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C'mon, NBC: No ASG On The Mothership?

2012-01-27T02:16:00.001-05:00

Figure Skating?!?!?

Freakin' FIGURE SKATING?!?!?

Can NBC really be serious?

Other than the fact that Mike Milbury is still a broadcast analyst for NBC's NHL coverage… I have to say I haven't really had many complaints about the new television contract between the NHL and NBC. I'm especially stoked at being able to watch any Playoff game I want on an NBC Universal station on any given night this year. (They're still going to do that, right?)

However, it looks like I'm about to have a complaint.

The league posted on Facebook on Thursday, asking fans if they were going to be watching the NHL All Star Game. Simple enough question, really. The post had only been up for a few minutes, and of course I put in my "hell yeah" response. Then as I'm reading briefly through the other responses, I come across someone who responded with "I can't… I don't have cable."

And that's when it dawned on me... "You know, that's right. The All Star Game is on NBC Sports Network at 4 PM on Sunday... and strangely not on NBC." NBC would seem to be the more logical choice, since you don't have to have cable and just need that digital antenna thingy.

So, I checked the little channel thing on my phone to find out what was on that was so important. Maybe NBC had the Pro Bowl or something, and the NFL trumps the NHL in most aspects no matter what. Surely there wasn't any other sporting event that would be more important than the NHL All Star Game on a Sunday afternoon.

Well... I stand corrected... and it's freaking figure skating!

Don't get me wrong… I can understand the importance of NBC re-launching Versus as the NBC Sports Network, and wanting to put attention on it. I'm a "branding" type of guy. I'm all for that.

I can also understand the logic that all the other All Star Weekend stuff is on NBCSN, so why not have the All-Star game?

But would figure skating really get better ratings than the NHL All Star Game? My money says the only reason the answer to that question would be yes... is because figure skating is on the main channel that anyone can get, rather than the cable channel that not everybody can get.

More eyes. Plain and simple.

Now, NBC is also huge on the Olympics, and the figure skating thing is apparently the U.S. Championships. I suppose that has something to do with it, too.

It just doesn't strike me as particularly fan-friendly, or a good way to sell the game in the U.S.

But that's just me. I'm the delusional soul who wants everyone in America to love this sport as much as we all do. I just think the more people who can watch, the better.

I will say I am glad to see Zdeno Chara took Tyler Seguin and Tim Thomas, and then grabbed Gabriel Landeskog from the Avs* and Ryan Johansen from Columbus for the rookie team, though. So, even if I'm not crazy about the "Fantasy Draft" format of the All Star Game, at least all the players on my "good guys" teams are on the same side.

I'll take it.

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*Hey, Foote retired, so I feel like I can watch them again... sue me.

Dear Protesters: Beware Of The Idiots...

2012-01-26T18:26:00.004-05:00

Maybe it's the fact that one of the first tweets I saw about it included the words "Enough is enough of the suckage of #CBJ hockey," followed by the hashtag of "#FIREHOWSON" in all caps. I don't want to get this guy hurt, so he's blotted out, but here's the tweet:

Charming, eh?

(To be clear, this guy is not who I'm calling an idiot. Just putting that out there.)

I'm all for sarcasm and cynicism, but that's a bit much. Yes, I know this hockey team is not playing well. I know this hockey team has not played well for 10 of 11 years of its existence. And I know that those first two facts are enough to make a lot of people really upset.

But is this "CBJ Fan Protest" going to solve anything?

Don't get me wrong. The fact that this whole thing went from a couple tweets to a Saturday afternoon event -- apparently with permits and all, now -- is pretty damned impressive.

But if fans took to the streets every time a hockey team wasn't doing well... traffic would have been stopped on Long Island for the past five years. Even better example... Florida hasn't seen a Playoff game since 2000, before the Jackets had a team on the ice. Can you imagine?

My biggest concerns about this event boil down to two things. First, while it is impressive that this all came together very quickly, there is a timing issue here. There's really nothing going on at the arena on Saturday, and I'm not sure anybody with the team is really planning to show up to work during the All-Star Break.

Second, there is the issue of the message. Obviously, the tweet I mentioned above is an example of a message you don't necessarily want to set during a protest, and this is a guy you probably don't want giving quotes to the media on Saturday. As Light The Lamp so eloquently put it, the overall message of the protest is supposed to be, "We love this hockey team, but we cannot take anymore of the losing, and there needs to be a change at the top." That is at least reasonable.

And it's valid. Mike Priest is not a hockey guy. Scott Howson's ballooning the Blue Jackets payroll past $60 million has essentially amounted to a grand experiment, which unfortunately has gone the way of New Coke and Crystal Pepsi.

Or the Atari Jaguar.

However, gathering a bunch of people to publicly call for their heads seems a bit... overzealous.

Screencap from the Columbus Dispatch

This interesting fellow above, I'm sure, is not representative of what the organizers have in mind for this Saturday, but this illustrates my point. Boycott? Really? The on-ice product isn't bad enough for the team's image around the league?

This guy is also someone you probably don't want giving quotes to the media on Saturday. (To be clear, he is also not the guy I'm calling an idiot.)

The sad vision I getting is of the townspeople of South Park (pick any episode in which people are trying to agree on something) in which the dialogue consists of "Rabble!Rabble!Rabble!Rabble!Rabble!Rabble!"

Now, I will be phenomenally impressed if someone from the team does show up to address the masses, similar to what Howson has done with season ticket holders. I think it would be a terrific gesture of good will... especially considering the crowd likely wants to burn him at the stake.

My second concern about the message is that probably not everyone there is going to be on the same page. Among the majority of the people there who are part of the "We Love The Blue Jackets, But..." Crowd, will more than likely be a handful of idiots who are somewhere between casual deservers who don't know their mask from their five hole, to those who -- no matter how myth-busting you throw at them -- are still pissed off about the arena deal (or in their words, "bailout") and would just as soon tear the damn building down and eliminate all the jobs in the Arena District with it.

Guys like this idiot, who apparently plans to show up:

Screencap from the Columbus Dispatch

Columbus does not need this, for the sake of its waning credibility as a hockey market, with the league and sports media watching.

(This guy's the one I'm calling an idiot... you probably figured that out already, though.)

I'm not saying don't protest. I'm only saying be prepared to have a few morons among you who could care less about our hockey team.

I agree with a few of my colleagues... guys like Matt Wagner at The Cannon and others, when they say if you want to send a message, send it by closing your wallet. The Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team is the business like any other. Money still talks.

It pains me to say it, but not showing up or -- more importantly -- not buying tickets is what sends a message to the front office.

I am not part of the "We Love The Blue Jackets, But..." Crowd. I love this team. No "buts" about it. That is why I'm not attending.

