The Columbus Blue Jackets have made two exciting announcements over the past 24 hours. From extending the contract of head coach John Tortorella to the franchise-best in season ticket sales.
Columbus Blue Jackets Round-Up: John Tortorella Extension and Season Ticket Sales
John Tortorella Extension
The Blue Jackets announced yesterday that they had extended the contract of head coach John Tortorella for another season. This extension will see Tortorella stay with the Blue Jackets through the 2018-19 season.
Tortorella took over the reigns after Columbus fired former head coach Todd Richards after starting 0-7-0 in 2015-16. Since then he has had a record of 84-57-16 with a .586 points percentage. This includes the 108-point season the Jackets had in 2016-17, the best season in franchise history.
Along with steering the Jackets to their best ever season Tortorella won his second career Jack Adams Award. He beat out NHL coaching great Mike Babcock for the award.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said, “John Tortorella and his coaching staff have done a terrific job since his arrival nearly two years ago,” said Kekalainen. “He is one of the top coaches in our game and we are excited about what lies ahead for our club with John as our head coach.”
Season Ticket Sales
As originally reported by the Columbus Dispatch, season ticket sales for the Blue Jackets has broken the 10,000 mark. This is a 1,000-ticket increase since the end of last season.
Blue Jackets senior vice president and chief revenue officer said, “The momentum has carried on during the offseason,” Scholvin said. “Our existing customers want more, and our new customers want to come in. They see the success on the ice, and they see the future of this young team — what (president of hockey operations) John Davidson and (general manager Jarmo Kekalainen) are putting together — and it’s something people want to be a part of.”
The season ticket sales for Columbus has been on the rise over the years, with the reported number being at 7,000 season tickets as recently as 2013. This is surely a byproduct of a fantastic season, and it will reap major benefits for the organization moving forward.
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