Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner leading by example, staying true to himself
DENVER – Brad Larsen kept his advice simple when making Boone Jenner an NHL captain.
The Blue Jackets' head coach didn’t need the roster's “heart and soul” to be anything more than that for one of the NHL's youngest teams, now off to a 6-3-0 start.
“Just be you,” Larsen said. “That’s why you got it.”
It was a sound message that Jenner is now heeding. The seventh captain in franchise history isn’t trying to be something he’s not.
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Jenner still mucks and grinds with the best of the NHL's muckers and grinders, even though he’s now flanked by highly-skilled wingers Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek as center of the first line. He’s still willing to accept practically any assignment without grumbling, even if it means dropping back in the lineup.
Jenner also pays a physical price in front of the net, remains one of the NHL’s best in the faceoff circle, winning 57.1% of his draws, and he's more than willing to uphold a standard of commitment established by former leaders no longer on the roster.
“The intangibles that he brings, that’s why he’s captain,” Larsen said of Jenner, who led the team with six goals through nine games. “If he had no goals to this point, but was playing hard, he’d still be a great captain. It’s always great when you see him step up offensively … but it’s what he brings daily. His commitment to the team, to the game, his selflessness, his work ethic. It’s the stuff away from the rink, it’s the stuff in the gym. It’s one big package. It’s not just one thing, and that’s why you’ve got to be careful when you pick a guy and take your time.”
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Larsen knows he picked the right guy. Even he described Jenner as a “no brainer” pick, almost as predictable as Jenner succeeding former defenseman David Savard as the team’s NHL Players’ Association rep.
As for his scoring outburst?
It’s a little surprising, given Jenner’s struggles putting the puck in the net the past few years, but not a shock. Jenner is playing with two elite offensive wingers, and he’s also one of the Jackets’ best at creating scoring chances. He can bulldoze his way to the net, force turnovers while forechecking or scrap for loose change amid a tangle of bodies around the blue paint.
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Jenner has scored 30 goals in a season before, reaching that milestone in his third NHL campaign (2015-16). His first six goals that year were scored in the first 10 games, similar to his current start.
“I don’t set goals or expectations, but I know I can put the puck in the back of the net and create offense,” Jenner said. “It’s something I want to be a part of my game. You want to put it in the back of the net and be that guy who’s putting in big goals or timely goals for your team.”
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Larsen will gladly take it, so long as his captain stays true to himself as both a player and leader. That's a big reason Jenner was moved from left wing on the third line to the middle of the first.
“He’s on that line for a reason,” Larsen said. “He wins faceoffs, he battles his tail off defensively down low, and he knows in the offensive zone where to go. And on the power play, he knows his job: Get to the net. That’s what he’s good at and he’s gotten rewarded this year for going there. It’s been great.”
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Keeping Columbus competitive in the Metropolitan Division would be even better, which is the Blue Jackets' intention despite a roster "reset" that made them afterthoughts to most who follow the league.
“That’s what we’re playing this regular season for, is to get into the playoffs and have a chance at the (Stanley Cup),” Jenner said. “We know the standard that we want to set for our group. No matter what people are saying, we know what we have in that room and the team we can be and the team we want to be. So, we just want to keep building towards that.”
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner leading by example for upstart Columbus