I love the fact that we have a hockey franchise -- an NHL franchise -- in Columbus. I'm a Central Ohio native who takes pride in his city, and this team is part of it. Like you, I am horrifyingly disappointed in how this team has done this year.

The fact that this protest is happening has already been on TV. As LTL put it, the word is out, people know it's coming and fans around the NHL are probably looking at this and talking about it, too. All I ask is... if you're going, do it for the right reason and send the right message.

Oh. And don't get maced, okay?

Have a great All Star Break.

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Hitting The Break... Still Broken

2012-01-25T02:51:00.000-05:00

Disappointment would be an understatement. A detailed, forensic recap would be overkill. It would be downright cruel, actually.

These last few games going into the All-Star break have been maddening. I know the team is depleted at home, but it is still bad. The Columbus Blue Jackets pulled it together enough to at least get a point against Detroit, but still could not manage more than a goal against Nashville on Monday, nor more than two against Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Sure, the offense that was generated was pretty impressive... or at least the goals by Brett Lebda and Ryan Johansen looked good, anyway. However… well, suffice to say that defense is a bit of a glaring issue.

And so the Blue Jackets faceplant into the All-Star break going 0-2-1 in the first three games of a six game stint away from home. About a week from now, they will be in California, to begin the second West Coast Road Trip.

Jackets will go into that road trip essentially on the brink of mathematical elimination (you can "duh" me all you want… I'll take any miracle I can get) from Playoff contention (based on a 95-point line). After that, speculation over the CBJ's activity at the trade deadline can pretty much commence full swing.

Ah, who are we kidding... it has been in full swing for a few weeks now.

So, CBJ players will look for ways to occupy themselves for the next few days, while RyJo heads to Ottawa for the Skills Competition during All Star Weekend.

Will the rest do them good? Maybe help them focus? Figure out how to get back on track? Or at least get some bodies back on the ice?

Guess we'll find out in a week.

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Let's Just Shut Up And Play (or Watch) Hockey

2012-01-24T10:07:00.001-05:00

Tim Thomas. Stanley Cup Champion. Conn Smythe Trophy winner. Top goaltender. All Star Game starter.

Rude ass.

Heaven knows we're subjected enough to celebrities and people of perceived power wearing their politics on their sleeves, telling us how to vote, hanging out with dictators in foreign nations and so forth. We certainly don't need athletes jumping into the fray.

But, it is what it is. Thomas, despite being one of the very few Americans on the Boston Bruins roster, declined to go to the White House... citing, essentially, his disagreement with how the nation is run. No need to go into details of the statement here, except that it's grandiose, a little preachy and contained a significant amount of unneeded capitalization.

No word as to whether the original version was in Comic Sans.

Do I agree with his stance? No. I think if you get an invitation to the White House, you should probably swing by, have a drink, take a couple photos and shake a couple hands. I think a person would have to feel pretty strongly about something going on in the White House, in order to decline an invitation.

And apparently, that's the case. As Thomas points out in his statement (redundant caps and all) he's a "Free Citizen" making a decision "as an INDIVIDUAL."

Pardon the cliche... but while there are a few I's in "INDIVIDUAL," there is still no I in "team."

What Thomas did was very self-centered, and he made it worse by putting out a statement and taking the focus away from an otherwise great day for his team. It was incredibly pompous, it was selfish and it makes him look like an ass. It puts a bad spotlight on himself, his team and the sport.

You know what, though? It could be so much worse. Tim Thomas disagrees how the President of the United States and Washington run this country. He didn't punch a cab driver. He didn't drive drunk. He didn't get in a fight with his wife and go to jail. He didn't say anything disparaging about an ex.

Tim Thomas spoke his mind.

Athletes have done it before. Whether we like it or not, someone will probably do it again.

It's not that big a deal. Life is too short to spend time chastising athletes over their politics... or athletes talking about them to begin with. It's a presidential election year... believe me, there will be enough B.S. to go around, without wasting any more time on this.

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What It Means To Prey

2012-01-24T09:16:00.000-05:00

I swear... if I have to see another Nashville sweater this year, it will be waaaaaayyyyyy too soon.

What? The season series is over?

Well, there's a small victory.

1-4-1 against Nashville this year. What the hell is that about.

For the fifth time of the six-game series, the Predators made the Blue Jackets look like an AHL team. They had their way with defensive lapses, turnovers and big rebounds. Again... they just did everything better.

Sadly, Monday night's thorough ass-kicking by the Preds wasn't even the worst loss of the series.

It certainly had all the annoying elements we were used to seeing this year. Two goals by Mike Fisher, a couple assists from Martin Erat, a deflection here, a crazy shot that somehow got past three or four defenders as well as the goaltender...

...just painful.

And so, tonight, the Blue Jackets get one last shot for a win before stumbling into the All-Star Break in which they have absolutely no involvement.

Oh. Except for Ryan Johansen in the Skills Competition. Rick Nash couldn't even get a token spot on the roster this year.

A shame, because he's obviously a good player. The goal he got last night was a thing of beauty... and really the only bright spot of the night.

A bright spot that could use some momentum with a good performance tonight against Tampa Bay... or at least a bad night by Tampa.

Hey, this is no time to be picky....

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Wrandom Wrister: Adding Insult To Injury... Or Vice Versa?

2012-01-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

I'd been away from the NHL world for most of the day Thursday, so when I heard on the radio between stops that the Jackets had acquired Brett Lebda Thursday, I figured there was something amiss.

Although it was somewhat of a relief that no one else was hurt, I was saddened to find out Radek Martinek is done.

Seriously, it's like we barely met the guy. The dude played, what... seven games?

Then again, it seems we've hardly gotten to know any of the new guys this year.

James Wisniewski is out with an ankle fracture and missed time with a suspension... and has played in 29 of the CBJ's 46 games.

Jeff Carter is out with a shoulder injury and missed time with another injury... and has played only 30 games.

Mark Dekanich... cripe, we haven't seen him in Union Blue since September in the preseason.

To hell with whether Vinny Prospal should be re-signed. That's a given (at least for me). I'm just wondering if we can insure him!

Obviously, the Jackets did something serious to piss off the hockey gods. Or the long-standing suspicion that they just flat-out hate Columbus may just have some merit to it.

All kidding aside... I know I've said for a long time that I subscribe to the Hitch "Injuries Are No Excuse" school of thought. Still, the injuries to four out of the Jackets' five offseason acquisitions could not come at a worse time, with the CBJ stumbling -- or, given the injury situation, hobbling -- toward mathematical elimination. The fact that at least they won't reach that point in January is not much consolation.

Still, there are bright spots. We're starting to see guys stepping up and playing with some fire again. Is it Todd Richards' influence? Maybe. Is it "playing for your job" mode? Could be.

Stringing a couple wins together for the first time since November sure would come in handy right about now, though.

