Dads joining trip to Washington

Several of the Blue Jackets’ fathers watched practice from the stands Thursday before departing with the team for Friday’s game at Washington.

Coach John Tortorella said he didn’t include a dads trip during his early coaching days — “I took the fun out of everything,” he noted — because he didn’t want it to be a distraction.

Tortorella said he has since realized it’s important to show players more respect and let their family see what they do. Plus, he added, “It can’t hurt us right now. Maybe you get some juice that they’re playing in front of their dad.”

Captain Nick Foligno added, “Whether you admit it or not, everybody wants to play well in front of their dad. All the guys, we light up when we see the dads. It’s funny how similar the guys are to their dads, whether they look like them or their mannerisms.”

Foligno’s father, Mike, couldn’t make the trip, so he invited a mentor of his from Ottawa.

“It’s a way for us to say thank you,” Foligno said. “For them to see what we get to do and be able to appreciate your son’s dream. They don’t get to see the ins and outs of every day … but they’ve gotten to see us grow into this position.

“It’s pretty special the league and organization allows this. And you can see how much fun the dads have. Heck, we’ve got dads from Russia, Finland, Sweden. They’ll make any effort to get over here.”

A mothers trip has also been discussed, Tortorella said. “That would be really cool,” he said.

Murray practices

Defenseman Ryan Murray went through a full practice for the first time since Jan. 10. He worked with Scott Harrington in a fourth pairing. Murray, who skated on his own the previous three days, has missed the past 29 games because of an upper-body injury. Tortorella wouldn’t discuss Murray’s progress.

Struggles continue

Tortorella said left wing Boone Jenner continues to struggle keeping up with the speed of games and “just seems to be a step behind.” Tortorella said Jenner’s effort can’t be questioned, and “deep in my heart, I believe he’s going to get it done.”

For now, Tortorella is considering moving Matt Calvert or Jussi Jokinen from the fourth line to replace Jenner alongside Brandon Dubinsky and Josh Anderson.

“(Jenner) should be more involved as far as the forecheck and making something happen around the net,” Tortorella said. “He just has not been consistent no matter where I put him in the lineup.”

Slap shots

The Jackets’ recent practices have been shorter, but more uptempo — by design. “I want us to get our mindset, first of all, thinking quick and then playing quick,” Tortorella said. “We need to get our practice habits faster.” … The Blue Jackets Foundation said it raised more than $450,000 for children in central Ohio at Wednesday’s annual CannonBall event.