Nick Foligno claims a mountain has been made out of a molehill.
A report from Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman during "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturday stated Columbus Blue Jackets players held a private meeting with head coach John Tortorella in which it was requested he be more positive while the team muddles through a rough patch - their recent record is 8-9-1.
Team captain Foligno acknowledged the meeting did take place, but downplayed the affair.
"This whole story is blown out of proportion," Foligno told Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch via text. "We talked about a lot of things in the meeting. Meetings happen all the time, and I'm not sure why this one was turned into something way more than what it was."
Tortorella, of course, has a reputation as a fiery and demanding coach, a style that he is believed to have reverted to since things haven't been going all that smoothly following the team's 16-game win streak.
"The feeling amongst the players is maybe some of that old style of Tortorella had crept in on the bench," Kypreos reported. "We were told that there was a closed-door meeting amongst the players and Tortorella.
"Usually it’s the coach giving it to the players but in this instance I think they were looking for Tortorella to go back and find a few more positive things to find the last few games.”
Overall, Tortorella remains leading candidate for the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's coach of the year as a result of Columbus' successful season to date, and a couple wins in a row should make it easier to focus on the positives once again.
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