News Clips Apr. 4, 2019

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets haven't had much heart at home PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Matt Duchene excited that Blue Jackets control playoff destiny PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets takeaways: That Bruins beatdown? Forget about it PAGE 10: The Athletic: Last call: Blue Jackets broadcaster Bill Davidge continues to face adversity with a smile and a helping hand

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 16: The Athletic: One year after crash, Humboldt Broncos’ Tyler Smith back on ice with brother’s team PAGE 18: The Athletic: LeBrun Notebook: Who has a seat and who is still looking as the NHL’s coaching carousel keeps spinning PAGE 21: The Athletic: Bourne: Explaining the role of a video coach and how they help their team prepare for the playoffs

1

Blue Jackets haven't had much heart at home

By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – April 3, 2019

If the Blue Jackets clinch a playoff spot this weekend, it likely will be one of the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card positions.

That means their first-round series would open on the road, just like last season against the and like their previous three postseason appearances.

That might be a good thing, considering how the past calendar year has gone for the team at Nationwide Arena. Since losing all three home games in a six-game series loss to the Capitals last April, things haven’t improved much.

A humbling 6-2 loss Tuesday to the gave the Blue Jackets a record of 22-17-2 for the home-ice portion of the regular season, a number that doesn’t look nearly as poor as it did before a late five-game home winning streak.

“We have put ourselves in this situation by a number of things, but the No. 1 thing has been our inconsistent play at home,” coach John Tortorella said Wednesday on radio station WBNS. “I hope it doesn’t bite us, as far as it taking away from us getting in, but that’s been a glaring problem for this team in big games at home.”

The loss to the Bruins was just the latest example. It was the eighth time in 15 home sellouts this season the Jackets have sent their fans home grumbling. Their record is just 6-8-1 in those games and it’s 6-11-1 in the past year, if you include the three playoff games against the Capitals.

It’s almost like Alex Ovechkin or put a hex on the arena as it relates to the main tenants — and if Blue Jackets fans are feeling a little bit like Charlie Brown lining up to kick a chip-shot field , you can see why.

The difference is that Lucy in this case (the Blue Jackets) doesn’t intend to pull the ball away at the last second. They would like to become a dominating home-ice team, but time after time they have fumbled the snap or spun the laces in instead of out.

“We can’t look anywhere else except at ourselves and try to figure this out on the road now,” Tortorella said, “try to find a way to get in and take off from there.”

Therein lies the bright side for the Jackets because, conversely, they are one of the NHL’s best road teams. Their record is 23-14-2, fifth-best in the NHL , and they have two more chances to add to it this weekend against also-ran teams: the New York Rangers on Friday and Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

If things go well, the Blue Jackets will net another playoff appearance and another crack at fixing their home-ice woes in the postseason.

The average home playoff record among the past 10 winners is 9-3, and it has been five years since the won with more than four postseason home losses (9-6).

2

“The question I have now is, ‘How are we going to respond to this?’ ” Tortorella said Wednesday. “I have full confidence this team will be ready to practice (Thursday) and get into New York and play the right way.”

3

Matt Duchene excited that Blue Jackets control playoff destiny

By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – April 3, 2019

If you’re looking for the bright side of the Blue Jackets’ latest stumble on home ice, it’s what happened in the five games that preceded it.

The five-game winning streak they ripped off, outscoring those teams 24-4, built the Jackets a bit of a safety net for their final three games.

One of those games is cashed now, a 6-2 loss Tuesday to the Boston Bruins, but the Jackets still control their postseason fate with games this weekend at the New York Rangers on Friday and Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

“Our destiny is completely in our hands now, which is exciting,” center Matt Duchene said. “We can control everything that’s going on, going forward.”

That’s assuming they win Friday at Madison Square Garden. Otherwise, the Jackets’ ability to clinch a playoff spot could hinge on what Montreal and Carolina do in their final two games.

The Canadiens and Hurricanes both play Thursday, so the Blue Jackets will know in New York whether they are still holding down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.

Montreal is tied with the Jackets at 94 points and could take over that spot with a win over the Washington Capitals. A win for Carolina over the would move the Hurricanes three points ahead of the Jackets for the first wild card.

Either way, the Blue Jackets will clinch if they sweep their games.

“Obviously, we can’t control what Montreal does and what Carolina does, but at the same time, if we do our job we’re going to get to where we want to go,” Duchene said. “So, that’s an exciting thing to give yourself the opportunity to control your own destiny.”

Bjorkstrand stays hot

One of the few positives for the Blue Jackets in the loss to the Bruins was the sight of forward scoring a goal — again.

It was the sixth straight game it has happened, a career-high for the 23-year old Dane, and he is up to 22 goals with two games left. Bjorkstrand is tied for the third-longest goal streak in Jackets history with Rick Nash (2005-06) and one game from tying the record shared by Geoff Sanderson (2002-03) and Cam Atkinson (2017-18).

Bjorkstrand has seven goals during the streak, the longest active goal streak in the NHL, and has eight goals in the past eight games.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis is officially in the building.

Elvis Merzlikins, that is, the Latvian rookie goaltender who is expected to compete for a spot with the Blue Jackets next season if Sergei Bobrovsky leaves in free agency.

4

Merzlikins, who starred for HC Lugano in the Swiss League, now has a locker stall across the hall from the Jackets’ main room. The plan is for him to work one-on-one with goaltending coach Manny Legace outside of the team’s regular practice times.

He isn’t alone in his new locker room, either.

“I’m right across the hall (with Merzlikins),” said rookie defenseman Andrew Peeke, who signed a three- year entry-level contract Monday. “Elvis is in there, too. I’ve got a bud in there.”

5

Blue Jackets takeaways: That Bruins beatdown? Forget about it

By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – April 3, 2019

A 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins already had been pitched into the circular file by the time reporters were allowed into the Blue Jackets’ nearly empty locker room on Tuesday night.

