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Mathieu Olivier gives Columbus Blue Jackets their own 'Tom Wilson'
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- Mathieu Olivier gives Columbus Blue Jackets their own 'Tom Wilson'
The hit was thunderous, echoing so loudly inside sold-out Nationwide Arena last Saturday that you didn't even need to see it to know who delivered it.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets roar past St. Louis Blues with another six-goal night: 6 takeaways
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Mathieu Olivier , a power forward with a middle linebacker's build at 6 feet 1, 226 pounds, spotted the puck in the right corner of the St. Louis Blues ' zone and locked onto his target, Tyler Tucker , with 7:46 left in the Jackets' 6-4 win. Lining up the Blues defenseman, Olivier drove every ounce of heft he could muster into Tucker's chest for a clean, heavy thump that rattled the boards.
Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier attempts to punch Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker on Jan. 4.
The crowd roared, as Tucker, who is 6-1 and 204 pounds, stared at Olivier afterward. They didn't drop the gloves for what would've been a second fight between the two, and that was a wise decision on Tucker's part.
Olivier, one of the NHL's most fearsome enforcers, rag-dolled Tucker during their earlier fight and probably would have obliged a second chance to land some punches. His left hand is a vice grip for holding jersey collars, his right's a cinder block attached to a muscled arm and the Blue Jackets' most menacing forward also has a propensity to "black out" like the Incredible Hulk.
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Good luck tangling with that combination .
Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier celebrates after scoring a goal against the Canadiens on Nov. 27.
Olivier, however, isn't a one-trick sideshow. Unlike his first two seasons in Columbus, he's now a fixture on the Jackets' third line and averaging a career-high 14 minutes per game. His 10 goals halfway through the season are already a career-high by four and Olivier is on pace to net 20 goals.
"You always believe in yourself," Olivier said. "I always believed I could do it, but for x number of reasons, it took until this year for it to all come together, and that's fine. It's just a journey and a process. As players, we always strive to be better, and I think this year it's just all come together. The good news is ... I think there's still more that I can improve."
Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier (24) and Rangers center Matt Rempe fight on Feb. 25.
Mathieu Olivier aims to give Columbus Blue Jackets their own ' Tom Wilson '
Tom Wilson, a well-known power forward for the Washington Capitals , is one of the most despised players on the NHL circuit.
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He messes with goalies on a regular basis, which led to an altercation last season with the Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins . He used to constantly straddle the line between legal and illegal hits and has slightly backed off from the latter as he's moved up the lineup. Wilson will fight, but his preference is to intimidate with big hits and be a force inside the offensive zone.
Olivier strives to do the same.
"Am I going to get there eventually, consistently, over the years?" Olivier said. "We'll see. There's a lot of work to do, obviously. I'm not there yet. I'm not saying I'm Tom Wilson at all, but I'm saying the goal of being a player like him is definitely something I strive to meet at some point."
He's assembling quite a case this season.
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Olivier is fifth in the NHL with 147 hits, leads Blue Jackets forwards with 47 blocked shots, leads the team with three game-winning goals and leads the league with 79 penalty minutes. His increased role also includes penalty-killing and even the occasional shift to finish power plays.
Olivier feels his ascendance is related to new coach Dean Evason's mantra painted on a wall near his locker stall. It reads: "This is earned ... not given," and Olivier has taken that to heart. After struggling to stay in the lineup last season for coach Pascal Vincent , he's become one of Evason's most trusted forwards.
"I wouldn't be human if I didn't have some thoughts about last year, but there's no point in dwelling on that," Olivier said. "This year is about: 'This is earned ... not given.' That's being enforced, and if Dean feels like he can give me a bigger role and more minutes in those key moments of the game, then I've got to feel like this was earned and not given. It's something I've worked for, and thankfully they feel like I'm doing a good job."
Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier (24) fights for the puck with Red Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson on Jan. 2.
Mathieu Olivier hopes to stay with Columbus Blue Jackets
Olivier picked a good time to put it all together.
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He's finishing a two-year contract worth $2.2 million , which means he'll be an unrestricted free agent if the Blue Jackets don't get his signature on a contract extension before July 1. A big pay raise and contractual job security await, especially if his breakout campaign continues through the end of the season.
Don Waddell, the Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations/general manager , has let it be known his objective is to re-sign Olivier, and he's got plenty of salary cap to get something done. It's also a shared goal with Olivier, who' has gained a unique perspective spending the past three years in Columbus.
Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier celebrates a goal against the Penguins on March 30.
He's already experienced the most difficult part of the Jackets' rebuild, which started before a 2022 offseason trade that brought him to Columbus. Now, he'd like to finish the job. Olivier has gained attention across the NHL now, but his preference is to stay where everything is earned.
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"I love it here, and my family loves it here," Olivier said. "There's something to be said about being there when you're at the bottom and working your way up to become a contender and a Stanley Cup champion eventually, if we get that chance. I believe in that, and I think we've got the right pieces in place within the whole organization to make that happen. So, I want to be a part of that for sure."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is Columbus Blue Jackets' Mathieu Olivier another 'Tom Wilson'?
