Pierre-Luc Dubois' sophomore NHL season ended a bit earlier than he would have liked, and with a bit less scoring success than he's used to.
After ascending quickly in his rookie season – all the way up to the No. 1 center spot with Artemi Panarin – Dubois' stock rose accordingly. There's no doubt he's a top center and a big part of the Blue Jackets' future, even if he was relatively quiet down the stretch and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Because of the Blue Jackets' second-round exit, Dubois was able to join Team Canada at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Slovakia.
Dubois caught up with TSN's Darren Dreger for a sit-down interview, where he talked about the Blue Jackets' upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning, his season, and of course...John Tortorella. Dubois' comments on Tortorella are particularly interesting because he sheds some light on Tortorella the person, not just the head coach we're used to seeing at a podium or behind the bench.
"He's a fun coach to play for," Dubois told Dreger. "He cares a lot about the players, everybody's mood...not just on the ice, but off the ice, too. He wants everybody to be happy. When I first got there, I was expecting someone who couldn't laugh, or that says a joke and you don't know if you should laugh or not.
"You guys can see it – he gets emotional sometimes, like any coach. He's a fun coach to have."
You can watch Dubois' complete interview with Dreger here.
