Brad Larsen on dismissal from Columbus Blue Jackets: 'I hold no ill will'
The decision wasn’t a shock.
After his team finished with a 25-48-9 record, 31st out of 32 NHL teams, being fired as the Blue Jackets’ head coach was something Brad Larsen already mulled weeks earlier. Hearing the news from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Saturday stung, but he wasn't blindsided.
Larsen’s been around professional hockey far too long, as a player and coach, to feel that way.
“Nothing catches you by surprise in this business,” Larsen told the Dispatch. “I know where we finished, you know? And whenever you finish in that spot, it’s a possibility, right? We can haggle over the ‘Whys?’ in what happened, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to respect their decision and move on.”
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Larsen, 45, only served two seasons on the three-year contract he signed June 11, 2021 as former coach John Tortorella’s replacement. Under his guidance, the Jackets dove into what Kekalainen called a roster “reset” that was supposed to be a quick setback with the intention of retooling for playoff contention faster than a full teardown. The process received a boost with the unexpected signing of star forward Johnny Gaudreau as an unrestricted free agent last summer, but injuries plus a 3-9-0 start blew the "reset" plan apart.
After dealing with key injuries last season to Patrik Laine and captain Boone Jenner, the Blue Jackets were saddled with a near comical level of health woes this season.
A franchise record 563 man-games lost included five season-ending injuries that took out two cornerstones, defenseman Zach Werenski (shoulder surgery) and forward Jakub Voracek (severe concussion), plus three more regulars in defenseman Jake Bean (shoulder surgery) and forwards Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery) and Gustav Nyquist (shoulder injury).
Goalie Elvis Merzlikins was sidelined by multiple injuries and never fully gained his footing. Laine dealt with three separate injuries plus a COVID-19 infection. Jenner missed three weeks with a fractured thumb. It was one thing after another, injury after injury, as the Blue Jackets spiraled to the bottom of the NHL — ultimately finishing second-to-last.
“It was challenging for everybody, not just the coaches,” Larsen said. “It was challenging on the players, it was challenging on the staff, it was challenging on management, the fans, ownership, everybody. And it was every day. We got bad news most days, unfortunately, so you had to deal with it, move on and re-adjust quickly. That was the type of year it was, so we had to go through a lot.”
Brad Larsen 'grateful' for opportunities with Columbus Blue Jackets
Kekalainen said this season’s “wins and losses,” didn’t factor into the decision and players coming out of exit interviews Saturday said that "team culture" issues were a main topic. Larsen didn’t address that assessment.
He’s grateful for getting 13 years of employment with the Blue Jackets, who gave the former NHL forward his start in coaching as an AHL assistant in 2010 under former GM Scott Howson and former assistant GM Chris McFarland. Larsen also gave thanks to majority owner John H. McConnell, the McConnell Family ownership group, president of hockey operations John Davidson and Kekalainen.
“I hold no ill will,” Larsen said. “I was there 13 years, you know? So, I’m very grateful and very blessed to have this opportunity for that amount of time with one organization.”
![Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella, left, and assistant coach Brad Larsen, right, chat during postseason training camp on Monday, July 13, 2020 at the OhioHealth Ice Haus in Columbus, Ohio. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_sjEIQMouChoWNBxu2M7Gw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEzNDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-columbus-dispatch/056298b154629cc72a0f6d8c31ed21a5)
It was a time that will serve him well in future coaching endeavors, wherever those take him and his family ― which includes wife, Hannah, daughter, Faith, 13, and son, Ty, 10.
“I got to coach with Todd Richards and ‘Torts’ and Craig Hartsburg, and there’s a whole list of guys I got to coach with and learn a ton from,” Larsen said. “There were so many positives. You could sit and dwell on the ‘what-ifs?’ and negatives, but that’s just useless. I’m very grateful they gave me the opportunity and that I was here for the length I was. My family loves it here in Columbus and I’ll wait to see what the next challenge is going to be.”
Brad Larsen's tenure as Columbus Blue Jackets coach filled with strife
Larsen will take time now to reset, mentally and physically, after dealing with multiple life challenges plus the Blue Jackets' on-ice issues.
Less than a month into his tenure, he awoke to the news of former Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks being killed in a fireworks tragedy the evening of July 4, 2021 at the home of goaltending coach Manny Legace in Novi, Michigan. The newly-minted NHL head coach drove to Michigan to grieve Kivlenieks’ loss with the Legace family, Merzlikins and Merzlikins’ wife, Aleksandra, who was expecting the couple’s first child.
“You’re thrown into the fire right away in a situation like that and there’s no playbook for it,” Larsen said. “You’ve just got to be there and be present, right?”
Legace was also informed Saturday that his contract would not be renewed, while associate coach Pascal Vincent and assistant Steve McCarthy are in limbo until a new coach is hired. As for Larsen, dealing with challenges away from the team were a recurring theme.
"I'm not stressed," he said. "It's not stress. I'm just tired. Going through this year, there were three deaths that happened that were personal to me and two of them I went to funerals and one I couldn’t make it. Everybody’s got challenges, right? So, you deal with them and that’s part of the exhaustion. But you know what? It puts perspective on things.”
Getting released from an NHL coaching job does too.
“At the end of the day, it’s a job,” Larsen said. “It’s a job and there’ll be more jobs. And I love my job. I love it and I’m passionate about it, but it’s a job. You’ve got your family, you’ve got your faith and you grow from these experiences.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brad Larsen holds no ill will against Columbus Blue Jackets