The Bruins’ near-clinical romp was placed into the proverbial trash bin inside the Jackets’ brains and then the bin was apparently emptied with the simple click of a button.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing but we cannot worry about this one,” said captain Nick Foligno, who faced the media alone until joined a couple minutes later by Cam Atkinson and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

“It’s in the past now. So, get ready for our next one. We’ve always been a day-at-a-time team, so we’ll get a day off (Wednesday) and get a good practice in Thursday and then get ready to roll.”

Atkinson, Bjorkstrand, coach John Tortorella and, presumably, the rest of the Blue Jackets felt likewise. They were ready to dig a deep hole — a trench? — and bury this game like they have numerous bad nights that came before it.

Perhaps more appropriate, though, would’ve been tossing this game into a dumpster, sprinkling it with gasoline and flicking in a lit match.

If the Blue Jackets somehow fumble away a playoff appearance in their final two games — a back-to- back set on the road this weekend against the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators — then the lasting memory of a long offseason might be the sight of the Bruins dominating them at Nationwide Arena in their final home game.

In a way, considering how often the Jackets have stumbled on home ice this season, that might actually be a fitting fade to black. But, as Foligno pointed out, nothing is decided yet and they still have two games to punch their postseason ticket.

“This isn’t anywhere (near) over,” he said. “We’re obviously just disappointed that we couldn’t take advantage of a game tonight that we felt we should’ve done better in, but we’re not going to dwell on it. We’re going to get ready for our next one. That’s how we always have been and that’s how you have to face it this time of year.”

So, incinerate this one. Bury it. Erase it. Strap it to one of Elon Musk’s rockets and shoot it into outer space — never to be spoken of, nor heard from again.

Just realize, however, that this was another golden opportunity lost, another blown chance to ignite a charged building packed with excited Blue Jackets backers.

They’re getting used to that letdown feeling at Nationwide Arena by now, and that simply cannot continue if this team wants to reach its lofty goals.

The Blue Jackets now have two more swings to make sure this wasn’t their final home game this season. They’ve moved on already, but before the rest of us do, here are five takeaways from another hometown letdown in Columbus:

6

There wasn’t a lot of good news to go around for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Not only did the Bruins steal their lunch and then hand it back to them, half-eaten, but they also got no favors from other games.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, on the road, for two points that lifted them past Columbus by a into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The , meanwhile, pulled even in points with the Blue Jackets by accomplishing the rare feat of actually defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in regulation at Bell Centre in Montreal.

The Blue Jackets cling to the second wild card by the NHL’s regulation/overtime wins tiebreaker (44-41), but now it’s a two-game sprint to the finish line for all three Metropolitan Division teams.

The good news for the Jackets is that their fate is in their hands, either way. The bad news is that time is running out and hockey is a sport that inexplicably punishes teams sometimes with odd bounces and bad breaks (see: Boston’s first goal Tuesday).

Columbus should be able to win both of its upcoming games, against teams that are out of the playoff hunt. The sticky part is that they’re in a “must-win” situation now, with an entire season’s worth of effort riding in the balance.

The Blue Jackets had the motivation of potentially clinching a playoff spot had things fallen differently. The Bruins had the motivation of possibly clinching home ice in what should be an exciting first-round series against Toronto.

The Bruins’ motivation, and legs, clearly won out.

Boston out-skated, out-checked and out-Jacketed the Blue Jackets. The Bruins played in “groups of five” skaters all over the ice the way Columbus had done so effectively in its five-game winning streak entering the game.

They used speed, body checks, stick checks and 17 blocked shots to frustrate the Blue Jackets from start to finish — putting on a clinic of how to win late in the season.

“That’s a good lesson for us,” Foligno said. “This is playoff hockey. This is what wins this time of year and the team that does it better than the other one is going to win.”

Tortorella had another term for it.

“I just thought we were ‘out-quicked’ all night long,” he said. “They were the better team.”

It was a shining example of a “puck luck” goal, which gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead just 1:58 into the game.

Jake DeBrusk got his stick on the puck in the slot area between the circles in the Blue Jackets zone and flipped it high into the air above the net.

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky saw it go skyward, initially, but appeared to lose track of it as the disc flipped end-over-end above his head. When it finally landed, the puck caromed off the top of the net and bounced back toward the crossbar, where it fell over the edge, appeared to glance off of Bobrovsky’s right shoulder and drop into the net.

7

It was the flukiest of fluke goals, signaling this game might not be as friendly for the Jackets as the previous five, but it counted just the same. The Bruins led 1-0 and built a 5-0 lead in the third period before Columbus countered.

“You’ve got to try and find a way to answer, that’s all,” Foligno said. “We give them one, we didn’t answer. We give ’em another one, we didn’t answer. It’s the difference in the game.”

Tortorella thought that goal and the Bruins’ third goal, which hit a couple of sticks, were “kind of funny goals,” but left no doubt as to why the Blue Jackets lost.

“They’re crazy goals, but we got what we deserved tonight,” he said.

There weren’t many positives for the Blue Jackets to pull out of this loss, but there was one in the third period.

Bjorkstrand finally got Columbus on the scoreboard with his career-high 22nd goal of the season, which extended his career-high goal streak to six games.

He’s now tie for the third-longest goal streak in franchise history with Rick Nash (2005-06) and is one game away from tying the record shared by Geoff Sanderson (2002-03) and Atkinson (2017-18). Bjorkstrand has seven goals during the streak, which is the longest active streak in the NHL, and he has eight goals in the past eight games.

“Goal-scorers, when you kind of go through those games where everything seems like it’s going in, you have to ride that wave as long as you can because it can be done in an instant,” Atkinson said. “But he’s feeling it right now. He has a great shot and guys are trying to find him.”

Bjorkstrand’s goal against the Bruins was the first of two power-play goals for the Blue Jackets. Matt Duchene scored the other.

“We can build on that, so we’ll bring that into the next game hopefully,” Bjorkstrand said.

One-timers

* Bobrovsky, who was named the NHL’s first star of the week on Monday and second star of the month on Tuesday, allowed four goals on 23 shots. Tortorella pulled him after the fourth goal, sending into the game with four minutes left in the second period, but said it wasn’t a performance- based decision.

