Patrik Laine gave a pregame interview on December 23rd that didn't go over well with the Columbus Blue Jackets players and organization.

A Finnish online site published a Patrik Laine interview today where he opened up about everything he's been through the last few years. It's a very good interview where he is open and honest about his struggles with his mental health and life in general. 

Columbus Blue Jackets fans are sure to be interested in a few parts of his interview, but there's one part in particular that fans will want to read. 

Back on December 23rd, the Montreal Canadians and Patrik Laine came to Columbus for a game. It was Laine's first return since he was traded right before the season started. In that media scrum, he said, “I feel like we were just doing the same thing year after year. I was tired of losing and just giving up when it’s December to start focusing on next year. I’m not going to do that. That’s frustrating as a player when you’re trying to win and some people are, you know, not like that." Laine went on to say “They’re a little too satisfied and too comfortable where they’re at. It wasn’t really a fit for me anymore. But here (in Montreal), it doesn’t matter if we’re winning or losing, we’re always trying our best. That’s what I felt about it (in Columbus).” 

Laine was also asked to clarify if he meant his teammates or the CBJ management group that was here at the time. “I’ll leave that for everybody’s imagination,” Laine said. “But there were certainly, certainly people like that who were a little too comfortable and fine with losing and just doing the same thing year after year. I’m going to leave that up for discussion for everybody else.”

That night, the Columbus Blue Jackets made it hard for Laine. they were extremely physical with him. Not dirty, just physical. Laine himself even took a run at Dmitri Voronkov that ended badly for Laine. He and his stick flew backward about 10 feet. Laine would leave the game, never to be seen again.  

In the article, Laine says, "I know for a fact that they tackled(hit) me on purpose." He also says that he regrets the comments he made before the game. "I should have left it alone. The reporters were a bit eager for me to say it, though," Laine says. 

Laine finishes off that section of the interview by saying, “I will never say anything negative about any other organization again. I learned it the hard way.”

Patrik Laine is having a good year for Montreal when he plays. He currently has 12 goals and 18 points in 23 games, and has 10 power play goals. 

What's Next: The Blue Jackets travel to Dallas to play the Stars on Sunday.

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