Warning: Story contains coarse language

John Tortorella wishes there were more animosity between opponents in today's game, and not just from his Columbus Blue Jackets, but throughout the NHL.

"We've talked about it. It's gone through the league," Tortorella told reporters Thursday. "It's a little frustrating, quite honestly. The game has changed, and for some dinosaurs that are in it, it's very frustrating, I have to admit."

The Blue Jackets head coach made it clear that he wasn't kidding; he finds the trend genuinely bothersome.

"I'm not joking about it. It's really frustrating to me. On conversations on the ice amongst opponents on a faceoff, it's like a big hugfest sometimes. I don't know if they have so many meetings with the NHLPA and all that stuff that goes on, but there's no hate, and I miss that. It frustrates the shit out of me, quite honestly."

Tortorella added that he's gone as far as telling his players to simulate hating the opposing players.

"I ask my guys (to) pretend sometimes. Just pretend," Tortorella said. "I know I'm kind of beating my head against the wall as far as where I want the game ... (but) I miss some of the way the game was played. I think our game has made some great changes ... but damn, I miss the old school 'I'm coming at ya' (attitude). We'll have a beer after, but do we have to talk about it on the ice right now? That's sickening to me, quite honestly."

Not that penalty minutes are the ultimate indicator of a team's hatred for its opponent, but the Blue Jackets are the fifth-least penalized team in the league this season, averaging just over seven minutes in the sin bin through nine games.

Columbus is 5-4-0 and sits third in the Metropolitan Division.

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Former NHL president John Ziegler Jr. has died at the age of 84.

Ziegler served as president of the NHL from 1977-92, a tenure which oversaw the league's expansion from 18 to 24 clubs, including the merger of four teams from the former World Hockey Association.

"The NHL family was saddened to learn of the passing of former league president John Ziegler," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "He was instrumental in the NHL's transition to becoming a more international league - during his tenure, the share of European-born players in the NHL grew from two to 11 percent, players from the former Soviet Union first entered the league and games between NHL and European clubs become a nearly annual tradition."

Ziegler was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

Gil Stein succeeded Ziegler as NHL president in 1992. Bettman became the NHL's first commissioner in 1993.

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Warning: Story contains coarse language

The St. Louis Blues let another one get away from them Thursday night.

After taking an early 2-0 lead against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the club surrendered four straight goals en route to a 7-4 drubbing. It marked the second straight game in which the Blues coughed up a two-goal lead after doing so against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

Thursday's loss sees the team now just two points out from last place in the Central Division. The Blues entered this season with high expectations following an impressive offseason, which is why head coach Mike Yeo admits his job should be on the line after their rough start.

"Heck, my job should be in question right now," Yeo said, according to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "Of course that comes with the trade. But I'm not going to coach to try to save my job. I'm going to coach to try to win the Stanley Cup. I believe in this group, so whatever we need every single day, I'm going to try to do that."

Luckily for Yeo his players appear to have his back.

"There is no question, anyone thinking he (does) not deserve to be here, we support him," Vladimir Tarasenko said of Yeo. "We believe in him, that's why he's our coach right now, and we will (fu-----) play for him so hard. So there's no question about (whether the) team doesn't believe in the coach."

This summer the Blues added forwards Ryan O'Reilly, Tyler Bozak, and Patrick Maroon to a roster that already boasted studs in Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, and Alex Pietrangelo.

To the Blues' credit, they've scored the third-most goals in their division this season, but they've also given up the most in the Central Division and the third-most league-wide.

As for Yeo, his job appears to be safe, at least for the night.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson's suspension for his hit to the head of St. Louis Blues center Oskar Sundqvist, the NHL announced Thursday.

Bettman was present for Wilson's Oct. 18 appeal of the Oct. 3 decision.

Wilson now has seven days to file an appeal through a neutral arbitrator if he wishes to do so, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement.

The incident in question took place during a preseason game on Sept. 30.

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Travis Hamonic is on the verge of returning to the Calgary Flames' ​lineup.

The Flames activated the defenseman off injured reserve, the club announced Thursday.

He suffered a facial fracture as a result of his opening-night fight with Vancouver Canucks blue-liner Erik Gudbranson.

Hamonic ranked fourth on the Flames in average ice time last season, logging more than 20 minutes per game.

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Matt Beleskey went unclaimed on the waiver wire, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

He was assigned to the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack shortly thereafter, the New York Rangers announced on Thursday.

The forward, who was waived on Wednesday, has yet to appear in a game during the 2018-19 season due to a preseason shoulder injury.

Beleskey's cap hit is $3.8 million, and the Boston Bruins are covering half. The Bruins retained that amount after trading him to the Rangers in the Rick Nash deal in February.

The Rangers can reduce that cap hit to $875,000 now that Beleskey has been assigned to their AHL affiliate.

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Scott Darling is ready to go.

The Carolina Hurricanes summoned their No. 1 netminder from the AHL's Charlotte Checkers on Thursday, the club announced.

Darling stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Utica Comets on Wednesday. He was activated off injured reserve and assigned to Charlotte on a conditioning stint earlier this week.

Darling hurt his hamstring in Carolina's final preseason contest against the Nashville Predators on Sept. 30. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour initially expected his goaltender to miss two weeks.

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The Vegas Golden Knights inked defenseman Nate Schmidt to a six-year contract extension with an average annual value of $5.95 million, the club announced late Wednesday night.

The deal is front-loaded and includes a 10-team no-trade clause, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Schmidt is currently serving a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA performance-enhancing substances program.

The 27-year-old is suspended without pay, but when he returns, he'll be in the final season of the two-year, $4.45-million pact he inked with the Golden Knights after being plucked from the Washington Capitals in the expansion draft two summers ago.

Schmidt posted a career-high 36 points and led the Golden Knights in average ice time at 22:14 last season.

He was suspended on Sept. 2.

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