“Not for his play, no,” Tortorella said. “It’s 4-0, I wanted to get him out of there.”

* The five-game winning streak wasn’t the only one the Bruins obliterated. The Blue Jackets also had a five-game home winning streak end in their final regular-season appearance at Nationwide Arena. Columbus finished its home slate with a 22-17-2 record.

* The Jackets have now scored 248 goals, a franchise record that tops the previous high of 247 in 2016- 17. They have two games left to push it even higher.

* Duchene’s goal was his 31st of the season to set a new career high for him.

8

* Pierre-Luc Dubois was the only Blue Jackets skater to not finish the game with a negative plus/minus rating. Dubois was even for his 15:22 night and won 54 percent of his faceoffs.

* This was the 15th sellout crowd this season at Nationwide Arena, with 18,890 in attendance. The Blue Jackets dropped to 6-8-1 in those games.

* Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask hadn’t faced Columbus since March 12, when he allowed five goals on 24 shots and was pulled in the second period of the Blue Jackets’ 7-4 win at Nationwide Arena. He atoned by making 32 saves on 34 shots Tuesday, including a combined 17-for-17 while Boston built a 4-0 lead in the first two periods.

9

Last call: Blue Jackets broadcaster Bill Davidge continues to face adversity with a smile and a helping hand

By Tom Reed, The Athletic – April 4, 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio — If the medical community and hockey world combined to put a brave face on cancer it would resemble the one greeting Blue Jackets fans last Thursday night in Nationwide Arena.

Almost five years since being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, Bill Davidge remains a picture of health and irrepressible optimism. His eyes are bright. His smile is infectious. His hair is the best in the NHL this side of Henrik Lundqvist.

Dressed impeccably in a black suit, the longtime Blue Jackets broadcaster and ambassador formed a one-man reception line as well-wishers approached the Fox Sports Ohio desk, next to the team’s signature cannon off the main concourse. A day earlier, the 65-year-old Davidge had announced his retirement, effective at season’s end.

His legion of supporters lined up to offer cards, handshakes, hugs, memories and thanks. Davidge, a franchise fixture even before it began play in 2000, recognized faces and called out names. Over the years, he has met fans around town, at various team functions and here at his broadcast perch, where the former Miami University coach offers pre-, post- and between-periods analysis.

As his patient wife, Jayna, attests, Davidge is willing to break down the Blue Jackets’ power play for fans watching at home and the ones standing in the frozen food aisle at Kroger.

“He’s never met a stranger,” Jayna said.

Carol Bomlitz, an arena usher and breast cancer survivor, wrapped Davidge in her arms and squeezed him tight. They have known each other for eight years since Bomlitz and her husband began working arena events.

She has never met someone imbued with such compassion for others.

“I am just so happy you are able to retire on your own terms,” Bomlitz told him Thursday night. “We’re gonna miss you.”

Davidge said his health did not factor into his decision to quit. He continues to receive encouraging test results. He also continues to raise money and awareness in the fight against a disease that’s treatable, but not curable.

While speaking with one fan, Davidge noticed the man was wearing a crucifix. He reached out, touched it and reminded him about the power of prayer.

“Some of their stories will move you to tears,” Davidge said.

Most interactions lasted just a minute or two and focused on the Blue Jackets, who are close to clinching their third consecutive trip to the playoffs.

10

Brian Giesenschlag, who’s spent the past five seasons partnering with Davidge, spotted a few reporters chronicling the steady stream of fans approaching his studio co-host.

“You know this happens every game, right?” Giesenschlag shouted. “It’s not just because he’s retiring.”

Davidge’s appeal isn’t his mastery of the telestrator or his command of the language. In his excitement to teach fans the game, he’s occasionally had Blue Jackets on their “high horse” in pursuit of an opposing puck carrier. Hey, there’s no delete or backspace button in live television.

But in a field dominated by former NHL players and coaches, Davidge has thrived as an analyst because of his passion for the game and his authenticity. Fans connect to his deep-rooted appreciation of central Ohio hockey and identify with his causes and struggles.

Life has sucker-punched Davidge so many times, and he just keeps getting up and readying himself for his next shift.

It’s why his imminent departure has evoked such an outpouring of emotion from fans and those associated with the Blue Jackets and league.

“People are drawn to Billy because of the way he makes them feel,” Giesenschlag said. “He’s got a genuine quality that lets people know that he cares about what they say. … You never have a hollow- or shallow-feeling conversation with Billy. He makes you feel like you are a person he cares about.”

‘Stop it right there’ The Blue Jackets locker room was filled with media members last Thursday morning prior to the season’s most pivotal regular-season game against the Canadiens.

Davidge hung on the periphery of player scrums, making mental notes for the night’s telecast. After reporters finished talking to Boone Jenner, Davidge stepped forward and shook hands with the rugged forward.

The conversation involved no formality. Every word was personal, spoken from the heart in inimitable Davidge style. He wished Jenner luck and told him to keep up the good work. This is how the old coach operates, and it’s what makes him so popular among the players.

“He’s been a mentor for me,” winger Cam Atkinson said. “He’s been around longer than I have in this organization, and he’s a guy that I definitely have leaned on for advice … I think we have very similar features as far as how we go about our business and our ‘give back’ mentality. He reminds me a lot of my dad. I think that’s the biggest thing why him and I have such a good connection.”

Davidge grew up as one of four kids in small-town Dunnville, Ontario. His mother was, in his own words, as stern as Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella. His father was a fighter pilot, who like many from the Greatest Generation, returned from the horrors of World War II a changed man. Davidge was the first member of his family to earn a high school diploma and he came to Columbus in 1973 to play hockey for one of Ohio State’s early teams.

His stories about the old university rink are priceless. He played in an era before plexiglass was standard equipment. The only blemishes on his face are the indentations on his nose courtesy of the chicken wire that once separated fans from the action on the ice.

