By Aaron Portzline (The Athletic)
The Blue Jackets’ coaching search lasted nearly a month and involved multiple interviews with some of the biggest names available in the industry, and yet it never really felt like an open competition.
Brad Larsen, after 11 years in the organization, including the past seven as an NHL assistant coach, was introduced in Nationwide Arena as the eighth coach in franchise history. He signed a three-year deal on Thursday.
“We had this term, the ‘Lars bar,’” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “Nobody seemed to get over the ‘Lars bar.’ The more and more we thought about it, everything we know about the man and his passion for the game, his work ethic, his attention to detail, his communication skills … we thought he was the best choice for us.
“I personally have felt, basically from the day I met Lars, that he was going to be a great head coach someday.”
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