It's still too early to speculate what happens at the NHL Trade Deadline. Or, maybe that's just me not being willing to let go. Defiant to the end, I guess.

Or... maybe just a little crazy.

Depends... when was the last time an NHL team won 32 out of 36 games?

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Cooke Busted...? Eh, Not So Fast...

2012-01-20T13:59:00.001-05:00

"Slew foot"… or just a "hockey play"?

Judging from some reactions on Twitter, you would think that Brendan Shanahan will be calling a press conference, walking up the podium and proclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen... we got him." (a la Saddam Hussein)

However, looking at the alleged infraction by offensively-skilled-yet-offensively-thuggish bad guy Matt Cooke on the New York Rangers' Brad Richards... I gotta tell you... I'm not so sure.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like him either... my contempt and disgust for him and guys like him is well-documented. However, this is just a hockey play.

I'm still trying to find a video that wasn't shot by a camera off of somebody's TV, with a voice slurring "Yep, that's a kicking motion." But, oh well... since the NHL does not seem to have a reason to have a meeting or a video analysis... this is what we have to work with:

What our apparent Rangers fan is neglecting to narrate (though he may be a little biased, hence the title and content) is that Cooke does appear to be trying to play the puck. Richards gets the pass off, and then there's the contact.

Now, unless Matt Cooke is some diabolical genius who can make a fraction-of-a-second decision to sweep his leg to put Richards on his ass, while still making it look like he's just turning to follow the play...

...yeah, sorry, Rangers fans. You're going to have a hard time proving intent there. Sure, intent is only part of it... "reckless" can also be a factor, but I don't think that exists here, either.

I know fans are gunning for Matt Cooke. And I totally get it. The crap he has pulled the previous two seasons is ridiculous, and his penchant for intent to injure is renowned. I'd love to see him banned... and I'm still sure he will screw up again.

You're just not going to see him get it for this play.

He's certainly not going to win any additional imaginary followers to that little "Cooke for Byng" campaign, though.

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The Big Zero...

2012-01-20T01:43:00.001-05:00

Well... as hellacious as this season has been, the Blue Jackets can take solace in the fact that at least they haven't been shut out ye-- DAMMIT!!!

And so it goes. Four-game homestand -- the only home games of the month... split 2-2. The last home game for nearly three weeks... a 3-0 shutout against probably the second-most hated Central Division rival.

I suppose it would be easy to blame Steve Mason. Heaven knows he seems to get the blame for everything else in Columbus, from bad traffic to a bad pour at a corner pub. But the fact is, this team just does not play well in front of him for some reason.

First goal... awful turnover, beautifully-threaded, split-second pass through the slot in traffic. Martin Erat goal.

Second goal... Erat sends a puck into traffic -- hell, Marc Methot looked like he even flinched as he took his eyes off the play -- as Mr. Carrie Underwood was one of TWO Preds camped out by Mason behind the Jackets' defense.

Wait a minute... where the hell was Mason on that THIRD GOA-- oh, right... pulled for the extra attacker.

Slightly related question... can someone explain to me why an official was just STANDING THERE like a drunken fraternity pledge, a foot away from Nick Spaling on top of Antoine Vermette? That goes beyond mugging or wrestling... that's borderline Roethlisberger territory, people. Sure, a 2-0 loss is no better than a 3-0 loss, but for Gretzsakes, blow the freakin' whistle.

Or at least tell Spaling to buy him a drink first.

WRANDOM WRISTERS

Apparently, Fisher's goal was his fourth against the Jackets this year. I swear, between his trade to Nashville, and his wife's crime-against-music cover of "Home Sweet Home," Carrie Underwood has viciously offended me twice, in two institutions I hold very sacred.
Dear Jeff and Bill: I know the deal, guys... Barry Trotz is a good coach. He's the only coach in the Preds' 13 seasons. He has done great things with this team. It's a very good team. Yes, our team isn't playing very well. Could you please praise the opponents' players/coach/ conditioning/dental work less often? We can see how good they are! Okay? Thanks.
Sick of Dispatch writers always tweeting negative statistics associated with the CBJ? I have just the antidote! The Columbus Blue Jackets had scored in 47 straight games!

A tad snarkier than usual, I suppose, but a great Canadian band called The Pursuit Of Happiness once said: "You got to laugh to prevent yourself from cryin'..."

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Striking Oil

2012-01-18T02:23:00.000-05:00

Was it quite a 60-minute game? No.

We'll take that 4-2 win, though.

The Columbus Blue Jackets gave up two early goals. Quick ones, too. Never a good thing.

Throughout this season, the Jackets have had the nagging issue of not playing 60 solid minutes of hockey... and make no mistake, this was one of those games.

However, if the Jackets were going to settle for playing 40 minutes of hockey, they sure as hell picked the right 40 minutes.

That second period was amazing to watch. Ryan Johansen's shift in the neutral zone to keep Ryan Smyth away from the puck, right before a short pass to Vermette to set up that wrister from the circle when he got the puck back? Pure art. Dude looked calm, collected... I could watch that replay many, many times. Already have, actually.

Derick Brassard turned in another beauty with :00.8 to go, zooming toward the net as the puck entered the zone, knocking the puck in off his backhand. Sure, it trickled in off Devan Dubnyk. The fact that Brass raced in to be in the right place at the right time. That's hustle. That's hard work.

And lately... that's been Derick Brassard. He's playing like he's got his groove back.

Colton Gillies hit the box score in his first game as a Jacket with an assist on Derek MacKenzie's game-winner. Talk about a quick centering pass. I couldn't see the thing until the replay. Nice helper, New Guy.

And getting an empty-netter like Derek Dorsett's in the last minute is always nice. It's made nicer when it helps improve the power play stats on paper a little. Come on, an ill-timed, late-third-period penalty, and it's not on the Jackets? I'll take that any day.

If you got confused by all those mentions of Dereks/Dericks... well, don't look at the three stars in the box score, because there they all were.

With a pair of opponent goals not even 20 minutes apart, this game could have gone completely to hell. But it didn't.

It may be tempting to look at a performance like this like "Why haven't they been playing with this much drive all season?"

And while that's somewhat justifiable, I look at it like, "I just watched a damn good hockey game."

And I'll take that 4-2 win.

While we're here... send some good vibes Taylor Hall's way. I know he was apparently on a bike and wanting to play after it happened and everything... but still, taking a skate to the face like he did in warmups is pretty damn scary.

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Building Confidence... And Hope

2012-01-14T02:48:00.000-05:00

The Blue Jackets are having a hard time winning.

I don't mean "winning," literally... although, that is also a problem. I mean more along the lines of winning the confidence of fans.

Opposing team scores first... it's "Ah, crap, here we go again."

Jackets score first... it's "Hey, cool! This is great... until the wheels fall off in the third."