11

“It took a whole chunk out of me,” Davidge said laughing. “They probably could have stitched it, but they let it go. Old-time hockey.”

Davidge remains a tireless advocate for Ohio State’s program. Don’t get him started on the university’s need for a hockey-specific arena. The former Buckeyes captain helps raise funds for the program through golf outings.

When Davidge arrived in Columbus there were 175 kids playing youth hockey. He is immensely proud of the game’s growth here and the handful of natives who have reached the NHL.

The story of hockey’s rise in Ohio cannot be told without mention of Davidge, who helped start the Miami program and served as a scout for the Red Wings, Panthers and Blue Jackets under Doug MacLean.

After starting his broadcasting career with the minor-league Cincinnati Cyclones, he transitioned to the Blue Jackets radio booth, where he called games alongside former play-by-play man George Matthews. In the summer months, Davidge and Matthews crisscrossed the state on barnstorming tours, appearing at every strawberry and pumpkin festival from Maumee to Ironton to spread the word of Blue Jackets hockey.

“What those two guys did for me and the organization was over the top,” said MacLean, the club’s former general manager and president. “They did an amazing job of building hockey in Ohio and they deserve a ton of credit.”

Davidge moved to the television booth in 2009 to work with Jeff Rimer before joining forces with Giesenschlag in 2014.

Among his most cherished memories are the team’s inaugural game, its first playoff appearance in 2009 and getting the chance to interview Gordie Howe and boyhood idol Bobby Hull.

In his suburban Columbus home, Davidge has detailed notes from every production meeting and specially designed yearbooks in which he kept line combinations from each game and pertinent observations he wanted to make on air.

Giesenschlag, who joined the telecasts as a hockey outsider, raves about Davidge’s preparation and his willingness to introduce him to players and coaches around the league.

“Billy has built so many relationships within the game at every level,” Giesenschlag said. “We’ll be talking on air about some third-liner for the Flames and he’ll say, ‘Well, he played junior hockey here and he played for this coach and he grew up in Thunder Bay.’ Billy knows all those people he’s talking about. He’s not just reading it from somebody’s bio.

“One of the most common things you hear from fans is how much they learned about hockey watching him during our pregame and intermissions. It speaks to the passion he brings.”

Davidge punctuates telestration segments with commands to his video director of “stop it right there,” like he’s still a coach, trying to drive home a point to his players.

One of the few aspects of the job Davidge grew to dislike was the long winter drives to Cincinnati, where he and Giesenschlag worked in a studio for road games. (Fox Sports inexplicably doesn’t have a studio in

12

the state’s largest city, which figures to be a turnoff for any former Blue Jacket the network might want to hire to replace Davidge.)

Giesenschlag, who also does studio work for the Reds, marvels at his partner’s sartorial splendor.

“I have never seen him in a suit with his tie undone or top button unbuttoned,” Giesenschlag said. “He walks off the set in our studio in Cincinnati and packs his bag and walks to his car still with his suit coat on and his tie done. Meanwhile, I’m putting on a sweatshirt to drive home 25 minutes.

“If the Jackets ever win the whole thing and we are together, I am going to do what the Cowboys did with Jimmy Johnson when they won the Super Bowl and mess Billy’s hair up. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone with hair that perfect.”

‘You sucked it up’

In the summer of 2014, Davidge was on a golf course about to hit a ball when his cellphone rang.

A few days earlier, his world had been rocked by news of a cancer diagnosis. The family was reeling, but Davidge steadied himself and accepted his latest challenge. He planned to wage a public battle against the disease. He considers it “my calling.”

Davidge had already met with Dr. Don Benson in his office — more on that conversation in a minute — and now the myeloma program director at the James Cancer Hospital was on the phone.

Benson called to confirm that it was multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Nowadays, patients who have the disease are expected to live at least five years.

Benson has heard and witnessed many reactions to his diagnoses. Nothing prepared him for Davidge’s comments.

“I told him there are spots on the X-rays and we’re going to need to start some treatments,” Benson recalled. “His immediate reaction was: ‘Don, that’s great. That’s great news because I can’t wait to go over to Nationwide Children’s Hospital and visit those kids and tell them, I have cancer, too, and look how great I’m doing.’

“It waters it down to say it’s optimism or hope or courage. It’s just all out of love. Bill’s view is, ‘how can I use this to make the world better?’ It sounds Pollyanna, but he’s the most genuine person I know. He’s as real as it gets.”

Davidge is no stranger to devastating news.

His first wife, former OSU tennis great Leann Grimes, was killed in a car accident in 1985. She was 29 years old and had just given birth to the couple’s son, Rob. Davidge was the newly appointed Miami hockey coach and suddenly had to raise an infant on his own.

Somehow, he endured. When the RedHawks went on road trips, he left his son in the care of his in-laws in Middletown, Ohio. Davidge also found a dependable rotation of baby sitters in Oxford to watch the boy while he coached practices and taught four classes at the university.

“I never did deal with the grief,” said the father who established a scholarship in Grimes’ honor. “You just kept going. You sucked it up. You didn’t know any better in those days.”

13

Davidge’s next marriage ended in divorce. His second wife found the demands of his coaching career too much to bear, he said.

Perhaps the luckiest day of his life was meeting Jayna. They fell in love and shared many of the same interests, including an affinity for golf. The couple has six children between them.

Jayna was so understanding she agreed to be married on Canada Day (July 1), which in 2010 fell on a Thursday.

“She is my rock, the person who gives me stability in my life,” Davidge said.

Husband and wife have become advocates in raising awareness and funding for multiple myeloma research. Any time Davidge learns of someone being diagnosed with cancer, he volunteers to call them and offer support.

Benson has witnessed Davidge walking through waiting rooms and hospital hallways seeking out fellow cancer survivors. The doctor knows firsthand how much Davidge cares about people.

During their initial 2014 consultation, Benson laid out the arduous road ahead. The meeting lasted for more than an hour. It wasn’t until the end that the doctor sprang a surprise on Davidge.

