COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tucked inside the Blue Jackets’ surprising start to the season has been a cluster of memorable moments and heartwarming tales.
Some of them have been obvious. The back-to-back comeback wins over Stanley Cup contender Colorado this month. Cole Sillinger’s first goal in his fourth NHL game and the 18-year-old rookie’s emergence as the club’s No. 1 center.
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On Monday, another rookie, Yegor Chinakhov, broke through with his first goal, and it was the driving force behind the Jackets’ latest come-from-behind win, a 5-3 victory over Detroit in Nationwide Arena.
There have been sweet and subtle moments, too.
Grégory Hofmann, 28, became the oldest skater to make his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets after leaving a splendid career in Switzerland to chase his dream in the NHL. He scored his first goal on Oct. 25 vs. Dallas with family and friends — trapped by COVID-19 — watching from tiny Lumino, Switzerland.
On Monday, the glare of Chinakhov’s goal and the Blue Jackets’ rally on Monday overwhelmed another similar story.
Forward Justin Danforth, who never thought he’d be an NHL player until a talk with a teammate three seasons ago in Finland, finally arrived on the game’s biggest stage.
After two seasons split between the AHL and ECHL, two seasons in Finland and one season in Russia, Danforth, 28, made his NHL debut with the college assistant coach who recruited him to tiny Sacred Heart University beaming from a seat in Nationwide.
Danforth’s parents couldn’t make the trip on short notice from Oshawa, Ontario, but they were watching from home.
“I called my dad right after the game,” Danforth said. “It’s pretty crazy … 10 years in the making, just grinding and chasing it, trying to stay on top of it, working and working and finally being able to get that chance.
“It’s emotional for me, actually.”
My friend, brother, line-mate. I am so proud of you. First @NHL game. It takes a lot to play in the NHL but it takes so much more to do it when everyone says you can’t. The road less travelled will always be the most rewarding. You’ve earned this. LFG! @danforth17 pic.twitter.com/Rn8CmXqk1P
— Brandon DeFazio (@DeFabio24) November 15, 2021
Danforth played just 7 minutes, 23 seconds, on the Blue Jackets’ fourth line, but they were impactful minutes. He led the Blue Jackets with six hits — including a big pop on Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser by the Detroit bench — and added two shots on goal.
“I noticed him,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “He didn’t get a ton of ice time, but I noticed him when he was on the ice, and that’s what I wanted.”
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The Blue Jackets recalled Danforth from AHL Cleveland on Sunday, and there were indications that would be in the lineup after Kevin Stenlund played less than four minutes in Saturday’s loss to the New York Rangers.
Danforth didn’t get official word that he was playing until Monday morning when his number (17) was up on the board with the lineup. In certain corners of the hockey world, those who know Danforth sprang into action.
There were tweets from former teammates in Finland and Russia, tweets from Sacred Heart players, coaches and fans. Scott McDougall, who drove through a wicked snowstorm in 2012 for a recruiting visit at Danforth’s home, booked the next flight from Newark, N.J., to Columbus.
“I guess when you’ve played all over the world, you’ve got a lot of fans,” Danforth said, smiling. “But I mostly kept my phone turned off, just to stay focused.”
One call he was eager to make was to Brandon DeFazio, who played two games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2014-15, and later played with Danforth for Lukko Rauma in Finland’s top league.
“The first guy who ever told me I could play in the NHL was Brandon DeFazio,” Danforth said. “It was in Finland, maybe over a glass of wine. He said, ‘You can play in the NHL. Don’t lose that hope.’ He kind of made me believe in myself a little bit, and that’s a big part of my success.
“I talked to him (Monday) morning. He gave me a little speech, a little pep talk. He got me fired up a little bit.”
Danforth said he was nervous throughout the day. Larsen spoke to him briefly after he learned that he’d be in the lineup. Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski made it a point to speak with Danforth, too.
First NHL game fit check 👀 pic.twitter.com/hHNaBWPfvE
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 15, 2021
It’s thrilling, certainly, to watch an 18- or 20-year-old score their first NHL goal. Chinakhov twirled his stick and was mobbed by teammates after he tied Monday’s game late in the third period.
But NHL players also have deep respect for teammates who have taken a long and winding road to the big time, guys for which nothing has come easily. In a room full of high draft picks, for instance, Danforth was never drafted. He spent more time in the ECHL (double-A) than the AHL before heading to Europe in 2018.
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Most players with that kind of resume spend the rest of their careers playing Europe.
“I was talking to him about it this morning, actually,” said Werenski, who hit the NHL running at 19 years old in 2016. “It’s always cool for our group when a rookie comes in, let alone a guy who has been around the block like he has.
“(Danforth’s) been everywhere, putting the work in, trying to get here. He finally gets his dream come true to play in an NHL game, and he played really good tonight. I was impressed with him. He’s earned it. He’s really earned it.”
Danforth’s playing style is similar to former Blue Jackets center Derek MacKenzie. He’s small (5-foot-9) but scrappy, quick and tenacious. MacKenzie, now an assistant coach in Florida, didn’t become an NHL regular until later in his career.
“I’ve always known I could do it, or I wouldn’t have chased it so long,” Danforth said.
“The game was hard (on Monday). It was a great game. It was back and forth, guys stepping up. There were nerves at the start, absolutely, but I kept it simple, had a few hits, created a few chances.”
After the game, Danforth learned that he’d be flying on Tuesday with the club to Arizona, where they begin a three-game road trip on Thursday. It took a long time to arrive in the NHL; now he’d like to stay.
(Photo: Dave Reginek / NHLI via Getty Images)
