Blue Jackets Monday Gathering: Flight delays change puck drop vs. Senators
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:Aaron Portzline
Despite high winds in Columbus and freezing rain in Ottawa, it was a mechanical issue that grounded the Blue Jackets.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: At last, wheels up
At 2 p.m. on a typical game day, most NHL players are settling in for a nap to clear their minds and recharge their batteries before they head back to the rink.
But at that time Monday, the Blue Jackets were just boarding a flight to Ottawa, where they were set to face the Senators in Canadian Tire Centre just a few hours later.
The Blue Jackets, after a series of delays and frustrations, were finally wheels up around 2:40, and puck drop for their game against the Senators had been moved back 30 minutes by the NHL to a 7:30 p.m. start.
None of this is ideal, of course.
🚨 Game Update 🚨
Due to travel issues, the start time of tonight's game has been delayed until 7:30pm. pic.twitter.com/qhkhhIIYSR
The Blue Jackets pulled off a third-period comeback Sunday to beat the New York Islanders in Nationwide Arena, one of their more thrilling games this season. They were then scheduled to fly to Ottawa after the game for a back-to-back that — even if it went swimmingly — was one of the toughest on the schedule.
But the Blue Jackets learned shortly after they beat the Islanders that their flight had been delayed. Despite high winds (gusts up to 50 mph) in Columbus and freezing rain in Ottawa, it was a mechanical issue — not weather — that grounded the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
That explains why the Islanders, who used a different charter service, were able to fly on to Chicago for their next game Tuesday.
Blue Jackets players were sent home from the airport late Sunday and told to return at 10 a.m. Monday, but it became clear by mid-morning that a late-morning flight wasn’t going to happen. The flight was delayed two more times.
The NHL was monitoring the situation throughout the day, the league told The Athletic. The league has a rule that clubs are to arrive in a city the night before the game, to avoid just this type of issue. But on back-to-back games — especially ones with border crossings — that’s not always possible.
A league spokesman said the league doesn’t have fixed rules in place regarding how far in advance of a game the visiting team must arrive, but that it works closely with both clubs to find an amenable solution.
The Senators announced around 2:30 p.m. that the start of the game would be delayed.
The Blue Jackets, with the 2:40 departure, would likely arrive in Ottawa around 3:45 or 4 p.m. By the time they reach the Canadian Tire Centre, it will likely be 4:30 p.m. or later. For players with pregame routines and daily rituals, these disruptions are tight. This will not be an easy game for the visitors.
The NHL Players’ Association told The Athletic that it was watching the situation, too.
The Blue Jackets have had several delays and at least one canceled flight already this season. They also made a drastic midseason change.
In November, New Pacific Airlines, the U.S.-based charter carrier that had been responsible for flying the Blue Jackets and several other clubs, ceased operations without warning, forcing teams to scramble to rearrange their travel plans.
Whatever they came up with, it doesn’t seem to be working.
Item No. 2: A new voice
The Blue Jackets won’t sound the same in Nationwide Arena next season.
Greg Murray, the Blue Jackets’ in-arena announcer since the start of the franchise in 2000, said before Sunday’s game that he plans to step down from the role after this season. He’ll be a tough act to follow.
The Blue Jackets have played 985 games — 966 regular season and 19 playoff — in Nationwide Arena, and Murray has been behind the mic for every one of them. By the end of the regular season, he should have 1,003 games on his resume.
“I always wanted to get that thousand-game mark, and I’m going to get to do that,” Murray told The Athletic. “I’ve done NHL All-Star Games. I’ve done NHL Drafts. I got to do an outdoor game. But I’ve never been able to sit and watch a game with my two sons. I’ve never been on the kiss cam with my wife (Julie). I’ve got a ton of really passionate sports fans in my life, too, and I’ve never had the opportunity to just sit and be a fan.”
I've always said: 1. Announcing #CBJ games isnt WORK, its FUN. 2. I'd know when to be done. When this season ends, I'll retire the mic as the @PA4CBJ. Family, new adventures, challenges & a list of fam & friends to enjoy a game with as a fan-My Jules, sons and grandson. #JOTPPpic.twitter.com/ZntlMPvTe6
Murray has worked in broadcasting for 35 years, the last 20 of them with The River (104.9 FM), a contemporary Christian radio station in Columbus. He’s also done voice work for TV and radio all over the country, he said.
It’s that deep, resonant voice that has announced goals, penalties and of course power plays in Nationwide Arena for millions of fans through the years. About that power-play call …
It was early in the Blue Jackets’ inaugural season, Murray said, that his signature call — a gravely, throaty, impassioned “Jackets on the power play!” — was born. He was coaxed into it by then-game operations director Kimberly Kershaw.
“It didn’t start from the very beginning, but it was pretty early that season,” Murray said. “She said, ‘Hey, we’re going on the power play. I want you to say ‘Jackets on the power play!’ She cued me, and I said it, and it was lame.
“I turned the mic off, and she told me to do it really big next time. So that next time, I brought it from my toes, like my life depended on it, and what came out of my face is what you hear now. I asked her, ‘How’s that?’ And she said, ‘That’ll work!'”
Item No. 3: Take 5, Miles Wood
“Take 5” is our weekly brief and (mostly) non-hockey conversation with a Blue Jackets player, coach, broadcaster or staffer. This week, forward Miles Wood, who has played in the NHL with New Jersey and Colorado before being traded to Columbus last summer:
In what part of Columbus do you live?
