Jared Boll spent most of his 11-year NHL career doing one thing. He dropped the gloves when it was necessary. He was a beloved figure amongst the Blue Jackets because of the role he played.
That role for Boll helped him become the all-time Blue Jackets’ leader in penalty minutes with 1,195 minutes in nine seasons. At the time he left for the Anaheim Ducks, he played the fourth most games in franchise history.
These days, Boll is helping the Blue Jackets in a different way. He’s working his way up the coaching ranks.
Boll’s Coaching Earning Respect With Tortorella
After his retirement in 2018, the Blue Jackets hired Boll as an assistant development coach. It hasn’t taken long for him to gain the respect of everyone in the locker room, including head coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella recently spoke about the kind of asset Boll is for the team. One theme sticks out in the eyes of the head coach. It’s Boll’s hunger to learn to get better.
“When you say Boller, I’ll say hungry,” Tortorella said. “As a coach, same as a player. He has a hunger. He wants to learn. He’s been a tremendous asset to us. It’s so nice to see a player that you’ve coached and watch a player that’s played in the league played the way he’s played and the things he’s done in the game as far as his willingness to get on this side and just want to be a student, want to help out in any way.”
Tortorella has now given Boll more responsibilities because of the way he’s handled himself in his time.
“So we have slowly brought him along,” Tortorella said. “He’s doing now scoring chances for and against. He’s in charge of charting those giving them to the players after each game. (He’s) involved in practices with Kenny (McCudden). He’s come up with some good drills along the way. It’s nice to have a relationship with a guy in a different way for all the coaches with him. I love the guy. I loved him as a player. And he brings the same type of hunger to the coaching part of it as he did as a player.”
Boll Earning Respect Amongst Players Too
Cam Atkinson played with Boll for several seasons with the Blue Jackets. They are still good friends to this day. Atkinson spoke about Boll earning more responsibility as a coach. He also then spoke about hiring Boll for the Battery Hockey Academy.
“He deserves more and more responsibility,” Atkinson said. “I’ve known Jared for a long time including his wife Lauren. I’ve seen him as a player and now as a coach. He helps me a lot in the summer as well just on the ice and putting me through drills. I even hired him to help me with the Battery (Academy) as well. That’s how much I appreciate Jared and respect him.”
And like Tortorella, Atkinson acknowledged how good of a coach Boll is based on the respect he’s earned and what he does to help the players with drills and other ideas.
“He has definitely grown as a person and has matured a lot,” Atkinson said. I know a lot of guys in that locker room respect him as well. Every one of his drills is good and it’s different. He puts you through different little segments of new drills. He deserves all the recognition and more and more responsibility that comes his way. I think he appreciates that and wants that as well.”
It’s Only a Matter of Time
The future in coaching for Boll is bright if that’s the path he wants to pursue. This season marks the end of his third season with the Blue Jackets as a coach. He’s done nothing but impress every step of the way. He’s taking on more responsibility and showing he can handle everything he’s given.
It’s also a theme within the Blue Jackets. Boll is an example. Rick Nash is an example. So is Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets brought former players on board after their careers were over. This is an important thing even though it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
Those that know what the Blue Jackets are about are in key positions. That’s a big asset to have when there’s a narrative out there that stars don’t want to be in Columbus. Having Boll, Nash and Tyutin on the staff in different capacities can all speak to how good Columbus actually is. We might not see the full picture here yet, but over time, bringing their own back will work out to their advantage.
Boll is putting in the work. It’s only a matter of time before he starts rising up the ranks in the coaching world.
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