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The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to move past the Mike Babcock drama as training camp and preseason is on the horizon. Pascal Vincent has stepped up as the new bench boss in Columbus. And his presence already has players excited for what is to come.
Vincent ran his first practice as head coach of the Blue Jackets on Thursday. After the practice, some of the team's players spoke with the media and shared their first impressions of the new voice in the locker room.
“‘Pazzi’ has been a guy that has been around for a long time,” center Sean Kuraly said, via NHL.com. “We know him personally from the last two seasons. He has the respect of the room. He’s ready for this and we’re ready for this camp.”
Defenseman Erik Gudbranson touched on the drama heading into camp and things like that can help a team in some ways. “You know, a lot of the times some ugly situations immediately bring you together, and that was a sentiment from all the boys in the room,” he said. “It brought us together for sure. And we're super excited that Pazzi’s at the helm.”
The Blue Jackets hired Babcock on July 1. However, Babcock resigned from his post following allegations of his invading the privacy of his players. These allegations stemmed from former NHL forward Paul Bissonnette, who spoke to Blue Jackets players regarding these instances. The NHL and NHLPA eventually stepped in to investigate, as well.
Vincent steps behind the bench for his first preseason game on Saturday. His Blue Jackets face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh at 1 PM Eastern. On October 12, the Columbus bench boss makes his regular-season debut at home against the Philadelphia Flyers.