Years earlier, Benson and his family attended their first Blue Jackets game. They knew nothing about the sport but decided to give it a try. As they toured the arena, the Bensons stopped to look at the cannon. The doctor saw a well-dressed, gray-haired gentleman sitting at the Fox Sports Ohio desk motioning to his young son, Christopher, to come over.

For a few minutes, Davidge and Christopher talked about hockey. The brief chat had a massive impact on the boy’s life.

“The next night we were all at Chiller North,” Benson said. “It was the first time we had skates on. Christopher was on the ice and holding on to the side wall for dear life, but he loved it.”

Christopher Benson, 16, is a member of the St. Charles High School hockey program in Columbus.

“That was a gift from Bill Davidge,” Benson explained. “Hockey has come to define my son. The friends that he has made, the experience he has had and the confidence he’s gained go back to a little meeting with Billy Davidge.”

Final tribute Prior to the start of Tuesday night’s nationally televised game, Davidge and his wife stood on the Nationwide Arena ice bathed in the spotlight. The sellout crowd roared its approval. Players from the Blue Jackets and Bruins tapped their sticks in a sign of appreciation.

Team president John Davidson introduced Davidge moments after a video tribute was shown on the center-ice scoreboard. The franchise gave Jayna a bouquet of flowers and Davidge a watch to make sure he doesn’t “miss his tee times.”

“It doesn’t get any better than that,” Davidge acknowledged.

14

Following the ceremony, the couple was led to a private suite where they watched the game surrounded by family. As they walked through a corridor toward an elevator, Davidge reached for Jayna’s hand. The Blue Jackets’ hockey ambassador and his “rock” were embarking on a new adventure together.

They will split time between Columbus and Naples, Fla., where the couple has a two-bedroom condo.

In the suite, Davidge accepted hugs from loved ones. His grandson Beau demanded to be held by grandpa.

“You wanna go downstairs and hear the ‘beep, beep’ of the Zamboni?” he asked the boy, who nodded approvingly.

In that moment, Bill Davidge looked like a man with his whole life ahead of him.

Stop it right there.

— The Athletic’s Alison Lukan contributed to this report.

15

The Athletic / One year after crash, Humboldt Broncos’ Tyler Smith back on ice with brother’s team

By Joe McDonald, The Athletic – April 3, 2019

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Graydon Smith and his younger brother Tyler had just dominated a hockey game at the International Air Traffic Controllers’ annual tournament and were making lunch plans with their teammates.

The brothers sat in the hotel lobby and were all smiles. Three years apart in age, this was the first time they’ve been on the same team during their respective hockey careers. Graydon is 23 and Tyler will soon be 21.

“It’s pretty cool to actually play on the same team,” Graydon said.

Added Tyler, “I’m grateful for that.”

The word “grateful” is an understatement.

Tyler Smith’s life and hockey career forever changed one year ago. He was a member of the Humboldt Broncos Junior A team that was involved in a bus crash that took the lives of 16 people and injured another 13 on April 6, 2018.

Graydon Smith, left, with his brother Tyler at the Air Traffic Controllers tournament. (Joe McDonald / The Athletic)

Tyler suffered broken ribs, a broken shoulder, a broken collarbone and a punctured lung. He needed surgery to remove six inches from his small intestine and also suffered a stroke due to the accident. Last month, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the driver of the truck that hit the Broncos, was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Now, a year after the crash, Tyler is playing hockey with his brother and the game is helping the healing process.

“It’s tough to say. It’s tough to put it into words,” said Graydon, who is especially protective of his brother.

Coming to the realization that it’s been one year since the accident is tough to describe.

“You can’t really,” Tyler said. “Unfortunately, and I’ve told many people, there’s no way to prepare for something like this. We’ve already gone through quite a few big events, like the (Broncos) home opener and other anniversaries, like six months and stuff like that. You can’t really prepare for it, but being around family is the biggest thing.”

Graydon Smith is an air traffic controller at International Airport and its team, the Chiefs, has a solid chance of winning the 46th annual tournament, which includes teams from around the world, including Canada, the United States, Russia and the Czech Republic.

When the bus accident occurred, Graydon’s co-workers came together.

16

“When I showed up to work when the whole thing happened they took care of me. They made sure I came back when I was ready,” he said. “I had a month off just to settle down and to get (Tyler) back home. For that part of it, it was really nice that everyone came together for me. It’s been a crazy year. We’re getting better. It’s been a tough year. So, it’s nice to have these guys around. They’ve helped us out a lot.”

At the start of the Broncos’ season, Tyler returned and played 10 games. Then, he decided to step away.

“That was good. I’m glad I went back. But it was too much,” he said.

Tyler looks like your typical 20-year-old Canadian hockey player. He wears a Toronto Blue Jays hat, sports a hockey beard and wears slides with no socks. From a health standpoint, he’s doing well.

“I’m probably 90 percent,” Tyler said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be 100 percent with the nerve damage, but overall I’m pretty content where I’m at with the injuries I faced.”

When Graydon first became an air traffic controller, the joke was he was the ringer on the team. The YEG Chiefs (the team’s moniker stems from the code name for the Edmonton airport) have three sets of brothers and they’re all protective of one another. The rule is 90 percent of the team has to be air traffic controllers, so this was an opportunity for Graydon to get Tyler on the team.

In fact, the Smith brothers wanted to invite a few of the other Bronco survivors to join the team.

“Everyone’s doing their own thing now,” Tyler said. “There are guys at school, some guys coaching and some guys still playing. At the end of the day, everyone’s doing their own thing, which is good. I wish we could have everybody here and get together more, but everybody handles it differently and everybody’s fighting their own battle. We’re fighting the same battle, but everybody heals differently.”

Hockey heals and brotherly love is eternal.

17

The Athletic / LeBrun Notebook: Who has a seat and who is still looking as the NHL’s coaching carousel keeps spinning

By Pierre LeBrun, The Athletic – April 3, 2019

The announcement of ’s extension in Detroit on Tuesday put a wrap on the last remaining pending UFA coach for this season.