Can you blame those with pessimistic attitudes? Meh, not really. This team has underperformed... there's really no way around that.

But whether the people taking seats at Nationwide feel the same pessimism or not... they're there. 14,000-plus, according to the score sheet. People are still going. Sure, many of them have season tickets, and they feel like they need to use them, or have somebody else use them. But there are plenty there who have the option of going or not.

I think part of that is loyalty. Sure, some are there because they like to watch hockey.. maybe some of them are even cheering for the other team. But let's stick with the Jackets fans for the time being.

Loyalty was rewarded Friday night. The 14,000-plus strong who packed into Nationwide to see the Jackets open up a four-game homestand -- after a road trip that was... well, rather unkind -- got to see a hell of a game. Marquee players out with injuries? Minor-league callups filling out the lines? No problem.

The Coyotes scored first. Big deal. Less than four minutes later. Tomas Kubalik answered with his first career NHL goal to tie it up. Sweet goal, too on a nice feed from Aaron Johnson. Than Rick Nash put the Jackets up with a wrister from the slot, through traffic, barely a minute and a half later. The scoring continued as call-up Ryan Russell picked up an early goal in the second period... also his first career NHL goal.

It's times like these that some of the CBJ faithful anticipate trouble, and although the Coyotes got a goal midway through the period to close the gap to one, the Jackets kept their game together with solid defense, and in the closing minutes of the period, Derick Brassard made his way to the slot, found a spot and shot the puck past Jason LaBarbera for the eventual game winner. He also blocked a shot late in the game.

Brass has had two goals and two assists in the last four games, now. Dude was one of the front-page photos on NHL.com after Friday's games, too. It's nice to see what more ice time will do for a kid's confidence.

Some damn fine goaltending from Curtis Sanford didn't hurt, either.

While this may be only one game, you can't dispute that this was an opportunity to get some momentum going on home ice. They'll need all the momentum they can get going into tonight's game against Pacific leader San Jose. However, if they play with the same fire we saw Friday... hey, they might just impress a few people.

Maybe another few thousand...?

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Changing The Coach And... Well, That's Apparently It

2012-01-11T02:15:00.000-05:00

So the word on Twitter is that practice is canceled on Wednesday.

I'm sure a few dozen people have already beaten me to the question of, "Ummmm... why?"

Why is a team coming off a 1-3-0 road trip not taking the ice to practice on Wednesday?

Sure, I can understand there's a time difference, and the flight gets them home pretty late.

Fine. Sleep in. Bump practice back a couple hours... but get out of bed, put your damn skates on and get to the Ice Haus.

With a four-game homestand coming, I'd think I would want my guys on the ice... you know, practicing. Working on getting better.

It just doesn't seem like the right message. I don't know... maybe I just thought the whole "let's not practice tomorrow" shtick was an Arniel thing.

Yes, I know... Scott Arniel's gone, and the blame rests on Arniel, sure... but it also rests on every guy in that locker room. And while I'm sure that weighs on their minds a little bit... this isn't a time for a mental break. The Columbus Blue Jackets have had enough mental breaks this season.

Hockey players get paid to play a game. Playing a game well still takes practice, right? Or did I miss a meeting?

Sooooo... let's make a change. Let's go to practice. Work on some things like... oh, I don't know, the power play that went 1-for-14 on the trip... including 0-for-5 in Chicago Tuesday.

No one expected things to change overnight. It would be ridiculous to expect that... but for Gretzsakes, give us something.

There are still 40 games left in the season. Tell the players to do... something that helps the team.

Hint: This game in Chicago wasn't it. The again-lethargic power play that even gave up a shorthanded goal. A pair of goals against in 27 seconds. Giving up a hat trick in a second straight game. Turnovers and defensive lapses that made Chicago goals look easy.

It doesn't take a forensics expert to tell you how painful this debut under Todd Richards was... mostly because it still bears a sick resemblance to the days we wish were much further in the past.

You know... like Sunday.

The culture of the Blue Jackets needs to change. Again, it's foolish to think it can be done overnight.

However, I very much doubt you can do it on a day off.

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Meet Me Halfway: Preseason Picks vs. Reality

2012-01-10T02:12:00.001-05:00

Hockey is a funny sport. You just never know what's going to happen.

Case in point... many things I expected to happen this year in the NHL have not happened.

I had such amazing luck (maybe a little skill...?) in picking the Playoffs last year, that I figured, "You know what? I'm going to try and pick the conferences this year while I'm at it."

I was cool, I was confident, and I made picks for the East and West, and felt pretty good about them.

Well, there have obviously been some mixed results. A few teams have done inexplicably well this year, while others have gone completely to hell.

But you know what? Attempting to pick the conferences was just an exercise in entertainment.

Just like this midpoint report is... an exercise in entertainment. I can laugh at myself

I assure you, I was not on anything when I made these predictions to begin with... and my disclaimer is that I did title them "Fearless (Maybe Just Crazy)" predictions when I wrote them. Take it for what it's worth.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. New York Rangers
My Prediction: 7th
My Explanation/Excuse: Tops in the conference? Did NOT see that coming. Now, we are only halfway through the season, still plenty of room to move. I have to give credit where it's due... this team is doing a hell of a lot better than expected.

2. Boston Bruins
My Prediction: 2nd
My Explanation/Excuse: Obviously, I wasn't far off here. The Bs' start in October was flat-out scary, though. A couple significant win streaks woke them up, though. Good stuff.

3. Florida Panthers
My Prediction: 14th
My Explanation/Excuse: Ummmmm... oops? However, barring an injury to Jose Theodore that keeps him out of the Playoffs, the Panthers could finish first, and they'd still exit in the first round.

4. Philadelphia Flyers
My Prediction: 2nd
My Explanation/Excuse: Not far off here, really, but I never imagined anyone other than Pittsburgh would stay close. However, with Sid Crosby's abbreviated return to the ice -- and extended return to the IR -- the Flyers have the Rangers keeping things interesting in the Atlantic

5. Ottawa Senators
My Prediction: 12th
My Explanation/Excuse: I can't explain this. Freakish luck?

6. New Jersey Devils
My Prediction: 9th
My Explanation/Excuse: The Devils appear to have mostly righted the ship so far, after last year's disaster. The future is definitely uncertain after Martin Brodeur's retirement. This season is probably the team's last shot at a Cup for the foreseeable future, unless they find a money goaltender in the offseason.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs
My Prediction: 10th
My Explanation/Excuse: Not bad, Leafs... not bad at all. Phil Kessel has broken out, and the rest of the team seems to be keeping up nicely. Have to say, I'm pretty impressed.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins
My Prediction: 4th
My Explanation/Excuse: I did not see Sidney Crosby getting hurt again. They're doing pretty well, considering.

