David Kirouac-Imagn Images
There’s only so much sports franchises can do to avoid falling victim to travel issues during a season where they’ll take dozens of flights to and from games. The Blue Jackets encountered one of those headaches while attempting to make their way to Ottawa for a showdown with the Senators, and they ended up in a very unenviable position after barely making it to Canada in time.
Professional athletes spend a sizeable chunk of their season on the planes that ferry them from city to city during road trips. Those flights tend to be a bit more enjoyable than the typical commercial flying experience, but traveling can still be a pretty tedious grind that can take a toll even when things go smoothly.
Teams have to deal with plenty of logistical issues behind the scenes in their quest to ensure that ends up being the case, but they always run the risk of succumbing to inclement weather and mechanical issues that can throw a serious wrench into the flight plan.
The Blue Jackets were already dealing with a pretty tight turnaround with back-to-back games on the calendar after returning from the NHL’s holiday break, and while it appears they’ll be facing off against the Senators on Monday night, their trip up to Ottawa ended up turning into a much bigger ordeal than they would have preferred.
A plane issue forced the Blue Jackets to Ottawa just a few hours before their game against the Senators
On Sunday, the Blue Jackets hosted the Islanders in Columbus and got a 4-2 win in their first game since beating the Kings on December 22nd. The team was supposed to head to the airport after the victory to fly up to Ottawa for Monday’s game against the Senators, but those plans were derailed when players were informed their flight would not be taking off as scheduled.
It was tentatively pushed to Monday morning, but according to Aaron Portzline, it was delayed yet again due to the mechanical issues that prevented it from taking off initially (Columbus is currently dealing with severe wind conditions, although weather was reportedly not a factor in the delay).
The Blue Jackets were able to track down another plane, but it had to travel from Montreal before landing in Columbus on Monday afternoon. The team was slated to land in Ottawa at around 3:40 P.M. after spending around an hour in the air, which means they will arrive at Canadian Tire Centre less than three hours before a puck drop that’s scheduled for 7 P.M.
As of this writing, it appears the game is still on, although there is a chance the start time could be pushed. A similar situation unfolded in 2024, as a game between the Red Wings and the Maple Leafs was briefly delayed after Detroit had some plane issues of its own and showed up to the arena less than an hour before the showdown was supposed to get underway.
The Red Wings ended up notching a victory, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see if Columbus can also overcome some similar adversity.