It was an All-Star Game that Boone Jenner would never forget. Going back to his hometown, he put on a show by scoring a goal in each game Saturday helping Team McDavid in their efforts to win the final. Although the team fell just short, he showed on a national stage why his invite was more than deserved.
To fully understand what Jenner has meant to the Columbus Blue Jackets require us to go back in time to the beginning of his career. As the new owner of the franchise games-played record, he has seen a lot of stuff.
Think of it this way. Jenner has been in the Blue Jackets organization since he was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft on June 25, 2011. He then made his NHL debut on Oct 4, 2013 in a game against the Calgary Flames.
This means that Jenner being drafted predates most everything that you see on the Blue Jackets today including John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen. Many players and coaches have come and gone along the way. But from 2011-current, one name has been there through it all.
Now consider everything in that timeframe helped him earn his first trip to an All-Star Game. This is why Jenner is the epitome of consistency for the Blue Jackets.
It took Jenner just five games to score his first NHL goal. He accomplished that on Oct 17, 2013 at Montreal’s Bell Centre. He scored two power-play goals that night. Who did he beat for those goals? It was Carey Price.
At that time, Jenner became the first player in the NHL in about eight years to score his first two career goals on the power play in the same game. He went on to score 16 goals in his rookie year. His future certainly looked bright.
Then things got a little scary for Jenner.
Back injuries are no joke. They’re especially concerning when you are just 21. But that’s exactly what Jenner had to deal with and overcome. He suffered a stress fracture in his back that limited him to 31 games in the 2014-15 season. He missed 40 games due to that injury.
The big question was how would the rest of his career shake out? Would he be able to play at his normal high level without re-injury? Thanks to putting in the necessary work, Jenner came back and didn’t miss a single game in 2015-16 and 2016-17. He scored a career-high 30 goals in 2015-16.
Jenner then followed up his 30-goal season with 18 the following year but was showing a much-improved two-way game. He went from -15 to +14 and was starting to play in every important situation.
Then Jenner’s role was evolving. He was not being asked to play on the power play as much. He was asked to play his usual no-nonsense in your face type of game under John Tortorella. Although the goal totals dipped a little, his importance to the team was growing. By now, he was a leader and an example for everyone to follow on how to play the game night in and night out.
The Blue Jackets made it to four consecutive postseasons in that time. Then it was time for several key figures to move on.
Whether it was captain Nick Foligno or coach Tortorella or players like Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, David Savard, Brandon Dubinsky and others, there appeared to be a mass exodus of those leaving the Blue Jackets’ organization.
The high of the Lightning sweep was gone. It was time to make the tough decision of deciding what the future of the team would look like. Who was the one that stayed in this process? It was Jenner. This helped him become captain of the Blue Jackets.
These last few seasons have been very tough on the Blue Jackets. This however is where Jenner’s consistency really shined through.
Jenner scored 23 and 26 goals when Brad Larsen was the head coach. This season before the injury to his jaw, he was the team’s leading goal scorer with 13 and was well on his way to surpassing last season’s total of 26.
Jenner plays in every situation including both special team’s units. He plays the role of a top-six center and is consistently their best face-off player. Of late, he’s been playing on a line with Adam Fantilli before he suffered a skate cut.
Jenner’s impact cannot be understated. He’s the captain. He’s a leader on and off the ice. He’s a role model. He’s a community hero. His play at times this season had some even looking at him for the Selke trophy as best defensive forward. He’s a more complete player now. He did all this while everything around him was constantly changing.
Many fans around the nation wondered why Jenner was the Blue Jackets’ selection for the All-Star Game. His overall path is the reason why. Not all players improve at the same pace. His improvement came over the course of several seasons. Had it not been for the injury, his numbers would have looked that much better.
When the Blue Jackets needed someone to rise up and lead when there was some chaos, it was Jenner who embraced the opportunity and rose up. He chose to stay with the team. Signing a four-year contract when he did was proof of that.
Fans saw Jenner score the two goals Saturday. While that memory will last a lifetime for him and his family, it’s the many years of battle for the Blue Jackets that deserve praise and recognition. Those goals are not scored if he didn’t give everything he had in the 13 years leading up to this moment.
After notching two goals in his first #NHLAllStarGame, Boone spoke with the media to recap the incredible experience!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 4, 2024https://t.co/jdBdZ37Ixm pic.twitter.com/R2vw4G8MKW
For those 13 years, he’s played the game the only way he knows how to. He leaves nothing behind and gives everything he has when he’s on the ice. Teammates notice and follow his lead.
Jenner is a leader of men and a great person. But he’s also a really good hockey player who dedicated himself to getting better in all aspects. This is why Jenner is the epitome of consistency. This is who he is. Now the hockey world knows it too.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Damian Lillard was briefly linked to the Celtics after being waived and stretched by the Bucks, but that possibility came and went quicker than a Jrue Holiday text. Turns out Holiday did shoot his shot. “As soon as I was waived … he sent me the eyeball emoji,” Lillard said at his introductory presser in Portland. “I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it, but I didn’t want to say nothing too soon, so here we are.” “Here” is back in a Trail Blazers uniform. And while Lillard isn’t expected to play this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, the idea of him as a long-term Jayson Tatum insurance policy briefly crossed Boston’s radar. That was about as far as it got. As MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote, the Celtics never had the financial path to compete with Portland’s three-year, $42 million offer. Boston only has the $5.7M taxpayer MLE to work with — and using that might’ve meant shedding some other salary just to stay under the second apron. Who’s starting at center? In a new mailbag, Robb projects Neemias Queta as the likely starting center if the roster stays put. That would give Boston a lineup of Queta, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, with the last two spots up for grabs. Payton Pritchard vs. Anfernee Simons at point guard? Sam Hauser vs. Georges Niang at forward? Maybe Josh Minott sneaks into the mix? Yeah, it’s July. But hey, the debates have begun. No Davison, slim Simmons ddds Boston officially parted ways with JD Davison this week, ending a three-year run with the former second-round pick. According to Robb, the team just didn’t see NBA-level growth. And what about that open roster spot? Ben Simmons is out there. But Robb pegs the odds of Simmons landing in Boston at just 10-20 percent, mainly because he’s expected to get better money (and probably a bigger role) elsewhere. More NBA News Rumors
Things have largely gone cold on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, but that does not mean teams are not thinking of the possibility of that changing. Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard noted that the Warriors are being cautious in negotiations with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, as he could be possible trade bait if Antetokounmpo is traded by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors are adamant about not giving away Kuminga for less than his full trade value, which is why his situation remains unresolved with August looming. Kuminga and the Warriors have yet to agree on a contract, and it remains unclear when the situation will be resolved. He has a $7.9 million qualifying offer on the table, and signing it would allow him to approve any trade he is involved in. If he signs a multiyear extension, he would not be eligible to be traded until January, which could complicate things if Antetokounmpo decides late in the offseason that he wants a move. Presumably, Kuminga would be a key part of any trade the Warriors make involving Antetokounmpo. However, with no market materializing, there seems to be a growing chance he could remain with the team next season. The former No. 7 overall pick averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game last season. He appeared in 47 games, making 10 starts and averaging 24.3 minutes per game. However, he has been unable to consistently lock down a major spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, which reportedly led to some tension between the two last season. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, still seems unlikely to be traded, but teams are still going to prepare for the possibility.