Blashill, , and Guy Boucher all entered this season on expiring deals. The first three got extensions and we know what happened in Ottawa.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t coaching decisions to be made in the coming weeks. There are. But there are no current, full-time head coaches who are in need of a deal before the start of next season.

There’s the matter of in St. Louis. The interim Blues still has another year on his assistant coach’s contract, meaning the Blues either remove the interim tag and reward him with a new deal or they go elsewhere. St. Louis needs to make a decision, but it seems hard to think Berube hasn’t done enough to get the full-time gig, but stranger things have happened.

As we reported last week, there are postseason evaluations to be had on the coaching positions in Florida and Buffalo. Whether that means change behind the bench or not remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a possibility in both cases.

Then there’s . The newly minted member of the Order of Hockey In Canada, Hitch essentially has two contracts in one as far as his deal with Edmonton. If and when the Oilers decide he’s no longer coach, then his contracts kicks into consulting mode with Edmonton. Either way, he’s under contract for a role with Edmonton past this season. One assumes the new Oilers GM will be the person who decides on the coaching position moving forward.

In the meantime, there are at least four veteran coaches who carry the status of being a “brand-name’’ waiting for their next gig in , , Todd McLellan and Dave Tippett.

Vigneault has been tabbed as head coach for Canada’s entry at the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship, always a good way to get back in the coaching saddle with a nice high-profile gig like that. Plus there’s GMs galore at the worlds every year he will run into. In fact, after leaving San Jose, McLellan coached Canada and it’s when his conversations with Edmonton initiated.

Tippett is an interesting case. My colleague Elliotte Friedman of was the first to mention the possibility of Tippett perhaps coaching again. I also believe that if the right opportunity came along Tippett, currently in an executive role with expansion Seattle, might consider it. A source also suggested to me that he might have the itch to coach again but he’s also quite happy with Seattle. That puts him in a good position to listen in case something happens.

I believe McLellan will have a few options to look at. One of them, as I reported before, could be Los Angeles, where Kings GM Rob Blake thinks highly of his old San Jose coach from his playing days. But there could be other spots for McLellan as well.

18

I wouldn’t forget Mike Yeo. He interviewed in Ottawa in 2016 when Guy Boucher got the job and my impression is that he was essentially the runner-up. I’d be surprised if he didn’t get a call back after the season when the Senators go into high gear in their coaching search. Interim head coach will definitely get a shot at it, too. And while everyone assumes would rather stay in AHL Toronto and wait for his chance with the big club in a few years, I’d be pretty surprised if the Senators didn’t at least call their provincial rivals after the season and ask about him.

Anaheim needs a new head coach. No, GM Bob Murray has no interest in becoming that person, I’m told. AHL head coach will be a strong candidate but I do think the Ducks will interview other guys as well. I wonder if they also don’t decide to interview McLellan?

Adam Fox situation exposes U.S. college loophole

On Monday, I tweeted that Adam Fox would rather not sign with the Hurricanes and that a trade to the Rangers would be ideal for the Harvard stud blueliner.

HEARING THAT THE HURRICANES HAVE BEEN INFORMED ADAM FOX ISN'T LIKELY TO SIGN WITH THEM, THAT A TRADE WOULD BE THE DESIRED ROUTE, AND I'M GUESSING THE RANGERS WOULD TOP THE D- MAN'S LIST. CAROLINA LOOKING AT ITS OPTIONS…

— PIERRE LEBRUN (@PIERREVLEBRUN) APRIL 1, 2019

On Tuesday’s TSN’s Insider Trading, I reported that the Rangers and Hurricanes have indeed had conversations about Fox. But where it goes from here?

For starters, the ‘Canes found out this week from the league that the NHL would void any sign-and-trade scenario that occurs before the offseason. The idea being that if Carolina signed Fox and then immediately flipped him to the Rangers, Fox could burn the first year of his entry-level deal before the end of this season. Turns out that can’t happen. The only team Fox can burn the first year of his entry- level deal for 2018-19 is Carolina.

If you’re the Rangers, what’s the hurry now? Sure seems like if there’s indeed a deal in the end between these two teams, it doesn’t make much sense to make it before the offseason.

There’s the price to consider. I don’t believe that the ‘Canes would take a second-round pick for Fox. I believe they’d be angling more at one of the Rangers’ low-end first-round picks, like the Winnipeg selection obtained for Kevin Hayes.

But I also believe the Rangers would balk at that price.

Fox has the option to go back to Harvard and play out his senior year and then become UFA Jimmy Vesey-style next summer. That would leave Carolina with nothing for him. Fox could also go play in Europe for next season, an option one source told me about.

There’s also the chance of Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon perhaps going to meet Fox and his family and looking them in the eye and asking again why he doesn’t want to sign with them.

But failing all that, it would seem to make sense for Carolina to trade his rights to a team Fox would sign with before losing his rights.

19

It’s a tough blow for Carolina. I think the ‘Canes really thought when they acquired his rights in that blockbuster deal last June with Calgary that they a magnificent chance to get Fox signed.

The Fox situation, meanwhile, has reignited calls around the league for the NHL to close this U.S. college loophole in the next CBA. Doesn’t seem to make sense that players from Canadian junior must re-enter the draft if they decide not to sign with their original draft team, while college players get to become UFA after their senior year. There’s a clear imbalance there.

Jarmo Kekalainen had a suggestion at the GM meetings early last month. He proposed some form of qualifying offer scenario, where as long as the NHL team made a certain contract offer meeting requirements, that the college player would still see his rights owned by that NHL team even if he didn’t sign. That the club would at least have an asset and not lose the player to free agency.

The Jackets spent four years helping develop Mike Reilly only to lose him to free agency after he didn’t sign. I mean, most NHL clubs are in total agreement that the loophole needs fixing, but it’s a CBA matter. It’s not something GMs can simply vote on at their meetings. This is for the league and NHL Players’ Association to figure out. And really, why would the NHLPA give up the loophole? The players’ union should always be in favour of wanting as much flexibility/options as possible for their members. Unless of course, the multitude of NHLers with Canadian junior backgrounds would care enough to point out the discrepancy in the system.

