Anderson didn't have to run it last year, while sitting out training camp during contract negotiations. He didn't miss it, especially after what happened to him one year when he did run.
"It's terrible," Anderson said. "I actually remember a couple years ago, when Tortorella] was [coaching in] the [World Cup of Hockey], he actually wasn't here. We had to do the two-mile run without him and I actually had to do an extra lap. I did eight laps, but they didn't calculate it right on the [chart]. I finished and I'm down on my knees, like, absolutely done … and they're like, 'No, you have one more lap!'"
Later that day, legs feeling a little gelatinous, he learned about the mistake.
"I remember I was like, 'What are you talking about?' but they're yelling at me, so I'm doing one more lap … and then at dinner, they tell me, 'Oh yeah, you did nine laps,'" Anderson said. "I was just like, 'Oh, that's just great."
[VISIT BLUE JACKETS TRAINING CAMP CENTRAL 2018
Most players who've run it have their own tales of woe. It's not a fun experience, until it's over. Then, the clock resets and they all start their mental counting down to the next year's run.
"Like, [Thursday afternoon], we'll say, 'Three-hundred sixty-four more days,'" defenseman Seth Jones said, laughing. "Drink a glass of wine and … '364 more days.' It's like a big umbrella over your head, or a cloud, all summer. Halfway through the summer, you're always like, 'Oh, two-mile run … two-mile run.'"
That is exactly what the test was designed to do, according to Tortorella - who used to make players run three miles in 21 minutes. The point of the exercise is threefold: hold players accountable for offseason training, create a bond between them right off the bat and see which players are most willing to push through the burn in their legs and lungs.
"I'm really aware running's not the best thing for players, for hockey players [and] jogging's the worst thing for hockey players," said Tortorella, whose two-year contract extension will likely keep the test in place through 2020-21. "When we put these tests in a number of years ago, it was basically because of us not being able to touch them during the summer or direct them during the summer. We wanted to put some tests in that made them think about some of the things they need to be doing during that summer … instead of just saying they're working out."
It's become synonymous with Tortorella, to the point where a lot of players already know about it across the league. And those who don't know about it learn pretty quick.
"I got traded [here] 40 games in, but [players] weren't really talking about it 40 games into the season," Jones said. "But as soon as that season was over, yes, I did hear about it."
Foligno knew about it from friends around the league but had never really thought much about it prior to Tortorella's hiring in 2015. The day the new broke, it became a lot more real in a hurry - especially after hearing veteran Brandon Dubinsky's initial reaction.
Dubinsky played for Tortorella with the New York Rangers, where he also did the run test.
"'Dubi,' right away, was like, 'Oh boy, here comes the two-mile run again,'" said Foligno, whose best time going into this year's run was 12:05. "It's funny. It's the test that everyone dreads, but you get through it and you're just like, 'Alright, one more thing knocked out.' It's part of the mental thing [Tortorella] talked about. Nobody likes doing it. Everybody hates to run anyway. I appreciate people who do, but nobody really likes to run … but it's part of that. It's part of that mentality."
It's also become a competition.
Only a handful who can actually get under 12 minutes in that distance have a shot to win the top spot, but the entire field competes each year to avoid being last.
"There's always guys who think they can, like, shave their arms [to get faster]," Foligno said. "There's always one guy that does some stupid thing, and I'm like, 'What are you guys doing? Just run.'"
Currently, other than bragging rights, there's no prize for the overall winner. Foligno, though, has an idea.
"Well, 12-minutes for two miles is cookin,'" he said. "You should be able to eat a burger in front of everyone if you win, or something like that."
