Game day? Cool. Practice day? Let's go to work.
That's the John Tortorella philosophy.
In previous years, Blue Jackets coaches broke the season down into segments and the players tracked their progress in five or 10-game chunks. They wanted to get a certain record in each segment, and they measured success in groups of 10 wins. All that's well and good, but when Tortorella took over, he also took a torch to the long view when it comes to communicating with his players.
As awful and cliche as it is, the "one day at a time" mentality was lived and breathed by the Blue Jackets beginning Oct. 21, 2015. They had no other choice; if you're 0-7-0 and keeping track of your record and hoping you chip away at an impossible-to-overcome challenge, you'll lose sight of what you should be doing at each step along the way.
Tortorella recognized that, while there were talented players on the Blue Jackets, there was something innately wrong about how they were going about it. So he changed it.
There are no more excuses. Back to back? Screw it, we'll put on skates on and play again tomorrow. You're not tired. You're ready and eager to play again. That's why you train and work to become a professional, right? These are the things Tortorella impresses upon his players so that excuses stay miles away from the Blue Jackets dressing room – and you know what? It's working.
Rarely if ever will you hear Tortorella bemoan the schedule or note that his players fought through a tough stretch of their schedule. They'll be tired on some nights, but it's not something they will even consider discussing.
If there's a game on the schedule, be ready for it. The guy next to you will, so you better be. If you're not, there are consequences. The accountability factor has driven the Blue Jackets to this new standard and, aside from the evolution of their roster and the obvious skill that's been infused, it's played a key role in moving the organization into this new era filled with expectations.
Oh, yeah. The Blue Jackets play another back-to-back this weekend (their second of this week). You won't hear much about it...except for the 350 words you just read.
We used to be able to tell you off-hand how many back-to-backs the Blue Jackets had on their schedule each year. Nowadays, I'd only be guessing. Apparently the Torotrella Method is working on the media, too.
ANOTHER. NEW. SPOT.
These don't appear to be slowing down any time soon, and you know what? Fine by me.
Mark Hamill introduced a new look at The Last Jedi last night on ABC. Here it is:
YOU SHOULD BE READING
- In this week's "Three Boomers" column, Sam Blazer looks at a surging Cam Atkinson.
- Can traditional stats and advanced stats co-exist in hockey? Just ask Jeff Svoboda.
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