The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that Bob Boughner stepped down from his assistant coaching position after just one season today.
It seems like Boughner was trying to juggle too many things at once between his NHL job and other commitments. Tom Reed of the Columbus Post-Dispatch described Boughner’s “double life” that consisted of his assistant job and his other big hockey role as co-owner and president of the wildly successful Windsor Spitfires junior team. Aaron Portzline points out that it’s likely that Boughner resigned to spend more time dealing with various business situations in Windsor, so one can assume that focusing more on the Spitfires might be one of the points of emphasis.
Mike MacLean of The Cannon backs up this thought process, but also wonders if he would have spent more time in Columbus if the team had better prospects for success and points out that Dale Hawerchuk might be a potential replacement option for Boughner.
Bougher and Arniel discussed the assistant coach’s departure in the Blue Jackets’ press release on the matter.“I want to thank Scott Howson, Scott Arniel and the McConnell family for the opportunity to work with the Blue Jackets last season,” said Boughner. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Columbus and regret that I am not going to be there to see this team continue to develop and accomplish the goals we’ve set for it. This was a very difficult decision, but with my family and business commitments in Windsor it was in our best interest as a family.”
“While I am disappointed that Bob is leaving our staff, I completely understand and support his decision to put his family first,” said Blue Jackets Head Coach Scott Arniel. “He worked extremely hard last season and was a great asset to myself, the coaching staff and our players. For that, I am very thankful and I wish him all the best moving forward.”