Montreal Canadiens
Patrik Laine Drama: Blue Jackets Reportedly Targeted Shoulder
According to Renaud Lavoie, the Columbus Blue Jackets targeted Patrik Laine in Monday’s game versus the Montreal Canadiens. To be more specific, Lavoie thinks they were targeting the shoulder he injured shoulder during his time with the Blue Jackets, which lasted from 2020 to 2024.
I’ll be honest, I noticed the Blue Jackets amping up their physicality when Laine was on the ice, but I’d be hard-pressed to say they were definitely attempting to injure their former teammate. It’s not abnormal to see a team put money on the board in these situations.
The Blue Jackets were upset that Laine said the team was “A little too satisfied and too comfortable where they’re at,” and that he was tired of giving up in December.
That is essentially what general manager Don Waddell said about the Blue Jackets last summer.
No one raised an eyebrow when Ryan O’Reilly said the Buffalo Sabres made him stop loving hockey, because it’s a natural reaction to playing for a franchise that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
While many have offered their commentary on the subject, I have to admit I’m not entirely comfortable giving my opinion, as no one except those in the Blue Jackets locker room know exactly what happened.
We’re discussing a team that has struggled mightily in recent years, and a player who has dealt with several issues that impacted his well-being during his time in Ohio.
When mental health is in play, we need to be careful about our assumptions, especially seeing as we’re rather light on details regarding Laine’s time in Columbus. We do know the Blue Jackets failed to make the playoffs in the last few years, and that they have only won a single playoff series since 2010.
Patrik Laine In Columbus
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Jackets are a disaster of a franchise. The Habs have also struggled in recent years, and like the Blue Jackets, they’re in the midst of a rebuild. It hasn’t quite reached the point where the stench of losing has seemingly taken over the locker room, but it is a good reminder that athletes absolutely detest losing, and there’s a point of diminishing returns when it comes to trading poor finishes for high draft picks.
We also know Zach Werenski, the player who took exception to Laine’s comments, went out of his way to force a trade involving Elvis Merzlikins and the Finnish forward. That event took place in 2020-21, the very first season in which Laine was playing for the Blue Jackets.
This connotes that it probably wasn’t the healthy, supportive locker room as Werenski suggested. On the other hand, since we weren’t part of the meeting, or the discussion with Waddell regarding a possible Laine trade, we simply don’t know all the important information that would allow us to judge such a hostile action with any manner of accuracy.
Walking In Their Shoes
While it’s understandable that professional athletes do not like losing, it’s also rather easy to see why Werenski got upset. Any player would react the same to hearing negative comments about his team.
In fact, I’m not sure how else anyone expected Werenski to react.
He’s using the comments, as overblown as they’ve been, as a rallying point for a franchise that has enjoyed very little success since joining the NHL.
Of course, it does not warrant actively trying to injure former teammates, as Lavoie suggested, but the comments were never going to be received with an open mind in Ohio. That’s simply not realistic given the circumstances and the history.
In the end, Laine spoke his truth, and I’d be a hypocrite for proposing it was a bad decision. One of the key aspects of maintaining strong mental health is to avoid lying to yourself, and the first step is telling the truth to others as often as possible. Lies do very little to help someone process a difficult situation.
Could Laine have taken the same route as the many disgruntled players before him, adopting a more positive attitude that includes half-truths and a heavy measure of sugar-coating?
Absolutely.
Can we fault Patrik Laine for avoiding lies? Absolutely not.
And while this molehill has certainly developed into a mountain, it’s probably a good time for everyone to take a step back and realize players go through different issues, and that not everyone will see eye-to-eye regarding locker-room health.
Such is life as a professional athlete.
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saw the game…didn’t get the impression they were targetting him…
There were maybe 2 hits that were a little heavier than usual, but the main contact was initiated by Laine early in the first.
They did land a heavy crosscheck on his shoulder at one point. I get the sense the Habs just pulled him as a precaution.
Well did they pull him as a precaution, because it seems that he is injured
Exactly. Good take.
Wow Really, I turned the game onNd after the period was half over it was quite apparent that they were goingbto finish there checks on him everytime he touched the puck. Normally many players would just skate by but every player took a shot at him.
Finishing a check is a part of hockey. No? Laine has poor on ice awareness.
He’s absolutely allowed to say what he said but he should expect that his old teammates won’t be thrilled and will let him know. I’d be highly surprised if he didn’t expect to have a target on his back after saying something like that.
sounds like a snowflake melting under words to me.
You are part of the problem
And people like you are the issue in this day and age. Other players have said more and worse than Laine did. He, like others spoke the truth about previous teams they played for. Guess it hits home to current players on thier former teams.
It’s one thing to stick to your truth and quite another to unwisely blab it to the media as if there would be no consequences.