20

The Athletic / Bourne: Explaining the role of a video coach and how they help their team prepare for the playoffs

By Justin Bourne, The Athletic – April 3, 2019

We were a few games into the series, down two games to one versus the , when Ryan Ward first made the suggestion. They were picking us apart through the neutral zone, because as the video showed, we were constantly losing our F1. They had some mobile defenders – including Damon Severson, who had nearly 40 points for New Jersey – who kept baiting in our uber-aggressive first neutral zone forechecker, beating him with a quick step or a pass that started the rush coming at our flat-footed D a lot quicker than we liked. If we didn’t give up a chance against, we at least gave up the zone and ended up defending … which wasn’t exactly our forte.

This was the 2016 playoffs, and “we” were the . That season our forward corps featured names such as , , , Andreas Johnsson (who unfortunately got hurt), , , Connor Brown, Matt Frattin, … as you can likely guess, we were not a team best-suited for playing in our own end.

Ward – who had been called up to be a video coach with the Leafs early in the season and created the opening I filled starting in November – had come back down to provide additional help to the Marlies since the Leafs were nowhere near playoffs. (Ward has since spent two seasons as an assistant coach in Sault Ste. Marie and is now with San Antonio of the AHL.)

When he pulled a few clips where our F1 was unable to pressure Albany’s defenders the way we wanted (likely because they had solid possession with their heads up before we could attack), it revealed an opportunity for us to make those situations more favourable to us. With that, we made the adjustment to sag our F1 rather than send him in hard, and in turn, we slowed down their transition game. We started playing more in their end which resulted in more goals scored. We won games four and five 7-2 and 5-1 respectively in Albany (it was a 2-3-2 format) before eventually winning the series in seven.

Did it make all the difference in the series? Would we have found our way through without making that simple change? Of course, that’s impossible to answer, but in the early going of Game 4 the adjustment seemed to catch them off guard – they skated right into our trap a number of times – so we got up early in the game and we managed to turn the series around.

Those are the type of tweaks a team will make in-series. They’re only slight, but when you play a team as much as divisional NHL opponents do, slight changes can make a big difference. By the time the puck drops on Game 1, there’s barely a systemic move a team can make that their opposition hasn’t seen before. By Game 3 or 4 – when a team has already rolled out whatever initial changes they wanted to make in the early playoff games – there becomes a certain expectation from players about what their opponent is going to do.

I remember a playoff game as a player where I was forechecking an opponent when I saw them set up for a particular breakout I’d seen 20 times before. When they did something different (I think the puck bounced on a guy and he panic-rushed it to someone else), I distinctly remember thinking “that’s not

21

how your breakout is supposed to go, Darryl.” I was damn mad at the guy like he was my own teammate.

Needless to say, these coming weeks are among the most crucial of the year for a video coach. Their job is to break down an opponent their team has already seen dozens of times between their own games and the games against other teams. About the only person in an organization who doesn’t always benefit from their team finishing first in the division is the video coach, given they may draw an opponent from a different division that they’ve seen less.

With teams having a pretty good idea who they’ll be facing come puck drop on round one, I thought it’d be a good time to look at what a video coach will be doing in their “spare time” to prepare for the first round of Stanley Cup chaos.

First, the obvious …

Systems reviews The volume of specific areas of the game where a team has a set structure or plan would probably surprise the average fan, given what appears to be the frenzied nature of the game. There’s a structure for faceoffs depending on the dot and personnel, for breakouts, neutral zone and O-zone forechecks, returning to the D-zone, sorting out the backcheck, in the offensive zone, positioning off on-the-fly line changes, forechecks and on and on and on.

For players, identifying what situation your team is in is critical to understanding where you’re supposed to be and when you’re supposed to be there (not being able to do this keeps many talented players out of the NHL). Because the game is so fast, that situation can change in rapid succession, so there isn’t exactly time to call a variety of set plays within each circumstance (barring a set breakout or special teams), so teams generally keep to unified plans per situation and keep it simple.

Just think: your team is breaking the puck out, so you have a route to skate. But the pass goes long and into the middle of the ice for a turnover, so now you’re in a neutral zone forecheck, occupying the ice where your breakout route took you. Now you’re expected to transition into your team’s NZFC structure, which means you have to react quickly – am I F1, F2, or F3 here? Then your team knocks the puck down and dumps it in and you’re forechecking – now it’s the same thing. Which guy am I in our system here? Then you’re backchecking and sorting out who has who. The point being, teams stick to that one plan in most situations because there’s rarely time to stop and say “OK fellas, this time lets forecheck in a 2-1-2 just to throw them off! OK, now Dave, this time you go stand over th … oh crap, they scored.” If someone doesn’t stick to the plan, you’ll be fishing a lot of pucks out of your net.

When a video coach goes through the systems of their opponent, rarely are they much different from what that team used throughout the regular season (I’ve written about the difficulty in making creative tactical changes as a hockey team before, if you’d like to go deeper on that). And given those opponents have played many times, all those questions about what they are trying to accomplish have answers. You know how they forecheck, and attack and all the rest.

The trick then is in looking at a variety of different things. For example, how do they adjust when playing a team that uses a different forecheck than the one your team has rolled out against them in the past? You’d consider this to see if it forces them to do something you’d prefer they do. During the course of

22

the season it would be brutally difficult to change your system each night based on your opponent. Your personnel changes too much game to game based on injuries, suspensions, who’s hot, etc, so you’d rather stick to one structure. But if you think you can force an opponent to do something you’d prefer by using some other team’s strategy, you’ll make that adjustment for a playoff series (and if you do, you’d like to know as early as possible so you can start practicing that adjustment).

A few other things a video coach would look for: You’d like to see if they do anything different when they play your team versus other teams. Do they play differently based on what personnel is available to them? You’d be looking to see if they’ve played the same way over the past 10-20 games as they did over the first 10-20.

