
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Rick Bowness expressed frustration over the Blue Jackets' late-season collapse, which left them out of the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Players echoed his sentiments, acknowledging the need to improve their performance and learn how to win.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) â For the second time in four seasons, Rick Bowness had a front row seat to one of his teams collapsing down the stretch and ending the season with disappointment. And once again, Bowness did not hold back on his opinions as they enter the offseason. Bownessâ 3-minute rant after the Blue Jacketsâ 2-1 season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night remained fresh in playersâ minds on Wednesday as they went through end-of-season meetings. Bowness said he should have voiced frustration a couple of weeks earlier. Had he done so, the Blue Jackets might have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020. Instead, after posting a 3-9-1 record in their final stretch, they fell just a few points short. âThese guys, they donât care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesnât bother them. How can you go out and play like that?â Bowness said postgame. âThis is why weâre out of the playoffs. That kind of effort. You have to hate losing. I donât care if itâs a meaningless game. Show up and compete.â âThis is why we are where we are. This is why weâre out of the playoffs, that kind of effort,â Bowness said Tuesday night. âYou have to hate losing. I donât care if itâs a meaningless game. Show up and compete.â The Blue Jackets were in last place in the Eastern Conference when Bowness replaced Dean Evason as coach on Jan. 12. They went 18-2-4 in Bownessâ first 24 games and moved into a playoff spot after collecting a point in 12 straight games. But when the regular season reached its critical final stretch, Columbus reverted to early season form, including tying a franchise record with six consecutive home losses. âWeâre all frustrated, and the fans are too. We were in a good spot and werenât good enough down the stretch. Thatâs on us. We have to own it and learn from it,â team captain Boone Jenner said. Defenseman Zach Werenski disagreed with Bownessâ assessment that the players donât care or donât hate to lose, but also knew that the late-season collapse left everyone angry. âI have a ton of respect for him. He loves us as players, and we love him as a coach,â Werenski said. âWe need to learn how to win, and he can help us with that. Heâs been around a long time and knows what it takes. We havenât done it enough â itâs clear. But saying we donât care or donât hate to lose, I think thatâs wrong.â Bowness was more emotional this time than in 2023, when he criticized his Winnipeg Jets team after being eliminated by Vegas in the first playoff round. âIâm so disappointed and disgusted right now, thatâs my thoughts,â he said after the Jetsâ Game 5 loss. âNo pushback. But itâs the same crap we saw in February. It was. As soon as we were challenging for first place and teams were coming after us, we had no pushback.â In addition to shifting the teamâs culture, the Blue Jackets must address their inability to protect late leads. Over the course of this season, they blew 21 third-period leads. The backbreaker came on March 29 against Boston when Columbus was up 3-0 through two periods and lost 4-3 in a shootout. âWe have to learn how to win and get over that hump. Thatâs what our fans deserve, and we owe it to each other. Itâs a tough lesson and will be a long summer thinking about it,â forward Adam Fantilli said. President of Hockey Operations and GM Don Waddell has plenty of decisions to make during the offseason, including whether Bowness will return behind the bench. Center Charlie Coyle and left wing Mason Marchment, along with Jenner, will be unrestricted free agents. Fantilli, the third overall pick in the 2023 draft, is a restricted free agent in line for a lucrative extension. Werenski led the team with 81 points and is among the favorites for the Norris Trophy as the leagueâs top defenseman. He tied the franchise record in assists (59) and joined Brian Leetch and Phil Housley as the only American-born defenseman in NHL history to post consecutive 80-point seasons. If the 71-year-old Bowness is back, he knows the first thing he wants to do. âIf Iâm back, weâre changing this freaking culture,â he said. âIâve been around long enough to know. Iâll find ways. Iâve got enough experience. Iâve dealt with this. Iâve dealt with it before. If weâre back, weâll straighten it out.â \\\_ Freelancer reporter Nicole Kraft contributed to this story. \\\_ AP NHL:
Rick Bowness criticized the team's effort, stating that players need to hate losing and show up to compete, emphasizing that their lack of performance is why they missed the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets posted a disappointing 3-9-1 record in their last 13 games, which included a franchise record of six consecutive home losses.
Management must decide whether Rick Bowness will return as coach, address the contracts of unrestricted free agents like Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment, and consider a lucrative extension for restricted free agent Adam Fantilli.
Zach Werenski disagreed with Bowness' assertion that players don't care about losing, but acknowledged the team's need to learn how to win and expressed respect for Bowness as a coach.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
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