from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

Years ago, a stupid columnist (ahem) described Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards as having the personality of drapery, which is not only unduly cheap, it is flat wrong. Richards simply knows who he is, which is small-town Minnesota. He is a Friday night fish fry at the supper club, cold beer within reach.

There is a facile mind behind this humble facade.

On Friday morning, Richards was asked whether he’d ever held the keys to such a fine automobile. He was asked whether expectations — on him — have risen.
He said, “I tell people this: We finished, what, 23rd last year in the league. And in a five-month period, we went from 23rd to ninth in the power rankings — and we haven’t even played a game. We haven’t even stepped on the ice.”

He said, “I guess if I’m sitting on a lot and I’m looking at a car, right now the car looks pretty nice on the outside. But to me now the question is: What’s under the hood? That gets into the potential. What’s under the hood? Right now, on paper, it looks pretty good, and the question is how are we going to come together as a group, and how are we going to play as a team.”

That is a primo answer to a metaphorical question.

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