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Before Saturday's 4-3 win over the struggling St. Louis Blues, Columbus had lost seven straight games and 11 of their last 12.

Sportsnet.ca -- Despite the team's recent struggles on the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets deny the mood in the dressing room is growing sour.

Sources tell Sportsnet veteran defenceman Luke Richardson gave up his captaincy Saturday after being a healthy scratch in the team's 5-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Friday night.

However, Columbus president and general manager, Doug Maclean refutes any claim this is a result of a tattered dressing room.

"That is 100 per cent untrue", Maclean told Sportsnet. "Before the game (Saturday) Luke talked to his coach and assured him he would continue to play hard, but didn't feel comfortable being the captain. It was an unbelievably positive experience."

It's been a horrendous season for the Jackets: Before Saturday's 4-3 win over the struggling St. Louis Blues, Columbus had lost seven straight games and 11 of their last 12.

Richardson, a former first round selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was re-inserted into the lineup Saturday. The veteran blueliner, who has worn the 'C' for the Blue Jackets since the 2003-04 season, scored his first goal of the year in the win but sports a less-than-impressive minus-10 rating thus far.

While most coaches respond to a losing slump by tweaking their lineup, Gerard Gallant took it a step further by sending a serious message. With defenceman Adam Foote out because of a groin injury Friday, the Jackets inserted Aaron Johnson -- recently called up from Syracuse -- instead of Richardson. Not only was the captain missing from the lineup, but Richardson also stayed away from the dressing room during and after the game. And while most injured or scratched players watch the games from the press box, the 18-year NHL veteran was nowhere to be found.

Richardson was called into Gallant's office after the morning skate Friday and the coach said he delivered the message in a respectful manner. "I showed him the respect he deserves as a captain, a veteran guy," Gallant told the Columbus Dispatch. "I brought him in and we sat down and talked. He was obviously disappointed, but he took it like a man. He wants to be better. He knows he needs to be better, and it's a big part of us getting to be a better team.

"This is not something we were excited to do, but I think it's something we had to do. And I hope it turns our team around and makes Luke a better player, too."

"We have seven defensemen here," Gallant was quoted in the paper. "I thought I played the best six tonight (Friday). It's obviously based on his play. We want more from him. He knows we expect more from him.

"You don't want to sit your captain out, because you hope he's playing better. It's based on performance, and we've talked about playing our best people. That's the reason for it."

Fellow Columbus defenceman Bryan Berard knows exactly what his teammate is going through.

"It's hard for me to comment," Berard told the paper. "It's tough, especially when it's your captain, but everybody's been struggling. Everybody. I was scratched a couple times when I played in Boston, and it's tough to swallow
from:http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/artic...27_143023_4196
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