Eternal optimism is a job requirement in professional sports. So is balancing expectations with reality.
It's a fine line, and one that hockey veterans like Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell walk regularly. And while a positive attitude alone won't win championships, there's always that chance a team -- or player -- will surpass an executive's loftiest preseason ambitions.
Waddell can admit that's the case for Columbus now. The formerly beleaguered Blue Jackets are (shockingly) still in the hunt for a playoff spot in the final days of the NHL regular season -- thanks in large part to their bus-driving, ice-tilting, game-changing defenseman Zach Werenski.