Canadian – Blue Jackets | Patrik Laine: “I was tired of losing”

(Columbus) Patrik Laine was an expected man for what will be his first game at Nationwide Arena since the Blue Jackets traded him to the Canadiens.

There were half a dozen journalists from the Ohio capital around his locker, in addition to the three from Montreal, after the Canadian's morning training in preparation for the duel against the Jackets.

In four seasons here, Laine scored 138 points, including 64 goals. In series? Zeroes across the board, because the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs all four times, without even being in the good old “mix”. The closest they came was in the shortened 2021 season; they had missed the playoffs by… 16 points.

And that was precisely the problem, in his eyes. “When I signed my contract here [à l’été 2022]I liked it, I didn't want to leave. Then things happened and I had enough.

“It was the same thing year after year. I was tired of losing, tired of giving up in December and starting to think about next year,” lamented the great Finn.

It is not clear that things will be better in Montreal, with the Canadian still seven points from the playoffs despite the recent improvement.

It is also unclear whether Laine was targeting management or the players. That said, management should not have been its only problem, since general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was ousted in February. After the interim of John Davidson, Don Waddell was hired and it was he who traded Laine to Montreal, along with a pick of 2^e round, against Jordan Harris in August.

So who could he be targeting? “I'll leave that to your imagination.” But there are certainly people who were at peace with defeat and did the same thing year after year. »

One thing is certain: he was not targeting Mathieu Olivier, one of his “best friends”. At Johnny Gaudreau's funeral, television cameras captured a warm embrace between the two men.

“We may not talk every day, but every week. It's great to see him busting and scoring goals at the same time. Not many guys do that! », Launched Laine.

After only 34 games, Olivier has already established a personal high with 9 goals, one more than Laine, who only played 9 games, however. And even though he says he doesn't “really” follow the Blue Jackets, he was well aware of his Quebec friend's nine goals.

“I see Oli is scoring at a crazy rate. He has more goals than me, I have to catch up with him, I'm not used to that! But I know that if we win, we will overtake them in the rankings. »

What reception?

Laine obviously wasn't white as snow, otherwise the Jackets wouldn't have given the Canadiens a good draft pick to essentially get rid of him. He had a -58 rating over his four seasons, and colleagues tell us his body language wasn't always positive towards his teammates. Coaches John Tortorella and Pascal Vincent each had to bench him, in fact. His time in Columbus ended in the joint NHL-Players' Association assistance program, as Laine said he wanted to heal his mental health.

Laine seems to have found happiness in Montreal for now, with his crazy goal streak. The fact of having found the left circle of the offensive zone, with a numerical advantage, certainly does not harm; This is also where he put on his eight nets. In Columbus, this was the territory of the late Johnny Gaudreau.

What kind of reception does he expect? “I have no idea. But that doesn't stop me from sleeping. If people are angry, that's their problem. I'm having fun, that's all that matters. »

He doesn't “think” he'll be booed, but if fans do, “it would be cool to shut them up.” There are always idiots who do it. But I hope it won't be the whole arena, with what I've done for the team and the community. If people want to boo, maybe they have bigger problems in life. »

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