9. Winnipeg Jets
My Prediction: 13th
My Explanation/Excuse: Hockey's back in Winnipeg, and they're packing the house with NHL-starved fans who give a damn. Claude Noel is looking really good right now. Hell, I referred to his first non-interim head coaching job as an unenviable task. But you know what? Good for him, and good for the team.

10. Washington Capitals
My Prediction: 1st
My Explanation/Excuse: No excuses here. Vokoun has been decent, and Neuvirth has not pushed him. Neither one seems to be getting much help from the guys in front of them, but they team is starting to wake up. I think it's only a matter of time before they're back in the top half gunning for home ice in the Playoffs.

11. Buffalo Sabres
My Prediction: 6th
My Explanation/Excuse: Rough year in Buffalo. Guys getting hurt, Miller inadvertently hurting himself. I definitely saw them doing better this year.

12. Montreal Canadiens
My Prediction: 6th
My Explanation/Excuse: Erik Cole has been a huge asset, and Max Pacioretty has rebounded nicely from that horrifying neck injury from last season. The skaters are putting up quality numbers, but Carey Price has slipped back into mediocrity

13. Tampa Bay Lightning
My Prediction: 5th
My Explanation/Excuse: Wow... what the hell happened to this team? I thought they'd threaten the Bruins in the Eastern Finals again this year, but Dwayne Roloson's game in net has gone to hell this year. Stamkos is still a beast, but that may not be enough.

14. Carolina Hurricanes
My Prediction: 11th
My Explanation/Excuse: Ouch. It hurts not having Jeff Skinner for the past month. They're just not generating the offense they need. and Cam Ward can't carry the kind of load he's carrying this year.

15. New York Islanders
My Prediction: 15th
My Explanation/Excuse: Holy crow, I actually nailed one! Oh, wait... it's the Islanders. Who didn't pick them last?

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Vancouver Canucks
My Prediction: 1st
My Explanation/Excuse: After a rough start, the Canucks are back atop the Western Conference, where I figured they would be. Because of that rough start, though... they haven't been able to distance themselves from the rest of the Northwest. Yet.

2. Detroit Red Wings
My Prediction: 3rd
My Explanation/Excuse: I figured they'd top the Central easily, but after some so-so play in October, they're back on track. However, right now they're in a three-way tie with Chicago and St. Louis. The standings in the Central could very well be changing every day for the next couple months.

3. San Jose Sharks
My Prediction: 2nd
My Explanation/Excuse: Like the Wings (or any team in the top ten, really) the Sharks just happen to be here. The top ten teams in the West are separated by eight points. The Canucks are the only team with a division lead larger than three points.

4. St. Louis Blues
My Prediction: 8th
My Explanation/Excuse: Ken Hitchcock. 'Nuff said. The Blues were awful out of the gate, and convinced the Jackets to let them talk to Hitch. He could win the Adams trophy if this keeps up. This team's on fire.

5. Chicago Blackhawks
My Prediction: 9th
My Explanation/Excuse: Oops. I saw the Hawks as the odd-team-out in the Central. Obviously, certain things in the Central did not go as predicted. Corey Crawford was not a fluke, and the Hawks' core players are scoring at or near a point-a-game pace.

6. Los Angeles Kings
My Prediction: 5th
My Explanation/Excuse: The Kings have been up and down all season, and are in the mix in the really close Western Conference. Quick has been terrific in goal, and Anze Kopitar continues to produce quality offense. After holding out well into training camp for a higher salary than Kopitar, Drew Doughty is on pace to (again) see his point production decline.

7. Nashville Predators
My Prediction: 4th
My Explanation/Excuse: It's Nashville... I'm not far off here. Barry Trotz can coach and he can get this team to win.

8. Minnesota Wild
My Prediction: 10th
My Explanation/Excuse: They've scored the second-fewest goals in the conference (even fewer than the Jackets, in fact). Still, the additions of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi have still helped. The backup goalies have stepped up to contribute, as Niklas Backstrom has had a so-so year.

9. Dallas Stars
My Prediction: 13th
My Explanation/Excuse: Remember the hype around Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson? Believe it. Benn's leading the team in scoring at just 22 years old. Kari Lehtonen has been really good in net, too.

10. Colorado Avalanche
My Prediction: 11th
My Explanation/Excuse: The Avs are barely on the outside looking in, and have surpassed expectations so far.

11. Phoenix Coyotes
My Prediction: 12th
My Explanation/Excuse: Rough year for Mike Smith as a number-one goaltender. Still, he's doing alright for a former East backup coming west in his first season. Even at age, 39, Ray Whitney is still putting up points. The dogs are not far from the Playoff pack.

12. Calgary Flames
My Prediction: 15th
My Explanation/Excuse: The Flames are living and dying by streaky play right now. Win three, lose four, win four, lose five. Painful... but still not last (and, hell, I bet the Jackets would kill for the kind of streaks the Flames have had).

13. Edmonton Oilers
My Prediction: 14th
My Explanation/Excuse: Amazing to think the Oilers got off to such a hot start, then plummeted back to earth and gunning for another high draft pick. Not a number one draft pick, probably, but....

14. Anaheim Ducks
My Prediction: 7th
My Explanation/Excuse: Did not see this coming. Top Ducks like Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne are still scoring, but the goaltending has been suspect all around.

15. Columbus Blue Jackets
My Prediction: 6th
My Explanation/Excuse: Nope. I don't want to talk about it.

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Unlucky Number Seven... Beheaded

2012-01-09T11:22:00.000-05:00

Here's how bad the situation has been in Columbus: I started drafting this post in the early-morning hours of December 23, after that mother of all collapses against Nashville.

I really thought that was the proverbial straw, you know?

But it wasn't, and now I have to change everything.

*sigh*

Well anyway, now the hammer has fallen.

123 games. 45 wins. 45-60-18 overall.

41 games this year. Eleven wins. 11-25-5 total.

It was time. It was past time, really.

But just like that, the tumultuous tenure of the Columbus Blue Jackets' seventh coach has come to an end.

Gracelessly.

Some 26 hours after a somewhat impressive -- if offensively un-fantastic -- win over the Los Angeles Kings, the Blue Jackets were well on their way to getting their asses handed to them by a team that was quite possibly a hotter mess than they were.

Sure, they managed to show some fire after spotting the Anaheim Ducks a 4-1 lead. However, the Ducks showed they are considerably better at holding a lead than the Jackets are.

Was Arniel the whole problem? Absolutely not. There is an obvious lack of leadership on the ice, as well.

To make matters worse, the organization has spent itself into a corner with it's current top-five payroll. Even as -- barring the miracle I discussed a few days ago -- the Jackets look to be sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline, there is not a whole lot of flexibility to move players with the biggest contracts to make cap room to rebuild yet again.

