One of my favorite quotes from my many, many years of covering sports came not from an interview but a casual conversation in a minor-league baseball clubhouse. The speaker of those words might surprise you too.

Howard “Hopalong” Cassaday was not only the 1955 Heisman Trophy winner for Ohio State but he also led the baseball team in home runs that year so some four decades later it wasn’t a stretch to see him in a baseball uniform for the Columbus Clippers, then the Triple-A affiliate of the George Steinbrenner-owned New York Yankees.

Cassady  was a favorite of George’s and the young players in the farm system genuinely heeded his tutoring.

It was in that setting in 1995 when  I was on the beat for The Columbus Dispatch when Cassady and I were discussing some hot prospects who might get a call-up to help the Yankees at some point.

I was reciting stats and scouting reports when he scoffed and said, “Potential is somebody who hasn’t done anything.”

What does that have to do with the current state of the Columbus Blue Jackets? Everything and nothing.

The hottest team in the NHL with 11 wins in 12 games, a seven-game winning streak (all in regulation) and back-to-back shutouts on consecutive nights by Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves, respectively, heading into the Olympics break has fans dreaming of a return to the Cup Playoffs.

Potentially.

The reality is that the Blue Jackets have not accomplished anything yet as coach (or is it wizard?) Rick Bowness said after the 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 4.

“Well, the reality is we’ve just got 22 points out of 24 and we still don’t have a playoff spot. So, we have to keep pushing. We have to keep getting better,” he said.

The Blue Jackets sit four points behind both the wild card in the Eastern Conference and entry through third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Forward and wise sage Charlie Coyle set the proper tone for the players when they return to practice on Wednesday to prepare for the first game back on Feb. 26 at the Boston Bruins followed by a home game two days later against the New York Islanders.

“I don’t think it’s been perfect, which hockey never is, but there’s still things that we can do better and clean up, which is a really good sign for us, that we’re getting the wins that we get,” he said. “We’re getting great goaltending. That always helps.”

How has Bowness (10-1-0) righted a sinking ship since replacing Dean Evason on Jan. 12? In simplest terms, he has given the team structure and belief.

His first priority was cleaning up the mess in front of the net by emphasizing that it has to be hard for opponents to operate in the high-danger areas. Players have bought the notion that team defense makes everyone accountable.

“I am goalie. I’m not really focusing on what the guys are doing but I would say that we are eliminating the space for opponents,” Elvis Merlzlikins said before leaving to join Latvia at the Olympics. “They don’t have time. We put a lot of pressure on and it’s working good.

“That’s the major thing, that we are eliminating this time and space for other guys and we are defending. It’s important to defend and that’s what we’re doing. We defend and then when we are attacking. We’re just using our opportunities.”

Sounds like he’s actually been eavesdropping on the forwards meetings because Bowness talks a lot about relentless pressure.

“We’re not backing off. We’re not sitting back,” he said. “We’re a pressure team and if the other team is playing well, then tip your hat and say you’re playing well, but we’re going to keep pushing on that point.”

That goes for everyone on the ice.

“One thing I always say is when we don’t have the puck, I want every line to look the same, like we’re not having two sets of rules here,” Bowness said. “If we don’t have the puck, five guys on the ice, go get it and go work together to get it. First line has to look the exact same as the fourth line. Get the puck.”

While he stresses that five-man defending up and down the lineup, he’s been around the game long enough  to recognize that not all players are created equally. Be real, his top-line players are not going to be shackled.

“You have different skill sets, right? OK, you give them a little more leeway,” he said. “Listen, they’ve got a much higher skill level than I ever had, so I always give them the green light. But again, that first line, second line, they’re looking the exact same as the third and fourth lines when we don’t have the puck. They’re going to work just as hard and they’re going to compete just as hard. This is a tough league and it’s tough to win, and if you back off  you’re going to get burned.”

The other thing Bowness does well is communicate. With that a player can gain confidence knowing the coach has his back. Just ask Merzlikins. He’s finally returned to the form that earned him a spot on the NHL all-rookie team in 2019-20 when he had five shutouts in 31 starts, a 2.35 GAA and a .923 save percentage after Bowness extracted him from Evason’s doghouse.

“When you have ice time, you feel better,” Merzlikins said. “I think anyone would tell you that. Obviously, it’s nice to have the opportunity to play to win the games.

“What I really like from (Bowness) is that there is communication. He has a communication with every single guy. He can sit by you just for 10 seconds, ask you non-hockey questions, how was your day off and then he moves to another guy in the locker room.

“I think that’s important having communication, because in the end day, yes, you’re a coach, yes, you are a boss but you’re still a huge part of our team and I think that’s what we were missing.”

Bowness deflects the credit.

“We talk a lot about systems and X and Ys and sometimes it’s all about passion, right?,” he said. “Just go out there and play hard, and then things will take care of themselves and they do. So, I give those players a lot of credit, man.

“They bought in, and you know what I love about them? They’re still hungry,” he said. “They know we’ve got more to give. We’ve got to keep pushing, so good on them.”

BENN THERE, DONE THAT – Dallas forward Jamie Benn played for Bowness for several seasons, including reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, and is an unabashed fan.

“Bones is just somebody you want to play hard for. He’s just a great human, a special person, special coach,” he said. “A lot of his messages are if you play the right way, do the right things out there, the game will treat you well and there’s no shortcuts in this league.

“You’ve got to do it the hard way and the hard way is the best way. We all want to win, in the end doing it the right way is the best way. You can say that about his teams.”

Z THE MAN – Speaking of fans, Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill thinks the world of Zach Werenski and is glad he is finally getting the recognition he deserves:

“I do think there was a stretch there where he was probably underrated. I’ve thought he’s been one of the best defense in the league the entire time, and I honestly was a little bit surprised for a little stretch maybe he wasn’t getting the love that I think he deserved and he’s getting it again now. …He’s a guy I know when you’re on the other bench you always know when he’s on the ice, both offensively and defensively. He’s one of those guys.”

CHICAGO BEAR – Blashill also praised one of his own, Nick Foligno, the former CBJ captain who has taken on a similar role with the Blackhawks.

“Obviously, been in the league a long time, been around the game forever. I think he’s an excellent leader. He’s done a great job,” Blashill said. “I’ve asked him to be kind of a papa bear with the young players, to help them in their growth. He does a good job being an extension of the coaching staff in a lot of different ways and he’s been an important player for us as well. I can’t say enough good things about him as a human being, number one, and then as a leader.”

LEADERSHIP – Coyle has the same attributes as Foligno and showed in a subtle way why he is so well respected.

In the game against Tampa Bay on Jan. 24, Greaves tried to clear the puck but his attempt went off a backtracking Isac Lundestrom and into the net for a soccer-style own goal that was awarded to Jake Guentzel.

You could almost hear Blue Jackets fans lamenting that the offensively challenged Lundestrom finally scored but it was for the other team. He’s not flashy but does a lot of the grunt work that the coaches and teammates alike appreciate.

Coyle was answering a question about Mason Marchment returning to the lineup before he turned his focus to Lundestrom.

Unprompted, Coyle made sure the media knew where Lundstrom rates within the room.

“He’s so underrated, the plays he makes, he’s so smart, smooth out there,” Coyle said. “He made some really good defensive plays tonight that will go unnoticed to the outside eye but we see it here, what he brings, and that’s why he’s so important to us too.”