Short North. I love it. It’s great. I live right off High Street there, and there’s a lot of stuff to do, some great coffee shops. I still drive to the (Nationwide Arena) — it’s cold here in Ohio (smiles) — but I can see the rink from my apartment. Really good on the restaurant scene, too. For me, the best steakhouse around here is The Barn in New Albany. But the place near me where I eat the most is probably Marcella’s (in the Short North). Really good Italian spot.
Thoughts on living in the Midwest?
It’s actually been great. You know a small part of what a city offers when you come in only once or twice a year. But now, being here for three months or so, there’s a lot more to do than I thought. Some of the guys live out in New Albany, which is a beautiful town, and a place you don’t get to see when you’re just going from the airport to hotel to rink and back. Great golf around here, too.
What’s your favorite Christmas gift ever?
As a kid growing up, it was always a hockey stick. Throw in a PlayStation or something, but the big thing was always the sticks for me and my brother. There was a white and orange Nike One. I don’t think anybody (in the NHL) was playing with it, I just liked it cause it was white. I think I was 10. Best gift I’ve ever given … my first year pro, I gave a necklace to my mom. You’d have to ask her if it was special or not (laughs), but it was the first time I could really get her something nice.
Are you a movie guy?
I am, yeah. I watched “Home Alone” for the first time in years, and that really brought back some childhood memories. Loved the new “Top Gun” (Maverick). That was great. The one I can’t turn off is probably “The Wolf of Wall Street.” It’s a great movie. “The Town,” “Black Mass” … all the Boston movies are great.
Guilty pleasure … food and song?
Food is, for sure, a good pizza. Or chicken wings. But pizza is at the top. As for a song? (Thinks for a second before a smile forms) Oh, no. I’ll say it: “Pink Pony Club.”
Item No. 4: Snacks
• The Islanders’ Mathew Barzal was fined $5,000 for his wild, swinging slash on Blue Jackets winger Mason Marchment at 1:37 of the second period after Marchment was called for tripping young Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer. That’s the maximum allowed per the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA. Barzal was also given a five-minute major for slashing and a game misconduct, ending his evening.
The Islanders were incensed at Marchment after he landed a high hit on Schaefer, the Islanders’ No. 1 pick last June, late in the first period. They felt that Marchment was targeting Schaefer and hit him knee-on-knee early in the second, which is what drew the Barzal slash and sparked an all-out brawl.
Marchment tripped Schaefer and Barzal was NOT having it slashing him in response.
• There are three NHL clubs — Columbus, Carolina and Vegas — with no prospects playing in the IIHF World Junior Championships, which are underway in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. It’s the first time in franchise history that the Blue Jackets don’t have a prospect in the tournament, which involves the best under-20 players from all over the world. In fact, the Jackets haven’t had fewer than two players in the World Juniors since 2007. The best hope was defenseman Jackson Smith, the No. 14 pick last June, but the Penn State freshman was one of Canada’s final cuts. Goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov would likely have played for Russia, but it’s been banned from competition by the IIHF. Center Cayden Lindstrom, the No. 4 pick in 2024, has been underwhelming (1-2-3 in 11 games) in his freshman season at Michigan State.
• Reader Mark Y. wondered if, in the history of the Blue Jackets, there had ever been a day like Sunday, when the Blue Jackets and Ohio’s two NFL teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, all won. The NHL’s vast and impressive stats database does not include NFL schedules (obviously), so we had to dig into this ourselves.
The answer? No. Never before have the Blue Jackets (4-2 over the Islanders), Bengals (37-14 over Arizona) and Browns (13-6 over Pittsburgh) all won on the same day. The closest we could find was Nov. 16, 2003, when the Bengals beat the Chiefs 24-19, the Browns beat Arizona 44-6, and the Blue Jackets tied the Phoenix Coyotes 2-2.
• Don’t be alarmed by the Blue Jackets placing defenseman Zach Werenski on injured reserve Sunday when they needed a roster spot for right winger Mathieu Olivier, who returned after missing 12 games. The NHL minimum time on IR is seven days. Werenski’s placement on IR was made retroactive to Dec. 20, which means he can be activated at any time.
• With Werenski out the last two games, Denton Mateychuk has stepped into a bigger role. On Sunday, he played 26:28, had two assists and a plus-2 rating in the win over the Islanders. In the win over Los Angeles before the holiday break, he played 28:35 and had an assist. Those games are his top two NHL games by ice time.
“He just plays the game at a maturity level that’s beyond his years and experience,” coach Dean Evason said. “So we feel really comfortable putting him in any situation. Does anybody replace (Werenski)? No, of course not. But it’s nice to have people we feel comfortable playing in all of the spots Z plays in.”
• Mateychuk will play his 82nd game Monday in Ottawa, exactly one season worth of games. He has 10-19-29 with a plus-3 rating in that span, a pretty good start for a player who spent just 27 games in the AHL. Mateychuk, 21, is not an eye-opening skater with his straight-line acceleration or his top speed. But he is an elite skater with his ability to change direction quickly and wiggle out of tight spaces with the puck.
“He didn’t sag under those big minutes,” Evason said. “He was able to recover right away. He was able to play that many minutes even though he hadn’t played that many minutes, and it didn’t seem like he was affected. He was ready to go back out.”
• The Blue Jackets had several games canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, but they’ve only once had a game canceled due to weather or travel issues. On Dec. 27, 2022, the Buffalo Sabres were snowed in by a Christmas storm and couldn’t make it to Columbus for the game. Question: Do you know how much it has to snow to shut down Buffalo?