Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski’s Norris Win Sign of Celebration & Motivation – Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski had a memorable 2025-26 season. On Tuesday, that season culminated in his first Norris Trophy win with family and friends there to celebrate with him.

Given all that Werenski has accomplished this season, there have been plenty of moments to celebrate. Not only was he among the first to win double gold for Team USA in one season, he and his wife Odette welcomed their first son.

Taking Time to Celebrate

Despite the storm, Werenski took time Tuesday to reflect and celebrate the meaning of winning the Blue Jackets’ first Norris Trophy in franchise history. Among the first things he did was to look for the name of Red Wings legend Nicklas Lidstrom on the trophy. Since his name appears seven times, it wasn’t too difficult to find. But it was easy to see why that was the name he first sought.

“I grew up watching him from Detroit,” Werenski said. “I knew what a special player he was and to win it once is an amazing feeling. But to do what he did, it’s crazy.”

Although the Norris is an individual award, Werenski has not achieved anything without the help and support of many people in different areas of his life. He made sure he went out to admit it.

“It’s been a good year and a half for me,” Werenski said. “The Four Nations. A World Championship gold medal. I got married, found out we were pregnant, Olympic gold, my son and now obviously this (Norris Trophy.) It’s been a long list of accomplishments and I wouldn’t be here without a great support system of family and great friends.”

“This ends two very good seasons for me and I feel very honored. I feel very blessed. I know if you look at the league how many good defenders there are, you could make a case for 7-8 guys to win this trophy this year. It feels special and obviously the recognition for each individual, but it wouldn’t have happened without the best players and I’m with a small team and I’m going with the best people. Obviously I thank my teammates for helping me get there here.”

Werenski finished second last season to Norris with only Cale Makar of Colorado voting. This season, he not only put up the same numbers, his team improved in the standings even though they failed to go to the playoffs. It was enough to defeat Norris in a vote where seven players received first-place votes.

Werenski wanted to use the 2025-26 season to show everyone that being in the finals last year was no fluke.

“I think the biggest thing for me last year since I reached the finals is that I wanted to prove not only to myself but also to everyone that last season was not a mistake and I could do it again,” said Werenski. “It was the first year I really came out. I always felt talented, but in terms of my overall game, I felt like the last two seasons were my first year playing. I wanted to prove to myself that it wasn’t just one thing. I trained for it. I prepared for it. I came back. Our team got better.”

“We couldn’t achieve our biggest goal which was to play in the playoffs. But we made a step and I proved that it wasn’t just a mistake and it wasn’t just a one-year thing. I can play at that level and I can be in the conversation with those great defensemen.”

Not only did winning the Norris Trophy celebrate with his friends and family, many players from the NHL took time to see Werenski’s success. Among them were Team USA teammates Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk and several Blue Jackets teammates. Also, head coach John Tortorella sent Werenski a message when the news became public.

Seeing the storm that has been brewing, Werenski admits he’s trying to stay in the moment. While he and his Blue Jackets teammates will be highly motivated in 2026-27 to reach the playoffs, he took some much-needed time to get away from the game for a while before starting to prepare for next season.

“It’s been a crazy whirlwind for me the last two seasons. I can’t think about anything else but right now,” Werenski said. “I’m definitely more motivated than ever, especially with the way the season ended. Between my son and the Olympics and now this and everything that’s happened, I’ve had a break from the game for a long time now. (I’m) back in the gym. I’ve slipped a bit but it’s been good to just slow down and not really focus on the future and really enjoy the trails.”

“I feel like you can get so caught up in focusing on what’s next, you don’t enjoy the moment. So I did that this summer. I really enjoyed being with my family and now this. My focus​​​​ will start to shift a little bit and start focusing on next year in the coming weeks and days.”

Norris Sign of Motivation

Not that Werenski needs any more motivation as he stands, but the Norris Trophy represents a motivational sign that the work is far from over. He revealed that he found out on Sunday that he had won Norris. On Monday, he was back in the gym putting in another workout.

That is the state of the athlete today. They are wired to be on schedule when it comes to preparing for the season. That’s why Werenski wants to take time to reflect and celebrate. But now that he has Norris, it’s a reminder that he still has a lot to prove.

“There’s a lot more out there,” Werenski said. “Every time you go to the gym or go skiing or prepare for a certain season, you still have a lot to prove (to) everyone there, but to yourself.”

“I don’t want to stop here. I feel like the second you get relief is the second you lose power. I want to keep playing for my son for a long time. I want to play for my son, my family. There’s a lot of motivation out there and I haven’t won the ultimate goal which is the Stanley Cup. I haven’t played in the playoffs or had more success than before in the playoffs next season. To try to play in the playoffs…I think the Stanley Cup is huge for me.”