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

Zach Werenski had an unforgettable 2025-26 season. On Tuesday, that season was capped with his first Norris Trophy win with his family and friends there to celebrate with him.

Considering what all Werenski accomplished this season, there have been a lot of moments for him to celebrate. Not only was he among the first to win double gold for Team U.S.A. in one season, he and his wife Odette welcomed their first son.

Taking Time to Celebrate

Despite the whirlwind, Werenski took time on 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 look for Red Wings’ great Nicklas Lidstrom’s name on the trophy. Given his name appears seven times, it wasn’t very hard to find. But it was easy to see why that was the first name he sought out.

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

While the Norris is an individual award, Werenski doesn’t accomplish anything without the help and support of many people in different areas of his life. He made sure to go out of his way to acknowledge that.

“It’s been an awesome year and a half for me,” Werenski said. “The Four Nations. The World Championship gold medal. I got married, found out we were pregnant, the 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 and great family and friends.”

“This just caps off a really great two seasons for me and I feel very honored. I feel very blessed. I know if you look around the league at how many great defensemen there are, you could’ve made a case for 7-8 guys to win this trophy this year. It definitely feels special and obviously it’s individual recognition, but it wouldn’t happen without great teammates and great people around me. I’m very happy with this and going to enjoy it a little bit and obviously thank my teammates for helping me get here.”

Werenski finished second last season in the Norris voting only to Colorado’s Cale Makar. This season, not only did he put up similar numbers, his team improved in the standings despite falling short of the playoffs. It was enough to win the Norris in a vote where seven players got first-place votes.

Werenski wanted to use the 2025-26 season to show everyone that being a finalist the year before wasn’t a one off.

“I think the biggest thing for me last year being a finalist is I wanted to prove not only to myself but to everyone that last season wasn’t a fluke and I could do it again,” Werenski said. “It was kind of the first year I really broke out. I felt like I always had the talent to, but in terms of my full game, I felt like two seasons ago was really my first breakout year. I wanted to prove to myself it wasn’t just a one off. I trained for it. I prepared for it. Came back. Our team got better.”

“We fell short of our ultimate goal which was making the playoffs. But we made strides and I definitely proved that it wasn’t just a fluke 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 was winning the Norris Trophy a celebration with his friends and family, many players from around the NHL took time to recognize Werenski’s accomplishment. Among them were Team U.S.A. teammates Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk and several of his Blue Jackets’ teammates. Also, head coach John Tortorella texted Werenski when the news became public.

Given the whirlwind that it’s been, Werenski admitted trying to stay in the present. While he and his Blue Jackets’ teammates will be extremely motivated in 2026-27 to get to the playoffs, he took some much-needed time to get away from the game for a bit before starting to ramp things up for next season.

“It’s honestly been a pretty crazy whirlwind last two seasons for me. I really haven’t thought about anything other than the present,” Werenski said. “I’m definitely more motivated than ever especially with how the season ended. Between my son and the Olympics and now this and everything that’s gone on, I’ve honestly gotten away from the game for a while now. (I’m) back in the gym. I skated a little bit but it’s been nice to just kind of decompress and not really focus about the future too much and just kind of enjoy these milestones.”

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

Norris Sign of Motivation

Not that Werenski needs any more motivation as it stands, but the Norris Trophy does represent a sign of motivation that the job is far from finished. He shared that he found out on Sunday that he won the Norris. By Monday, he was back in the gym putting in more work.

That’s the nature of the athlete today. They are wired in a way to be in a routine when it comes to getting ready for a season. That’s why Werenski wanted to take some time to reflect and celebrate. But now that he has the Norris, it’s a reminder that he still has a lot to prove.

“There’s still so much else out there,” Werenski said. “Every time you get in the gym or get on the ice or get ready for a season, there’s still so much to prove not only (to) everyone out there, but to yourself.”

“I don’t want to stop here. I feel like the second you get complacent is the second you get passed up. I want to keep playing for a long time. I want to play for my son, for my family. There’s so much motivation out there and I still haven’t won the ultimate goal which is a Stanley Cup. I really haven’t played in the playoffs or had much success in the playoffs ever. So there’s more motivation than ever for me to be even better next season to try and play in the playoffs…I definitely think the Stanley Cup is the biggest (motivation) for me.”