Mechanical issue forces plane back to airport
CHICAGO — The Blue Jackets were 30 minutes into a charter flight out of Raleigh, North Carolina, late Thursday when the pilot made an unsettling announcement.
Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno paraphrased: “It’s an emergency, but it’s not an emergency.”
That line wasn’t funny, Foligno said, until the Blue Jackets were back safely on the ground several minutes later.
A faulty generator, mixed with the threat of storms between North Carolina and Illinois, convinced the pilot to return to Raleigh- Durham International Airport as a precaution and forced the Blue Jackets to spend another night in Raleigh.
President of hockey operations John Davidson said none of the players, coaches or staff panicked. But he clearly wasn’t speaking for coach John Tortorella, a noted aviophobiac.
“It was very nerveracking,” Tortorella said, with a laugh. “When you hear the announcement, ‘ It’s an emergency, but we’re OK.’ I mean … where do you go with that? That’s when I started wetting my pants.”
After checking out of the team hotel in Raleigh earlier Thursday, the Blue Jackets checked back in about 1 a. m. They flew late Friday morning to Chicago with no issues, but the team bus from the hotel to the rink in Chicago was late getting to the arena because of traffic.
“You’re ( upset) at first, but then you’re like, whatever,” Foligno said. “We have to come here and get two points. That’s our only job.”
The hope, Tortorella said, is that the upheaval of the day would bring a little levity to a club that has been starved for goals of late.
“You can’t use these things as an excuse,” Tortorella said. “It’s got to go the other way. Rally around it!”
Every pro team experiences its share of travel woes, and the Blue Jackets are no exception. During their inaugural 200001 season, a fueling truck hit their plane and forced the team to stay overnight, video coach Dan Singleton said.
Several years later, a flight from Long Island was scrubbed when their plane took too sharp a turn on the way to the runway and got mud on its wheels. Because no jack was immediately available, the plane's landing apparatus could not be cleaned.
Thursday marked just the second time the Blue Jackets took off and didn't make it to their destination. Under coach Ken Hitchcock, a flight was diverted to Dayton because of fog and snow in Columbus.
The Blue Jackets had their own plane — a retro- fitted DC- 9 — before taking it out of commission before this season due to age. They have used charter flights this season, like most major league franchises.