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OXFORD — Ken Hitchcock, the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League, made it clear Tuesday, Oct. 7, that he likes the Miami University campus.

Should the Blue Jackets win their opener Friday at Dallas, get off to a strong start over the first couple weeks, perhaps eventually clinch their first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Hitchcock will be head-over-heals in love with Miami.

Hitchcock and his coaching staff and players are completing a three-day retreat at Miami, a chance for the Blue Jackets to come together as a team that's still relatively new to the NHL, having been founded in 2000.

"We made a lot of changes this year involving over a third of our hockey club," Hitchcock said. "We feel we need really good chemistry if we are to jump out of the gate early."

The Blue Jackets held a practice session Tuesday and are scheduled to be on the ice at Steve Cady Arena again from 10 a.m. to noon today before they head back to Columbus.

The practice is open to the public.

But this retreat involves more than practice.

"We need to make sure our guys spend more time with each other," Hitchcock said. "Bonding on the ice is important, but also bonding off the ice is just as important."

The team arrived in Oxford on Monday and headed for the Miami Equestrian Center, which is located on the eastern side of the university, just off Ohio 73.

"The university people put together a search-and-rescue team challenge," Hitchcock said. "We divided the players into two teams, and they had to locate distressed people and pull them back to safety.

"They found it really physically challenging to bring a person out of the woods and set up a gurney," he added. "But just to see the players laugh and have fun with each other, that's the greatest value we can get from this place."

So why Miami?

"I came here to speak to Rico (Miami hockey coach Enrico Blasi) a year ago after his season was finished, to talk hockey with him and his coaching staff," Hitchcock said.

"I thought this was just a beautiful location," he continued. "Man, what a great place for a university, what a great atmosphere and what a great facility. It's only two hours from Columbus, so it's a great fit for us."

The Blue Jackets, who stayed at the Hueston Woods Lodge, played golf following their Tuesday morning practice.

"The university has been more than accommodating," Hitchcock said. "They've been terrific, and it's been good to see fans come out and watch us."

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.