That is, if Howson elects to go that route. If he survives the offseason... but that's a discussion for down the road.

When the players don't pan out -- especially when the team is built to fit a coach's system or vision -- the first place you have to look is the coach. There comes a time when someone new has to come in and motivate them.

It sucks not having solid leadership. It sucks for the team. More importantly, it sucks for the fans. We expected so much better this year.

The timing of this move makes it worse. Other coaches who have gone to the guillotine did so after somewhat rocky starts -- a couple of them were even above .500. But Howson stuck by the guy he hired. Perhaps too long.

We not only watched the team melt down. We watched Arniel melt down.

You know what, you as a coach can blame yourself. You can blame the guys in the locker room.

When you get to the point that you're blaming he media... you're never going to win that battle. Anyone who tries to blame the media -- no matter what profession we're speaking of -- comes out looking like an ass.

Arniel joined that club a little over a week ago with the whole "You're piling on, I can show you the stats on that" incident.

I'm not celebrating this day. Sure, I've joked about it before this, and I'll sure as hell joke about it afterwards.

Sure, there is a sense of relief in being able to move on. The problem is, that opportunity to move on in a positive direction is probably too late.

The timing of this firing feels like giving up. It doesn't take a mathematician to see the CBJ are almost out of it.

And with the NHL and NHLPA looking like a pissing contest is about to get underway going into collective bargaining, even "wait 'til next year" doesn't look too certain.

This had to happen. But it had to happen sooner.

41 games to go. Eight regulation losses will put the Playoffs out of reach.

Okay, Coach #8 Todd Richards... that's your cue.

Go Jackets!

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It's Make-Or-Break Month...

2012-01-06T02:28:00.000-05:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in a very tough position as 2012 gets underway. It was preventable, and yes, it's their fault. It is what it is.

The Jackets have begun ten road games in a span of 14 going into the first week of February. Thursday night's loss marked the beginning of a four-game road trip that includes the team's first Southern California tour, plus a stop in Chicago on the way home. Then the Jackets have a four-game homestand, then they hit the road again for the longest trip of the season... a six-game stretch that will include the team's other Southern California tour.

This is a gut check of epic proportions. The Jackets are running out of time. They will end up if one of three places by the first week of February:

1) The CBJ will actually get it together and climb in the standings, possibly making it up to... maybe 12th or something, and still potentially being in playoff contention (it's still mathematically possible… bear with me a moment).

2) The Jackets will fight bravely, but falter... but possibly still gain ground in the standings to the point where the rest of the league at least politely applauds them a little bit.

3) The CBJ will tank completely, and that whole "Fail4Nail" thing that is currently trending on Twitter will have worked its way into the team's marketing slogan.

The odds on that first one -- make no mistake -- are not exactly great. However, I think you have a hard time NOT finding CBJ fans who would love to see it.

The odds on the second -- based on our experience thus far this season -- admittedly seem much more likely. I would like to think that no one really wants to see that...

…or do they?

This brings me to the third option. To be honest, I'm only bringing it up because it's an attitude seems to be rising over last couple days, as CBJ fans watch the World Junior Championships.

I'm going to say it right now: This third option is not an option, nor should it be. Now, I honestly do not believe that management would want this team tank in order to get this Nail Yakupov in the draft. It would not be any more acceptable than the prospect of Sweden tanking in order to get an easier path to the gold-medal in 2006.

However, I'm finding it quite disturbing that this may be becoming the sentiment among some CBJ fans.

Hey, I'm as cynical as the next guy. I've certainly made my share of snarky remarks about this team. Do I do it to tear the team down? Absolutely not. I'm a bit of a smartass. I have a twisted sense of humor.

Inappropriate? Guilty again.

But of all things this team can do, quitting had better not be one of them.

This "Fail4Nail" thing going around is bull$#!+. Maybe I'm just being oversensitive about it, but it is.

Fans will say what they want to say, and that's their prerogative.

I respectfully disagree with those fans. Screw failure. Failure sucks. Hell, let Calgary have him. I wouldn't ever draft another Russian kid with my first round pick again if it was up to me.

Sorry... you know what they say. "Fool me twice...."

Now that that rant is out of the way… Here are the hard numbers:

The Blue Jackets have 43 games remaining.

Based on the 95-point mark for eighth seed, the Jackets need to win 35 of them.

Math made simple... the Jackets are out if they take nine more regulation losses.

So... will take a miracle for them to make the playoffs? Probably.

But it is not over until then.

So, how about we hold off on the "wait till next year" talk for little while longer? This team could still surprise the holy hell out if all of us. Then again, I may be wrong... and that's fine, too. I'll eventually get over that.

But for everything CBJ fans have gone through this year... remember that it can always be worse.

Mrs. Martini is from Cleveland. I need not say more than that... except that there is no way in hell that you can top the severity of that kind of sports misery. Period.

So, plan for the NHL Entry Draft all you want. I'm staying here.

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Goaltending... Defense... Just Not Enough "O"

2012-01-06T02:08:00.001-05:00

Rough night in San Jose.

Just... harsh.

The Columbus Blue Jackets played a hard game in the Shark Tank. Curtis Sanford had his first start since December 22, and played one hell of a game, even when the team in front of him wasn't at its sharpest. He finished with 37 saves.

The defense, however, was also brilliant at times. The flurry at the end to keep the puck alive in the Sharks' zone as time was winding down, was the kind of aggressive, driven hockey that CBJ fans have needed to see all season.

Still... it's really hard to get something going when you have to kill off penalties, while not getting any power plays for yourself. But... that's the kind of game it was. You play hard, and sometimes you don't get the rewards from it.

Sometimes you lose more. Coach Arniel revealed that Mark Letestu broke his hand after a hit by Douglas Murray.

Then there is the issue of the boarding call on Derek Dorsett that could get a look from Headmaster Shanahan. No need to analyze it, really... last time I got all worried about one of those, nothing happened, so... I'm not going to panic now.

Shanny's analyses seem like coin flips lately, anyway.

Still, we could be looking at some young guys getting called up and pressed into action at a very "do or die" juncture of the season. A juncture that could mathematically eliminate the Jackets sooner rather than later, if things don't change. And frankly, that may not even be enough.

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Karma to Carcillo: GOTCHA!

2012-01-05T15:34:00.001-05:00

This, of course, should come as a surprise to no one.

It was only a matter time before Danny Carcillo's trademark, cheap-shot style would land him in big trouble.

Now, I never imagined this much trouble... seems the seven-game suspension is the least of his worries.

I don't know whether the self-proclaimed "Car Bomb" just can't stop, doesn't care or maybe he would just soil himself at the thought of actually facing a guy in the process of hitting him.

However, whatever the reason was for Carcillo sending Edmonton's Tom Gilbert flying awkwardly into the boards (from behind, no surprise)… it's a good bet (and, honestly, a relief) that it's the last we've seen of him for a considerable amount to time.

