The Blue Jackets hired John Davidson as President of Hockey Operations five years ago, and the team since then has seen its "greatest stretch of play" since its founding in '00, according to Aaron Portzline of THE ATHLETIC. The Blue Jackets needed Davidson to "dictate culture change at the top of the organization and let it filter down." But they also "needed somebody with enough credibility to articulate the organization's outlook and soothe an irate fan base." Attendance before Davidson "dwindled, and there was concern that anger was turning to apathy." The Blue Jackets replaced then-GM Scott Howson with Jarmo Kekalainen, a "bold move that set a tone for Davidson's time in Columbus." Davidson was a "driving force behind another gutsy move early" in the '15-16 season: hiring coach John Tortorella. Tortorella has made "major changes in the culture of the dressing room, but the decision to hire him was borne of the culture changes on Nationwide Arena's suite level, where the front office is housed." Kekalainen said of Davidson, "He hires good people and lets them do their jobs. That's a quality that good leaders have" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/24). Davidson said he will continue working this job "as long as I enjoy it, as long as I think I'm contributing, I'm going to keep doing it." Davidson: "Somewhere along the line, you got to let somebody else do the job if you don't have the energy for it, or if it gets old. ... I want to stay for a bit, though, yeah" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/24).
