Blue Jackets Players Respond After Getting Called Out By Head Coach For Not Caring

The Columbus Blue Jackets had a monumental collapse down the stretch that ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals to put their season to an end.

How bad was it? How about going 2-7-1 in your final 10 games and missing the playoffs by just five to seven points?

Had they won just three or four more games, there's a chance they'd be headed to the playoffs.

After the game, head coach Rick Bowness ripped the team's effort — or lack thereof —down the stretch.

On Wednesday, players got the chance to respond to their coach's fiery post-game comments.

"We’re all frustrated, and the fans are too. We were in a good spot and weren’t good enough down the stretch. That’s on us. We have to own it and learn from it," Jackets captain Boone Jenner said, per WTOP.

"We have to learn how to win and get over that hump. That’s what our fans deserve, and we owe it to each other. It’s a tough lesson and will be a long summer thinking about it," Adam Fantilli said, seemingly echoing his captain's take.

Blue Jackets’ late-season collapse sparks tension as players push back on Rick Bowness’ effort critique after missing playoffs. (Getty Images)

While Jenner did the captainly thing and rode the fence between his coach and teammates, and Fantilli followed suit,  defenseman Zach Werenski was more forward about disagreeing with Bowness' assessment of the team's fight level.

"I have a ton of respect for him. He loves us as players, and we love him as a coach," Werenski said. "We need to learn how to win, and he can help us with that. He’s been around a long time and knows what it takes. We haven’t done it enough — it’s clear. But saying we don’t care or don’t hate to lose, I think that’s wrong."

I understand Werenski's perspective here, but you've got to remember that Bowness didn't just say that his players didn't care; he brought stats to back it up.

Those stats were three hits and 23 turnovers over 60 minutes, which does sound at the least like anecdotal evidence of a lack of caring.

Especially since those hits came in a 2-1 game… at home.

They were within sight of a win and still couldn't be bothered to get physical or be more careful with the puck.

It's going to be a long offseason for the Jackets and for their fans, and it will be interesting to see whether the Jackets stick with Bowness.