The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here and read the full issue here.

Also, go to thn.com/free to subscribe.

Please Remain Seated - Oct. 17, 2024 – Vol. 78, Issue 03 - Dillon Collins

IT’S HARD TO IGNORE the elephant in the room as Jet Greaves sits down for a pre-season interview. Days removed from the funeral for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, the entire Columbus Blue Jackets organization – of which Greaves is a highly regarded goaltending prospect – remains in a numb state of grief. But if there is any silver lining to be found in the senseless loss, perhaps it’s that pain can serve as a great unifier.

“Johnny was such a great player, but for everybody who knew him, he was such a great person,” Greaves said. “We were all super lucky to get to know him and his family. We’ll always remember him and try to carry him with us everywhere we go. But yeah, just a super tragic few weeks, but it’s good to be with everybody and kind of go through it together and be able to support each other.”

Returning to the game of hockey is a daunting task in the aftermath of the tragedy, but the inner flame for the Gaudreau brothers burns brightly in each member of the Blue Jackets family.

For Greaves, a 23-year-old native of Cambridge, Ont., the 2024-25 season will see him look to continue the hottest run of his pro career.

Last year, Greaves set a Cleveland Monsters single-season franchise record for wins while ranking second among AHL goalies in victories (30-12-4), earning his first appearance at the AHL All-Star Classic. In the post-season, he posted an 8-5 record with a 2.17 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and one shutout in 13 games to help Cleveland advance to the Eastern Conference final. The Blue Jackets subsequently rewarded Greaves with a two-year extension.

Greaves has thrived playing meaningful games for an organization that’s still searching for its first true No. 1 goalie since newly minted Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky bolted for the Sunshine State. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in this organization,” Greaves said. “I’ve been fortunate to be around so many really good people, especially with the goaltending staff. We’ve had Manny Legace and now Niklas Backstrom and then Brad Thiessen in Cleveland. It’s just been a lot of really good people to learn from. I feel like they’ve helped me so much to learn about the game and to learn my game and how to be successful at different levels.”Greaves’ infatuation with the sport goes back to his childhood in the hockey hotbed of southern Ontario. Jet and his brother Kai, who will suit up at Princeton this season after a successful BCHL career, battled it out in competitive games of mini-sticks, emulating the exploits of their NHL heroes.

But it was Carey Price’s all-world performance at the 2007 World Junior Championship that steered Greaves head-on into a love affair with stopping pucks. “Every year during the world juniors, my brother and I would play mini-sticks while we were watching the world juniors, just trying to imitate whatever we were seeing on TV,”

18 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: The History Of Jersey #18 The Columbus Blue Jackets have 18 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #18. 

Greaves said. “Price was amazing. I always wanted to be a goalie in mini-sticks after seeing him and how calm he was in the net and the way he carried himself. I was such a fan of watching him. After that, I was hooked on playing goalie.”Greaves steadily progressed through the ranks of Ontario hockey, first as a budding starter in the Greater Ontario Jr. B League with the Cambridge Winter Hawks and Guelph Hurricanes before landing with the OHL’s Barrie Colts in 2018, where he sat under the learning tree of two of the game’s greats.

“Dale Hawerchuk was our head coach when we were in Barrie, so he obviously had an amazing career and was a really special person,” Greaves said. “He taught all of us so much about being pros and what it took. That was something I’m super fortunate to have. And then our goalie coach was Billy Smith, who also had an amazing career. We were really fortunate in Barrie to have some really good people around us that we could learn from. And that’s something that has helped me in the next steps of my career after that.”

Named to the OHL’s first all-rookie team in 2018-19, the undrafted Greaves earned a contract with the AHL’s Monsters, making his pro debut in a 40-save effort against the Belleville Senators in October 2021.

Splitting time between the AHL and ECHL in his first pro season and inking an entry-level deal with Columbus in February 2022, Greaves made his NHL debut that April. He set a Blue Jackets franchise record for a goaltending debut with 46 saves on 49 shots in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, just an hour or so from his hometown.

“No matter what, your first NHL game is going to be really special and one you’ll never forget,” Greaves said. “But to be able to play it in Toronto so close to home with so many friends and family was something I was really grateful for. You know, I feel like I’m the one who plays the games, but there are so many other people that are a part of it. To be able to kind of share that with everybody was super special.”

Entering his fourth year in the Columbus system, Greaves has cemented himself as a steady hand and wild-card contender for NHL minutes alongside the tandem of Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov.

But for a player who was undrafted and has had to earn every inch of ice he’s been given, Greaves owns every moment, counting every shot and savoring every second.

“For me, I love playing games,” he said. “I love learning about the game and just focusing on improving. That’s kind of where my attention always is, whether that’s in Columbus or Cleveland or wherever it is. For me, it’s just about continuing to improve and trying to help the team win hockey games. I’ve been enjoying that experience. I’m excited for the next phase of that process to keep my focus in those places.”

Blue Jackets Overpower Penguins In Preseason Game #4 Yegor Chinakhov, Jake Christiansen, Kent Johnson, and Dante Fabbro provided the offense, and Jet Greaves stopped 24 of 25 Pens shots in the 4-1 CBJ win on Wednesday night. 

Blue Jackets Send Charlie Elick Back To Junior Team The Blue Jackets have announced that they've loaned young prospect Charlie Elick back to the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. 

Blue Jackets' Werenski & Monahan Among Stars In FACEOFF: Inside The NHL Yesterday, Prime Video released the trailer for the second season of their FACEOFF: Inside the NHL docuseries.