And that's just the wait for him his clumsy ass to get off the injured list.

Seems that immediately after the cheap shot, Gilbert fell awkwardly onto Carcillo's foot or something, and he may need season-ending knee surgery. It did look like his leg buckled in a direction it was not supposed to go, and he fell to the ice before Gilbert's linemates could get there and beat six kinds of hell out of him.

It seems odd, really, to see Karma work so quickly... it has certainly spared Todd Bertuzzi all these years.

Oh, well... guess it's best not to over-analyze it. I suppose what matters is that Danny Boy will be off the ice for a while, where he can't cause anyone (including himself) any further harm.

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A Winter Classic To Enjoy...

2012-01-03T02:29:00.000-05:00

I hate the Philadelphia Flyers. I never could get past that whole Eric Lindros prima donna B.S. Then again, the fact that his bratty little "I won't play for Quebec" thing ultimately left him Cup-less, and the whole saga with his "mom-ager" dad acting as his agent were good for some laughs.

I hate the New York Rangers... perhaps marginally more than the Flyers. Sorry, that Joe Sakic offer sheet thing in 1997 and ending Gretzky's career without a Playoff spot still grate on my nerves.

For the most part, I didn't expect to give a crap about what was going on in Philadelphia Monday. As I was discussing with Mrs. Martini where we would watch the Gator Bowl and Ohio State, the prospect of local hockey mecca R Bar came to mind. We'd be able to watch the Buckeyes on one of the small screens, and check out the Winter Classic on the big screens with the live audio, and so forth.

With the Buckeyes having faded into the legacy of just the latest of Gene Smith's bad decisions, the Winter Classic was just picking up, and game audio turned over from the Buckeyes to the game right at the stroke of 3 p.m. Even with a scoreless game, fans were treated to a great hockey game with some good, quality chances. Now, R Bar had a handful of unmistakably partisan fans in the house, but the place had some seriously loud moments as the play approached either net.

What I don't recall ever hearing, is Mrs. Martini ever telling me that the Winter Classic is her favorite game of the year. The lady was glued to the screens, especially in the second and third periods.

It doesn't hurt that Cleveland's own (and former Jacket) Mike Rupp was the man of the hour. He cut the lead in half very quickly, after Philly rattled off two goals late in the second period, and then tied up the game early in the third, en route to a 3-2 Rangers win.

How much does Mrs. Martini love the Winter Classic? The second the Rangers went up 3-2, she immediately started cheering for the Flyers to tie it up... for no other reason than to get the game into overtime and/or a shootout.

That first Classic between the Pens and Sabres may have spoiled her.

However, outside of the game, fans got a glimpse of some really cool stuff beyond the ice. The musical performance by The Roots was a lot of fun -- although replacing the title of the song "The Fire" with "The Flyers" took some forgiving (heh heh).

I certainly have been critical of NBC's NHL coverage in the past, but this new TV deal is showing signs that NBC is starting to "get it" now. They're showing the ceremony and making the game into a celebration worthy of the world's greatest sport.

Hell... a handful of ads had a very "Super Bowl Sunday" feel... and this was for a hockey game. How much did FOX and ABC bemoan the lousy ratings they got for hockey before the Lockout?

Anyway, these were the favorites for the two of us...

I don't think I was the only one in the place who was applauding on that Honda ad. But I laughed. Hard.

Still, when you look at these, don't they strike you as something you'll see about four or five weeks from now?

Was everything perfect? Well, no... but you take the bad with the good.

Unfortunately, the American national anthem was a sad example this year. Sadly, this isn't just a hockey phenomenon. Everywhere in pro sports, you find the league decides to use someone who can't just stick with the given melody that was written for the piece. More often than not, an anthem singer uses the Star Spangled Banner as a vehicle to show off her vocal range, completely disregarding whether they're dishonoring the song by stretching it into some unnecessary exercise.

Patti LaBelle joined those ranks this year. It wasn't Roseanne Barr terrible, but it was pretty terrible.

If/when Columbus gets a Winter Classic one of these days, and our own guy Leo Welsh is not singing the National Anthem... well, that's going to be screwed up. I defy any musical artist who happens to be from here to top Leo. Maybe that's just me -- but I don't think it is.

The Blue Jackets may not be the best team in the NHL, but our fair city has fans, people. There were more than a couple CBJ sweaters in the house. These are people who care about the game, even if the home team is not playing.

We love our game... even if there are a handful of people like me could care less about the teams who are playing.

We just can't turn away.

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2011: Good Freaking Riddance...

2012-01-01T06:19:00.001-05:00

2011. What can I say.. You were an interesting year.

I don't mean "intriguing" interesting. I need more along the lines of the old, oft-quoted Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times."

That kind of interesting.

When 2011 began, the Blue Jackets were coming off a New Year's Eve victory over the Ottawa Senators, but were otherwise in the throes of a schneid that was very similar to the collapse they endured in January of 2010. The team pulled off the best start in franchise history, even doing better on the road than they were at home. Hoever, they discovered in December that they were actually quite mortal, and quite wounded. Just not mortally wounded.

Still, the Jackets were having some tough times. They lost five straight, and fell to .500 just past the midpoint of the season. It wasn't until the Jackets earned three of a possible four points in a home and home with Detroit in mid January, that Coach Scott Arniel and the boys started righting the ship again. Though they had flirted with the Playoff line for the previous few weeks, the Jackets were in danger of falling off pace in the Western Conference. Still, the competitive nature of the Western Conference kept a lot of teams from pulling away, which perhaps kept the Jackets in Playoff contention longer than they might have been otherwise.

Still, that home-and-home with the Wings marked the beginning of a renaissance of sorts. Over the 15 games that followed, the Jackets went 10-3-2. during that span, Jackets fans cuaght their first glimpse of what Matt Calvert could do, including his hat trick and four-point night on February 25 against Phoenix.

A tough loss to Nashville in the next game immediately preceded the trade deadline, but with the Jackets in contention and sitting only five points below the line, the Blue Jackets acquired Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto. However, instead of helping the Jackets turn the corner, the Jackets fizzled down the stretch, and in perhaps the final insult of the season... fell below .500 on the night of the season finale.

The best start in franchise history ended with golf in April, and watching a spectacular Stanley Cup Playoffs at home.

Again.

With talk of Arena dealings and a hockey franchise that was hemorrhaging money, the front office vow to do what was essentially a top-to-bottom audit of the organization, to determine what the next steps would be to bring the Columbus franchise back into playoff contention. Howson axed the head of scouting and hired a full-time goaltending coach for Steve Mason. Houston made arguably the ballsiest move in franchise history when he snagged Jeff Carter via trade on the eve of the NHL Entry Draft.