Laine is a grown man, professional athlete that made his own bed. Time to lie in it.
The Kucherov-Tkachuk hit is more interesting. Two guys that play dirty night after night but are nonetheless celebrated and rarely punished because of their talent.
The injury prompts me to criticize the Habs in that game for being too soft. They simply failed to match the physicality of the Jackets.
O’Reilly has been all about team play , he’s shown that by his successes as a Canadian World Cup champion, the Stanley Cup and the awards he earned as a team player ( lady byng , Selke and Conn Smythe ) .
Laine on the other hand has been showing that he doesn’t get it with his comments about his current and former teams . That’s been the case since 2019 when he was complaining about not having playing time with a first line center in Winnipeg . I don’t expect any veteran team would like to hear that from a teammate after his 3rd season . He should focus on being healthy and on being a good team player . His comments only served to fire up the CBJ and cost his team a potential win . He’s six straight years now of not playing a full season too .
I am a Jackets fan <pause while objects are thrown> I thought this article was particularly even-handed. However, I have a small bone to pick.
I have watched a pattern here in Columbus, where good players come here, and either are poorly developed, or languish. I also don’t believe it has as much to do with the players or coaches (save for probably Hitch – he was behind the times). I have come to believe the main issue is something rotten in the front office. I can’t provide facts, or stats, but they’ve had a lot of turnover with coaches and players, and it’s not getting better.
However, I completely disagree that Laine had only the options of speaking “his truth,” or lying, or “partial truths.” Patrik Laine had the perfectly viable option of adhering to the old adage that “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
It would have cost him nothing to just hold his water. But what he said created a lightning rod for the Jackets, possibly cost the Habs a game, and maybe cost him an injury – targeted or not. We’ve seen this situation play out over-and-over again in professtional sports to the point that it’s a trope. Player says, “Blah, blah, blah.” Other team random guy says, “Win this one for the Gipper!” Then an inspired, hard-fought victory ensues.
It’s like my dad used to say: “Never miss a good chance to shut up.”
Hey JC, I’m a Habs fan, and I completely agree with your take. Well said, and your dad’s advice is especially well said.
Have a Merry Christmas JC🤜🎄🎄🎄
Well said J.C. , it’s obvious that you’re vey astute on the goings on with the Blue Jackets . From the outside it sure looks like the CBJ have put together a group that’ll win their share of games in future.
I agree that Laine has to learn from Mr.MacNeil’s advice and be a lot more tactful . Hockey 101 – don’t give the other team anything that can turn into whiteboard material . Best wishes for the coming year from a Habs’ fan !
Hey, my apologies for not catching that Roger guy’s tantrum earlier. I don’t particularly mind that he was insulting me, and I do appreciate everyone that responded, but he’s clearly not interested in a legitimate discussion, so he’ll have to take his teen angst elsewhere.
At least he can proudly say he’s the second person to ever get IP banned on this site in three years. Quite the accomplishment.
I do think this is a very interesting topic, and other than the troll, the discussion has been healthy. Hopefully you all agree, if not we can review some of the guidelines.
Sorry about the delay, I was travelling for Christmas.
Joyeux Noel, and Merry Christmas, everyone!
Oh, wow. If Renaud Lavoie’s comments are accurate, and the Jacket players did actually target Laine’s previously injured shoulder, that really says a lot about the character of the Columbus organization. And the fact that Werenski was the most indignant of all Jacket players at Laine’s comments leads me to believe there is some animus between him and Patrik.
It may be Laine’s misfortune that his first two teams in the NHL are two of the most toxic and dysfunctional. Picture an 18 year old Finnish kid, thrown into a new country, a new language, playing in the most high-pressure hockey league in the world. In Winnipeg he’s bullied by an insecure, selfish Wheeler and Scheifle, his dad (and best friend) who came to Winnipeg to keep him company, dies, and Patrik goes into a deep depression. He gets traded to Columbus where he gets treated like garbage, gets injured, vets conspire to get him traded, and yet he still signs a 4 year contract because he believes the team can turn around, but ultimately goes into counselling. Maybe he just couldn’t take Werenski and his “good team-mates” continually accepting losing.
Laine is a talented, ultra-sensitive man. I truly believe that he has wound up in the exact right location at the right time. A hockey city, with a similar cultural vibe to his homeland, and a team with a winning culture. He is finally being treated fairly. I predict he will thrive. Bonne chance mon cher Patrik!
Just as a point of interest, did anyone else notice that of the 4 vets (who were, according to Werenski “nothing but good team-mates to Laine” but wanted him and Merzlinkis traded ) three were gone as of last summer. Laine and Merzlinkis were still on the roster. I suspect good team-mate and erstwhile back-stabber Werenski would have been gone too if not for that millstone of a $9.5 Million contract.