full team meeting with the NHLPA last week, which led to Babcock's resignation Sunday, plus another team meeting Monday.
The Jackets' initial push to defend Babcock’s request to view some players' phones began to look like a divide between veterans and younger players. Over the course of a couple days, the Blue Jackets learned from the NHLPA that some of them had vastly different experiences with Babcock than others. That helped create a unified front, players said.
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“I think we were all on the same page by the end of it, the whole team,” Werenski said. “We’re in this together, and as a group we’re going to make decisions and have conversations. However we feel, it’s a group thing. I feel like this could maybe bring us closer together.”
Jenner echoed those sentiments.
“We were speaking on our experiences with ‘Babs’ and how our meetings went,” he said. “The fact is, we didn’t know some of the other issues that came up. So, we didn’t know about them, and the ‘PA’ came in and reviewed (it with us). We talked as a group, and we got to the bottom of it. As far as us three guys or whoever spoke (last week), we were speaking about our own experiences.”
Gaudreau said it was conceivable that Babcock’s tone varied depending on a player’s age or status.
“I guess, maybe sometimes coaches speak differently with veterans or younger guys, but just from my point of view, I thought I had a good meeting and then got back from Vegas and learned a lot of different things,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t know all these things. I got back like two weeks ago, so it’s great to get back with the team and talk with the team in there and we figured out a solution down there.”
The only player who spoke Monday and didn’t offer up much about it was Patrik Laine, whose decision to stay mum on Babcock said plenty. Laine also feels that hashing it out as a team was beneficial.
“I mean, all the conversations I’ve been a part of, I feel like it’s been great for team bonding,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not something anybody wants to go through a week before camp starts, but I feel like we’re a tighter and more supportive group right now, and everybody’s just excited to get the camp going.”
New coach Pascal Vincent, 51, might be the most eager.
This is his first training camp in a role he’s earned after 30-plus years in the profession. This isn’t the way he envisioned it happening and acknowledged it was a tough week, but the first-time NHL head coach is intently focused on implementing a strategic plan put together with Babcock this summer.
Vincent declined to say whether he’d heard about Babcock’s protocols with players during individual meetings but said his own experiences were positive.
“We had a good relationship,” Vincent said. “Mike Babcock is a good hockey coach. We went over all the systems and stuff, and that’s where we got along really well, Mike and I. His vision of how the game should be played and mine, they align. So, there’s going to be some changes from what you saw last year in how we play. We’re going to tweak quite a few things. It’s going to look different.”
As for avoiding a split locker room?
“We’ve been facing some adversity, and as a team, as a person, as a coach … what do you do?” Vincent said. “You face it and you move on, and that’s what we intend to do. We’re going to move on. It’s been hard, but we’ve got to focus on training camp and being ready. We’re going to be ready.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets players, Vincent present united front on Babcock response
