Zach Werenski Addresses Rick Bowness, Mathieu Olivier, & More In Wednesday Radio Interview

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski appeared on 97.1 The Fan's Rothman & Ice show on Wednesday to talk about several things, including Rick Bowness and Mathieu Olivier. As always, it's a great interview, so listen to the full interview below. 

He was asked about Rick Bowness' postgame comments about his team being embarrassing.

Werenski says, "Yeah, I understand where he's coming from. It's 6-1 in our own building, a little bit embarrassing. I felt like we played hard, but like I said, it's these self-lapses that cause us to lose games right now, and last night I felt like that was it. We were fine, and the next thing you know were taking these stick penalties, and we're giving them 15 minutes of power-play time, and they made us pay. Our penalty kill definitely has to come through, and we have to dig deep and bear down and kill some of those off. But a lot of it is unnecessary penalties we're taking. At the end of the day, we have to rise up and challenge ourselves to be better. It's been inconsistent to start the year, and we're a better hockey team than what we've shown. So it's on us as players to regroup and get ready for Saturday." 

He went on to say about Bowness and guys potentially not caring, "Yeah, I think we have a lot of guys in there that really care. It's the consistency we have to get better at. We're not getting enough from a lot of guys, myself included. Him challenging us is not a bad thing. I feel like guys are going to come out ready to go this weekend. He (Bowness) should be watching; guys should feel like they have something to prove, because we haven't proved anything yet as a team." 

He was then asked about Mathieu Olivier and the slashing penalty he took that has since drawn a fine from the league. 

"Yeah, I'm going to keep what was said in the room, but Ollie is such a huge part of our team, and it was definitely a lapse in judgment there with the play he made. He knows it; he's owned it. I don't think that was his intention. Obviously, what he did is what he did, but He's a guy that brings a lot of character to our room. Yeah, it was definitely a tough moment for him. I'm sure he's learned his lesson, and we've moved on from it; we have his back, and excited to have him in the lineup for Saturday." 

He also talks about how Kent Johnson has played, Jet Greaves, Cam Talbot, and of course dogs. 

What do you think about Werenski's comments. 

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are back home on Saturday to play the New York Rangers.   

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