Jenner quietly climbs to greatness
Gritty power forward is among best Jackets ever
Boone Jenner acknowledged a recent career milestone in the same way that one might recognize the need to do some grocery shopping or remember a dentist appointment.
“Yeah, someone brought it up to me,” the Blue Jackets forward said when asked whether he knew that his goal Tuesday in Detroit moved him past Brandon Dubinsky into sixth alltime among scorers in franchise history.
“I played with Duby for a long time, but, yeah,” Jenner said. “I guess it is what it is. Just keep going here. I don’t look too far into that.”
Others within the organization may feel differently.
There is something to learn about Jenner by looking beyond his 115 goals and 111 assists in 493 career games — all for the Blue Jackets, who selected him in the second round (No. 37 overall) of the 2011 draft.
Jenner isn’t a considered a top scorer, other than one magnificent 30-goal effort in 2015-16, but he’s climbing the team’s all-time lists in points and goals. He’s now 24 points from tying R.J. Umberger for fourth in franchise scoring history and is five goals from tying Umberger for fourth in that category.
As much as anything, those numbers are about longevity, persistence and, yes, a skill level that gets overshadowed with Jenner by things like grit and sheer physicality. He’s known more for a grinding style of play, heavy hits and face-off wins than for scoring goals or dishing out assists, yet there he is moving up the franchise’s all-time lists.
Jenner also stood fourth in gamewinning goals (20, one behind captain Nick Foligno) and third in shots (1,191) going into the Jackets’ home opener Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He also is one of 23 Blue Jackets to record a hat trick, stands third all-time in hits with 1,218 — seven behind Dubinsky — and could move up to sixth in career games by playing in all 56 this season.
Should that happen, he would surpass Rostislav Klesla (515), Jared Boll (518) and David Vyborny (543) among players who’ve worn the Jackets’
uniform.
Those aren’t bad numbers for an understated “glue guy,” who can switch between center and a wing position seamlessly.
“He’s got more goals than me this year, so he’s doing something right,” said right wing Cam Atkinson, who hadn’t scored in the Jackets’ first four games; Jenner has scored twice.
“You know what to expect out of him every single night, every single day in practice and in games,” Atkinson added. “He’s hard on the forecheck, he’s always in front of the net, making it hard … I’m sure every single team out there would want a Boone Jenner on their team.”
The Blue Jackets already have one, which became especially important when the details of playing this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic were revealed.
Short training camps, no exhibition games, an abbreviated 56-game schedule and games played in mostly empty arenas have already begun to challenge every team’s competitive fire, and the Jackets are no exception.
Emotion and energy are derived entirely from what happens on the ice now, which makes players such as Jenner and forward Alexandre Texier even more valuable. They both play with the gas pedal floored and the intention of making things happen.
“It’s not so much the points, but I think it’s going to be a year of, ‘How do you find energy when you play these games?’ ” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “Those are two energy guys for us. When I’ve had ’em together on the ice, it helps us. Nothing may happen on the ice, but at least there will be some energy there.” bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger