The Weekly Dis
What jersey do you want to find under your Christmas tree?
Your Columbus Blue Jackets have had a hard go of late. Thursday night, they extended their losing streak to four games with a 6-3 L at the hands of the equally mediocre Ottawa Senators in the Nationwide Arena.
Friday morning after an intense practice, coach Dean Evason did his usual media confab and, in the midst of it, he was asked specifically about how he and his staff processes the current struggle and what they're doing in an effort to get off the schneid.
I found it interesting to have him walk us through this. Here's an excerpt:
Q: I'm curious about your process, and the team process as you put (the players) through the paces. After last night's game, do you watch film? And this morning, what did you do? What was the timeline like? Meetings? Film sessions?
DE: Yeah, it's difficult right after the game. You emotions are high. When you win, your emotions are probably too high, and when you lose it's probably too low. We (coaches) stuck around a little big longer last night and chatted about different things, which sometimes we do. Last night, we did a little more. Got in here early. Watched, not the entire game – but we watched the majority of the game back again. Put a video session together and then had a real good, intimate meeting with video, and then a good chat with the group about where we're at.
When I mention optimism, we say all the right things, which is wonderful. (Evason says "wonderful" as if it is meant "in theory.") Now, you need to implement it in your game, which we saw in practice. And now it has to get translated in a game, when the puck drops for real.
Q: In the meeting, do you do do a lot of lecturing? Or, do you make points and throw it to the floor? Do you want to hear what they're saying?
DE: All of the above. Did you have a camera in there?
Q: Yes, I did. I had three cameras in there.
DE: Every coach spoke, I'll tell you that. And probably six players spoke. It was a little longer session, because video was a little longer and it was a little bit more of a unique video session with more of the communication, more of the input, more of the accountability – not just us making them accountable, but them talking about their accountability on some of the stuff in the video. So, that was a little longer, but well-needed, I think. We thought. And we feel very good coming out of it. And then, practice, you guys watched, they practiced their (expletive) asses off. So, that's good.
Q: One more follow-up for the sake of context. This is the general rhythm to your season, and today was a little longer because you wanted to talk about a couple more things, or maybe make points a little more vociferously?
DE: Yeah. We wanted to make sure our commitment was there. If you don't see your commitment, then you've got to make them aware that there was a lack of commitment. And when they see it and hold themselves accountable individually and/or a teammate accountable ... That doesn't mean you're throwing anyone under the bus, it means, 'I should've done this, I should've done that,' as opposed to the coach (saying it).
Q: Is that the full team, goalies included?
DE: Goalies are accountable, too.
Q: Do guys surprise you sometimes, that aren't vocal usually, and they step up?
DE: Yeah, there's always people that you don't expect that say the right things. It's good to have that intimate thing go on as well a few times. Sometimes, you can get away from it, but sometimes you need to get together with it, too – and we were together with it today.
Posts
Monday
I wrote, "The Jackets give a consistent effort under coach Dean Evason. That's laudable. Golf clap. But it's clear that – absent a shot streak, which seems unlikely but not impossible – they're still just another playoff-bubble team. With center Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson struggling, they can compete against the league's iron but beating them is another thing altogether."
Michael Arace
Wednesday
I wrote, "A (Quinn) Hughes deal will get done, sooner or later. (Vancouver Canucks president) Rutherford is an aggressive old coot and he has decided it's time to rebuild in Vancouver. He is dangling a world-class defenseman, perhaps one of the top 10 players in the league. I don't see any way that one of the 31 other teams doesn't come up with something sweet enough for Rutherford. ... But, man, it's not going to be easy."
I didn't think it got done this fast. Friday night, the Canucks sent Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for center Marco Ross, forward Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium – all former first-round picks – and a first-round pick in 2026. Wow.
With each passing day Hughes' market value was going to drop, primarily because his contract is up at the end of 2026-27 and, at that point, he's eligible for unrestricted free agency. The Canucks, then, extracted maximum value by acting quickly. And the Wild got an MVP-caliber defenseman, one of the two best D-men in the league (although in Columbus, we'd say, "one of the three best.")
This is a massive trade. The Canucks got a haul. The Wild have to think that, with Hughes, they've put themselves in a different conversation when it comes to contending for a Stanley Cup. For the next two years, anyway.
Michael Arace
Friday
Is it time for Daddy Don Waddell to shake up the household?
Michael Arace
Hard go in Glasgow
Former Crew coach Wilfried Nancy in his Celtic debut suffered costly, a 2-1 home loss to Hearts in Scottish league play (see Monday post above). The two teams were tied for first place before the match. Oof.
Michael Arace
Thursday, Nancy got his first taste of Europa League when Italy's A.C. Roma visited Celtic Park, capacity 60,832. Roma ran Celtic right off the field in a 3-0 romp. Roma fans travel well, it seems, because their cheers and chants often overwhelmed the boos that came from the Celtic supporters. Oof.
I watched the first half and couldn't watch the second half, it was so painful. Everyone knew Nancy would need time to implement his progressive, possession-based system and that idea was only reinforced here. It also looks like he's going to mo' better players.
"I am not concerned, I liked the reaction," Nancy said during his post-game presser.
You can get a taste of what Celtic fans were thinking after the match from a British call-in show.
Paddy, for one, was not happy. He didn't even like Nancy's shoes.
"NHL Oldest Footage (1925-36)"
In 2022, former Jackets captain Nick Foligno was presented with the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which goes to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."
In the video below, you can get a glimpse of King Clancy – among many others. See if you can spot Brendan Smith out there.
Priceless:
What jersey do you want to find under your Christmas tree?
Top: A Ricky LaFleur Sunnyvale Trailer Park jersey, front and back. Bottom left: A gift for my 60th birthday last year -- a home white Hartford Whalers Sean Burke jersey (Burkie was touched when he was told about the gift). Bottom right: Highly paid Disrespected media staff sport their sweaters at Nationwide -- a Johnny Gaudreau Blue Jackets third jersey; an OG home white CBJ; outlier here is a J. Crew wool blend v-neck; a 1980s-era, road green Kevin Dineen Whale.
Fanatics is crap. I miss the old CCM authentic (green Whale above) and replicas (OG CBJ above). Even the Adidas (CBJ third above) and the Starter replicas are better quality than anything Fanatics makes these days. Fanatics is ruining all the pro sports, even beyond their core gambling business.
Anyway, I'll take an Andrew Cassels No. 21 Whale tail blue jersey from the final Hartford years (mid-1990s) or a Ronald Tugnutt No. 1 Quebec Nordiques jersey (late 1980s).
How about you?
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Michael Arace
