Blue Jackets’ Boone Jenner: The Epitome of Consistency

It was an All-Star Game that Boone Jenner would never forget. Going back to his hometown, he put on a show by scoring a goal in each game Saturday helping Team McDavid in their efforts to win the final. Although the team fell just short, he showed on a national stage why his invite was more than deserved.

To fully understand what Jenner has meant to the Columbus Blue Jackets require us to go back in time to the beginning of his career. As the new owner of the franchise games-played record, he has seen a lot of stuff.

Think of it this way. Jenner has been in the Blue Jackets organization since he was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft on June 25, 2011. He then made his NHL debut on Oct 4, 2013 in a game against the Calgary Flames.

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This means that Jenner being drafted predates most everything that you see on the Blue Jackets today including John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen. Many players and coaches have come and gone along the way. But from 2011-current, one name has been there through it all.

Now consider everything in that timeframe helped him earn his first trip to an All-Star Game. This is why Jenner is the epitome of consistency for the Blue Jackets.

Steady Career Progress

It took Jenner just five games to score his first NHL goal. He accomplished that on Oct 17, 2013 at Montreal’s Bell Centre. He scored two power-play goals that night. Who did he beat for those goals? It was Carey Price.

At that time, Jenner became the first player in the NHL in about eight years to score his first two career goals on the power play in the same game. He went on to score 16 goals in his rookie year. His future certainly looked bright.

Then things got a little scary for Jenner.

Back injuries are no joke. They’re especially concerning when you are just 21. But that’s exactly what Jenner had to deal with and overcome. He suffered a stress fracture in his back that limited him to 31 games in the 2014-15 season. He missed 40 games due to that injury.

The big question was how would the rest of his career shake out? Would he be able to play at his normal high level without re-injury? Thanks to putting in the necessary work, Jenner came back and didn’t miss a single game in 2015-16 and 2016-17. He scored a career-high 30 goals in 2015-16.

Jenner then followed up his 30-goal season with 18 the following year but was showing a…