After five days of sounding like a mental-health therapist, Blue Jackets interim coach Claude Noel showed that he can emphasize more than the joy of an uncluttered mind.

Noel's psychological exercises gave way to physical ones at the end of a high-tempo practice yesterday.

Players formed two columns in the neutral zone and sprinted anywhere from 45 to 60 feet before looping back to repeat the drill. The exhausted participants never stopped skating.

The drill, which Noel calls a "self-commitment skate," lasted 10 minutes and had some observers drawing parallels to "Herbies," the conditioning exercise favored by the late Herb Brooks, former U.S. Olympic and NHL coach.

"That's something we will see with regularity this year -- not always on the ice," Noel said.

In other words, the sprints weren't merely a way of flushing the toxins after a day of Super Bowl revelry.

"We are going to move in the direction of pace," Noel said, "and you have no chance of pace unless you are in tremendous condition, especially in this sport. It is a taxing position and we want to make sure we are paying the price."

Noel was asked if he thought his club was in shape.

"I won't go there," he said.

Questions regarding the Jackets' fitness level have been raised several times in recent months. General manager Scott Howson has said team strength and conditioning coach Barry Brennan likely will travel in the summer to monitor the players' offseason workout regimens.

Several players said they have noticed a difference in the practices conducted by Noel and former coach Ken Hitchcock, who was fired Wednesday.

"The tempo of practice is much faster, and Claude is trying to do things at game speed," R.J. Umberger said.

Added captain Rick Nash: "With all the excitement and energy, I think guys are trying to earn Claude's respect in practice."

Noel says he doesn't want the shift in philosophy to come across as an indictment of Hitchcock, his good friend and mentor.

"I think everyone senses the need for conditioning and the value of it," he said. "Whether it has been here or not is irrelevant. I know we always want to make a connection to the past and throw darts at people. I don't want to go down that road."

The compressed NHL schedule in an Olympic season has made it difficult for players to do anything more than maintain their conditioning levels. But the Jackets, Noel said, will take advantage of the two-week break, which begins Monday.

The non-Olympic players, who return to practice Feb. 24, will have a "mini-training camp," Noel said.

Injury update

Defenseman Anton Stralman did not practice and was spotted wearing a protective boot on his left foot. He blocked a shot early in Saturday's game against Buffalo but played through the pain. He's not expected to miss a game. Noel is hopeful that defenseman Fedor Tyutin (bruised knee) and forward Fredrik Modin (lower body) can return to the lineup Wednesday against San Jose. Tyutin practiced yesterday. Forward Derek Dorsett (forearm) also practiced.

Fast start

Noel will try to equal the best start for a Blue Jackets coach Wednesday. Doug MacLean started 3-0 from Jan. 8 to 11, 2003, after Dave King was fired.

treed@dispatch.com