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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Brassard nugget


Just listening to the Coach's show with Ken Hitchcock and Rimmer had a juicy nugget that I wanted to share here.

Derick Brassard has committed to stay in Columbus this summer to work with the CBJ training staff (Barry Brennan) to train hard and bulk up for next season.

If you recall this is exactly what Jared Boll did last summer to come out of nowhere to make the Jackets roster out of camp.

To me this is a HUGE sign that Brassard is absolutely committed and determined to be a full time Jacket next year and is willing to pay the price and sacrifice to make it happen.

He's still got to get it done on the ice at camp next year and prove capable of top 6 minutes but I think this is a big step towards that goal for this kid and as a fan it really excites me. It also shows me that this kid is maturing and has realized you can't be a star in this league based on god given talent or draft status alone - you've got to work for it both on and off the ice.

Could you imagine if a guy like Zherdev made that kind of commitment?

Discuss
- do you feel Brassard's chances to make the team next year will be improved by staying and training in Columbus for the summer?

-LTL

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think this is a wonderful piece of news.

Anonymous said...

Pounding some protein shakes and hitting the weights all summer with Brennan will be much better than eating chocolate eclaires in Quebec. Show us what you got, Brass.

Sean said...

Certainly can't hurt. Bring it on!

Anonymous said...

Great news! And, yes, I think Brassard AND Voracek are Blue Jackets on opening night

Anonymous said...

Anyone who hangs out in town, with staff, to train is making the overt effort to step it up. Management types generally like that level of overt commitment. As Sean said, "Certainly can't hurt."

Anonymous said...

It's a great sign because only a few weeks ago he was planning on NOT staying.

We need him to be what we hope he can be.

Anonymous said...

This was great news...the kid needs 20 lbs of muscle. But I just hope he makes it out of the AHL playoffs intact. As much as I enjoy a good hockeyfight, I wince when our more talented guys start throwing their shooting hands at chumps.

JF