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It’s only been five years, but it feels much longer since Emil Bemstrom was a Blue Jackets rookie with a reputation from the Swedish Hockey League as a goal-scoring phenom.
A lot has happened in that time.
The world and NHL were paused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jackets haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2020, when Bemstrom’s rookie season was halted and re-started four months later by the pandemic. The Jackets’ roster is almost completely different thanks to massive turnover that included former franchise pillars dealt away.
More: 5 things we learned from the Columbus Blue Jackets' OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens
Three head coaches have departed, including John Tortorella by mutual agreement, Brad Larsen via termination and Mike Babcock with a forced resignation stemming from player complaints about privacy violations related to their phones.
What has remained the same is Bemstrom’s failure to live up to the hype. The booming one-timer and knack for scoring in Sweden have only flashed sporadically in four NHL seasons, but Bemstrom hasn’t stopped trying to become the player the Blue Jackets hoped they were getting back in 2019.
He arrived for training camp this season motivated to keep his NHL roster spot and has earned a more prominent role in the Blue Jackets’ regular lineup. Bemstrom has three goals, all on power plays, in six games and two were scored in the Jackets’ 4-3 overtime loss Thursday in Montreal.
“I feel pretty confident out there,” he said afterward. “I think I’ve been doing it this whole season so far, so I don’t know what the recipe is, but it just feels good right now and I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. … It feels pretty good.”
Bemstrom’s importance to the Blue Jackets’ power play has taken a big leap in importance the past two games without injured star Patrik Laine’s one-timer available. He’s a right-handed shot, like Laine, and the slap shot he’s capable of launching can be just as dangerous from the same spot in the left faceoff circle.
Bemstrom’s first goal against the Canadiens was scored with a scorching one-timer from above the left circle, sending the puck past a screen by 6-foot-5, 240-pound rookie Dmitri Voronkov. His second goal was scored from much closer after getting a great pass outside the left post from Jack Roslovic.
“I’m trying to shoot everything on that left circle and it’s been going in lately,” Bemstrom said. “I’ve just got to keep doing it.”
If he can, that could significantly improve the Blue Jackets’ odds of rebounding with a significant climb from last season’s last place finish in the Metropolitan Division.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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