As the Jackets prepare to host the St. Louis Blues, Columbus forward Jared Boll would be the first to tell you what matters most tonight is coming away with two points.
But while the focus for the team remains on climbing back up the standings, there is an important tip of the cap to Boll who plays in his 500th game tonight.
“It’s nice to reach 500 games,” Boll said. “Obviously it’s seems like I’ve been here a long time, at the same time it flies by. It’s been great every day. It’s pretty cool.”
Boll was drafted by Columbus in 2005 and has been with the Jackets for all nine of his professional seasons. He’s one of only two remaining Columbus players, (the other is Fedor Tyutin) to see both of the Jackets’ playoff appearances and has played through multiple coaching and management changes.
Those changes include the departure of his first NHL coach, Ken Hitchcock who will stand behind the opponent’s bench tonight as head coach of the Blues.
“He taught me a lot of what it takes to come in and play in this league,” Boll said. “And not just play a couple years but stick in this league and what to do on and off the ice. He was a big part of my career.”
And what a career it’s been. While Boll acknowledges with a laugh that 1,000 games played is the bigger milestone (compared to 500) that most in the hockey world pay attention to, the player who leads the franchise in penalty minutes has put in the work to stay in the league and with the Jackets.
Two seasons ago, Boll played only 28 games when he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Last year he played in 72 games but as the team went on their celebrated late-season push, in the final 13 games as the Jackets went 12-0-1, Boll saw action in only five of those contests, he lost three games to a suspension and was a healthy scratch for the final five games.
Some wondered what the 2015-16 might bring for the 29-year-old born in Charlotte, but an intense off-season focus got Boll ready for the new year. When the Jackets made a coaching change, and brought in head coach John Tortorella, things really started to click.
“I feel a lot better than I have in the past,” Boll said. “I think (my work during) summer had something to do with it. I think since Torts came here, the practices have really picked up. They’re really fast paced..and have helped me to be on my game.”
The hard work is garnering notice. Boll’s name has yet to make the scoresheet, but his line which included Gregory Campbell and Alex Wennberg and now Kerby Rychel while Wennberg recovers from a foot injury, have arguably been the crucible for the team in recent games, particularly against Vancouver and Arizona.
Boll’s possession stats through 11 games are also rebounding. #40 has a 33.9% fenwick for per 60 which is his highest season total since 2010-11 when he posted 40.2% on the season.
Tonight is just another game – there’s no celebrations unless the team wins. John Tortorella is not one to focus on individual stats, saying “it’s about the result after the game,” and Boll agrees.
“There’s nothing different (I’ll do tonight),” Boll said. “It’s another game, two huge points, and a chance to win two at home in a row. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
QUICKLY:
- Tortorella, speaking with the media after an optional morning skate, said that he doesn’t show 5 on 5 tape on the other team, but he does on special teams.
- The team is improving but they still need to stay out of the penalty box. Here’s Torts: “We’re playing a pretty good game, just taking too many penalties. (If you have) 2-3 you’re probably taking good penalties and you kill those penalties off…We want to stay aggressive, we want to take care of areas of the ice but you can do that with discipline. It’s a part of our game we need to improve in.”
- An interesting wrinkle in tonight’s line up – look for defenseman Ryan Murray to return to play on the left side – his natural side where he’s spent most of his career.
- Jared Boll cited Sergei Fedorov, Jody Shelley, Michael Peca, Freddy Modin, and Adam Foote as guys who all helped him feel welcome and comfortable as he found his way in the league and he says it’s something he tries to do now for younger players.
LINEUP
Jenner – Johansen – Saad
Calvert – Foligno – Atkinson
Hartnell – Karlsson – Bourque
Rychel – Campbell – Boll
Johnson – Savard
Murray – Goloubef
Tyutin – Connauton
Bobrovsky
Healthy scratch: Prout
Injured: Clarkson, Dubinsky, Wennberg
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