Sergei Bobrovsky was back at practice with his teammates on Friday afternoon, a day after Blue Jackets management effectively suspended him for Thursday night's game against the Nashville Predators.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen stated that Bobrovsky's behavior fell short of expectations and didn't uphold the standard they expect of their players, but neither Kekalainen or head coach John Tortorella would comment much beyond that. What everyone's confirming, for all intents and purposes, is that the incident occurred either during or shortly after Tuesday's 4-0 loss in Tampa.
Bobrovsky said he and his teammates met before Friday's practice and cleared the air and all parties appear ready to move forward. Bobrovsky, as you know, is an unrestricted free agent at season's end and it certainly feels like his days in Columbus are winding down.
For now, though, he's a Blue Jacket – as president John Davidson told FOX Sports Ohio on Thursday – and he must fix this situation and continue with his team.
Here's what Bobrovsky had to say:
"It was an emotional (loss)," Bobrovsky said of Tuesday. "We might play them in the playoffs. I let my emotions get to me when I shouldn't. We had the meeting with the team. I pride myself to be a good teammate all the time, wherever I play and (with) whoever I play. We cleared the air and we're ready to move on. It's unfortunate for the fans, too, that it happened. It's going to stay in the room between us...that's all I got."
Bobrovsky was asked if he could move on with his teammates after this.
"I think so, we cleared the air," he said.
Does he want to stay here the rest of the season?
"I am here and I will play here. I will do my best as I have done for this team, this organization, these fans, this city. I'm working hard and I will continue to do that," he said.
This story does not feel anywhere close to being over.
