Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski did not mince words when responding to pregame comments made by former teammate Patrik Laine, now with the Montreal Canadiens. Werenski called Laine’s remarks “bull—-,” emphasizing that the Blue Jackets had been “nothing but good teammates to him.” This was after Laine was booed by fans, targeted by his former teammates on the ice, and ultimately injured in his return against the Blue Jackets.
The controversy unfolded after Laine, who was traded to the Canadiens in August, was forthcoming about why he wanted a trade out of Columbus. During a recent interview, Laine didn’t hold back, saying the Blue Jackets were content with their standings as a non-competitive team and hinted they were OK with losing hockey games. “It’s frustrating as a player when you’re trying to win, and some people are, you know, not like that,” Laine explained.
His comments got around the Blue Jackets’ locker room and became bulletin board material, It was clear early they didn’t sit well at all with his former teammates.
Were the Blue Jackets Targeting Laine Until He Got Injured?Werenski quickly defended his team, stating, “It’s unfortunate. For him to bash us like that, I think it’s just unacceptable.” He added, “Definitely not happy about it and none of us in this room are happy about it.” Werenski added, “I hope he’s alright with whatever he’s dealing with tonight, but he didn’t finish the game.”
Fans at Nationwide Arena wasted no time getting on Laine, loudly booing him whenever he touched the puck. The animosity carried over to the ice, as Laine was on the receiving end of several physical plays from his former teammates.
Marc Denis asked Mathieu Olivier in an interview, “It seems like your team has been targeting Patrik Laine tonight. Does it have (anything to do) with his comments earlier today, perhaps?” Olivier responded, “No comment…”
the Blue Jackets went after Patrik Laine during the game against the Canadiens after his comments. Laine left injured.He left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. After logging just 6:15 of ice time in Montreal’s eventual 5-4 loss, it seemed clear the Blue Jackets were trying to send a message. The Canadiens may have pulled him as a precaution, but Laine did take a couple of hard hits. That has raised concerns that the injury could be more serious.
Bad News if Laine Is Injured AgainIf he is injured again, this is just another run of bad news for Laine. He has already had a tumultuous start to his Canadiens tenure. Laine made his debut only ten games ago after recovering from a preseason knee injury. He scored repeated power-play goals and looked like he might be the feel-good story of the league this season. Then he threw his former teammates under the bus, and they took exception.
With the holiday break in effect, it’s not clear if the Canadiens will provide any sort of injury update. Regardless of what was said, the hope is he’s not seriously injured.
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