There’s just no amount of video you can watch that ever seems like enough. There are always more questions to be asked, at least in part because hockey is indeed chaotic at times and oftentimes a team isn’t in the positions it wants to be due to the nature of the game. Sometimes a player is just scrambling, and/or guys are covering, or sometimes a guy is just freelancing or mid-brainfart. It’s the job of the video coach to assess what they’re actually trying to do and how those things can be countered.

Assessing trends It’s really easy to look at all the information you’ve accumulated on a team over the course of a full season and say “this is who our opponent is.” Only, it isn’t really.

Teams adapt, morph, their rosters change, systems get tweaks, lines and pairings get mixed up. A team’s year-long stats are pretty noisy. A team in October versus a team in April is akin to a teenager growing into an adult. You don’t want to judge a team based on the version of them that was smoking cigarettes behind the school and getting arrested for shoplifting. You need to know who they are today.

Therefore, you watch their most recent games, assessing what was at stake for them. Was it a game they badly needed to win against a good opponent? Or was it a game for them to experiment, given that they’d already clinched playoffs? Was it a game they were so much better than their opponent that they could freelance (that just means play pond hockey, do whatever they want, etc.) and still win? You need to find the games that mattered to them and then pay close attention. Who are you really about to play?

Analytics questions

This is huge. This is huge. This is huge. In today’s hockey, the analytics department produces a mountain of stats, they bring them to the coaching staff … and then the work really begins. How do you parse all that information? It’s unbelievable how time-consuming but important it is to combine numbers with video.

Every number presented has to be followed up with “why,” and this is where you have to triage just how important following up on each number really is. If your upcoming opponent had great success entering the zone against your team on one side, you need to watch those entries against to figure out why, and what to change. If a certain line or player ate your team’s lunch, it’s time for more video. If your breakout sucked when certain players were on the ice? Video.

Further to this, it’s likely an analytics department will provide their staff a look at what would be their team’s “optimal lineup” by the numbers. After the coach picks that apart (they know who they want

23

ready after kills and powerplays, when lines get jumbled, they know how certain players have been deployed and why, they often have rationales beyond the numbers), it’s time for more video, this time of your own team. Is there a reason the numbers have favoured combinations you maybe haven’t used much all season?

Individual player tendencies Throughout the year, a video coach tags specific events (breakouts, turnovers, scoring chances and so on) throughout each game, up to 1000 per night if he’s feeling particularly tag happy (generally 850-900 or so was my experience). That includes individual notes for things that stand out with small comments. When I was the Marlies video coach and was watching Syracuse play in 2017, I typed some variety of “slick cutback” for number 37 – Yanni Gourde – a lot. When it came to putting together individual player packages, the video program allowed me to pull together all those Gourde comments into one pre- playoff video clip. In turn, we were able to show our D that Gourde regularly threatens to blow by you wide then cuts back, which creates space to find the second wave of rushers for a late scoring chance. It’s a smart offensive play – you always have to honor a player threatening wide – but at least the awareness that he’s going to cut back allows a defender to jump it more quickly and not get caught off guard, hopefully minimizing the size of the gap created.

That’s the type of thing a video coach watches for all year to show their team before a series. Here’s what to expect from this player, here’s how this player tries to manipulate you, or here’s where they’re weak and you can expose them. The life of a video coach isn’t always all that satisfying, but if you can show your team an opposing player’s weakness and one of your guys knowingly exposes it, there’s nothing sweeter.

Special teams Given there are so few areas of the game a coach can truly control, and with special teams being one, you’d think this would be an area the video coach would be heavily invested. And, you’re not entirely wrong. They help out in this extremely crucial area of the game as best they can. After all, special teams can be the difference between winning and losing a series. But in reality, it’s an area few – from what I’m familiar with, anyway – have been asked to prioritize.

The reason for this is that each area of special teams is generally assigned to one of the assistant coaches. Today’s video programs are so incredibly functional that you don’t need to be a tech wizard to use them adeptly. Even self-professed Luddite ex-pros can generally make them work. It’s usually up to the PP or PK coach to break down their own units and find weaknesses and strengths to respectively exploit, or fix, depending on which side of the equation their team falls on. Coaching staffs will generally come to a consensus on any decisions made, but the legwork here is generally done by the bench assistants.

And finally …

A more general weaknesses and strengths assessment

This is exactly what you think it is. Last season, the Boston Bruins basically looked at the Leafs D-corps, identified the right side as a weakness, and attacked it. As a player on the ice, you don’t always know who you’re out against, particularly when it’s been “on the fly” play for a while. That means you can’t

24

really target anyone. Still, if you know that one whole half of the rink is home to lesser players, momma, is that ever a beacon of light when your head is down and you have to make a panic play with the puck. Just get it to that side of the ice!

I’m of the belief that hockey is more of a strong link sport than a weak link sport. As in, you can win with great players and some roster holes (think Pittsburgh in 2017), but it’s less likely you’ll win if your roster is solid all over, but you don’t have special players.

But your weak links can only be so weak for this to hold true, and so, the video coach’s job is to find clips to show the rest of the staff where their opponent is weakest. They Achilles heel hunt so the staff can then take that weakness to the players and the process of picking apart their opponent can begin. The goal for any team is “to play their own game,” but if they can do that while forcing their opponent to play away from their own strengths, that’s even better.

Each team has a head coach who, in the end, has to make the decisions about the way their team is going to play. But much like the analytics department, and the scouts, and the sports science staff and on and on, the job of the video coach is to arm the coach with as much information as possible so that person can make the best decisions for their group.

In the later rounds of the postseason, you don’t always have a ton of time to prepare for an opponent. But that doesn’t matter if you don’t even get to them, so you keep your focus on the task and hand and live in the now. But before the first round, most teams have ample time to prepare. While the game can be unpredictable, and of course, the best-laid plans of mice and men can go awry, the first round is when teams truly show up at their most prepared. Hockey isn’t exactly a pure strategy game like Risk, but when that puck drops in a little over a week, best believe each team has a plan of attack, and they’re as ready as they’ll ever be to do battle.

25