Then he broke out the checkbook. With the free agency deadline looming, Howson made another ballsy move and got James Wisniewski from the Canadiens. Then he closed the deal by getting Wisniewski down to Columbus, and got the deal done before noon on July 1. Houston also added Mark Dekanich in goal, to back up Steve Mason, and Radek Martinek to help bolster the blueline with a veteran presence. After Kristian Huselius tore a pectoral muscle during a workout -- a vision that still makes me wince -- Howson went out and got Vinny Prospal into the fold as well.

As a result, the Blue Jackets' payroll ballooned into the top five, a hell of a lot closer to the salary cap than the floor.

Few things say "Win, or else" quite like a top five payroll in the NHL, on a team that has made the playoffs just once in its 10-year history.

However, the kind of bold moves that Blue Jackets fans had clamored for were finally happening.

In the middle of all this, the second annual CANNONFEST returned to Grandview, and fans and bloggers mixed and mingled with the people we read, watch, listen to and/or cheer alongside every game. We raised glasses, cheered our team, watched a pair of kickass videos... and essentially made a fan gathering into a holiday any diehard puckhead would be honored to attend.

And as the preseason opened, Jackets fans were chomping at the bit to get the season underway already. It was quite possibly the most highly-anticipated season in franchise history.

Then James Wisniewski got his hands up in Cal Clutterbuck's face, and Clutterbuck turned in an Academy Award-winning performance, earning Wiz an eight-game suspension from Brendan Shanahan. Then Mark Dekanich got hurt. Then Carter... then Martinek... then Mason. At least I think that was the order in which they happened.

Over the course, the Jackets sutumbled out of the gate. Actually, that wording is a bit kind. More like faceplanted out of the gate, then the horse turned around with the jockey's foot tangled in the reins, crashed through the gate in reverse and dragged the jockey into opposing horse traffic, before somehow, inexplicably, spontaneously combusting.

After a 2-12-1 start, the Jackets began to jell and managed to put together a 5-3-2 stretch.

Then the damn horse turned around again.

Though the Jackets reversed their fortunes a few nights back by finally holding onto a lead as time expired against the Stars, they reverted back to the third-period ways that have defined their December (at the very least) and gave up four third-period goals in not even seven minutes.

That was 2011 in a nutshell

Through the Jackets' current woes, I have been irked many times with the comparisons of team performance in which records and streaks include numbers from last season -- so-and-so road games without a regulation win dating back to March, etc. There are different personnel... this dwells too much in the past... and so forth.

However, it's pretty hard to ignore the fact that the Jackets played exactly 82 games in the year 2011. Yep, a season's worth.

14-20-10 in 44 games from last season... and 10-23-5 in 38 this season.

The total... 24-43-15.

And so, 2011... I say to you:

Good riddance... go to hell... and get your filthy hands off my hockey team.
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Happy Ne-- Oh, Hell With It

2012-01-01T05:07:00.001-05:00

The Jackets scored twice, carried that two-goal lead into the third period, and lost the lead.

And the game.

Anything else I could say would feel like I said it before, and I'm one of those guys who hates to repeat himself.

So... I won't.

The above words, plus "Blue Jackets lose 4-2" and "dammit," pretty much sum up the night.

I'm not even going to link to this post... so if you're coming across this randomly, thank you for stopping by.

However, in order to properly vent and purge the year 2011 from our collective hockey consciousness, may I suggest you just skip to my year-in-review post....

Finishing The Job

2011-12-30T02:59:00.000-05:00

Was... that... Rick Nash?

The guy who somehow had only 10 goals in 36 games?

On a team with only 9 wins in that same span?

A guy who had been a minus-20, good for (though that's probably not the best way to put it) second-worst in the league?

The league's plus-minus standings from NHL.com, after Thursday night's game. Yes, this is the last page.

Why yes, that was indeed Rick Nash who opened the scoring in the American Airlines Center in Dallas Thursday night. And it started something. Although Dallas' Vernon Fiddler would tie the game barely five minutes later, the Jackets stayed on the attack. The Jackets regained the lead on a goal from fellow under-scoring forward Antoine Vermette in the second.

From there, things took a turn... not on the scoreboard, mind you, but unfortunately on a more lasting level. James Wisniewski took a slapshot to his left ankle about even minutes into the second, and the early report is a fracture. The loss of Wiz certainly didn't help the CBJ's still-struggling power play. However, despite having to finish the game with five defensemen, the Jackets managed to maintain their focus -- and the lead.

Even in the third, which has been a concern for even the biggest, most delsuionally optimistic CBJ fan this season... even way before the power play explosion and subsequent defensive implosion against Nashville a week ago.

Nash added a second goal about six minutes into the third. It was a "Rick Nash goal," too... not like that crazy thing he did in Phoenix a couple years ago, but you know... one of those "get the puck, get around a guy and as another guy's joining the crowd, flick the wrister to the net" kind of goals. Thursday's performance was one of those that reminds us why we still love him in Columbus, and why fans in other markets wish he wasn't playing in Columbus.

And as time continued to tick down, the Jackets continued to hold the lead. They even killed a couple of penalties. Hell, on a couple of occasions, they almost made one wonder which team had the man advantage.

Simply put... the Blue Jackets finished what they started.

What it means when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals come to town on Saturday... who knows?

But the Jackets finally got that tenth win. That may not be much, but it's something.

WRANDOM WRISTERS

I did not realize this until it was mentioned/repeated ad nauseam in pregame and during the game (admittedly, I don't watch the pregame shows a lot), but this was apparently the first road win in regulation this season, and first since March. Wow. Just... wow.
In a strange twist of a former CBJ player taking out another former CBJ player, current Coyote Raffi Torres might be facing supplemental discipline after putting a shoulder to current Av Jan Hedja's head in the Phoenix-Colorado game Thursday -- check out Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski's wrapup of the situation. Scary looking impact... and apparently, this was the second time in as many nights that Torres has caught some extra attention for a hit.

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Hell... Fire.. Brimstone...

2011-12-28T01:03:00.002-05:00

There are so many fire- and flame-related puns that could apply to a post about a game against the Calgary Flames. The increasingly hot seats under the respective derrieres of Scott Arniel and Scott Howson; the apparent flame-out of the collective psyche of the team after blowing a 4-1 lead; the "fire-sale" of key components of the team (or at least we thought they were key components of the team when they were signed to extensions). And so forth.

As I told another blogger this evening, I'm beginning to understand what it must feel like to be an Islanders fan. You know... that feeling of having absolutely no hope whatsoever.

You still can't picture it? Ask a Cleveland Browns fan.

Obviously, the Jackets' effort tonight was not totally lacking by any means. And frankly, Steve Mason was pretty damn good throughout the game. The one that got past him was tragic... it took until the second or third replay to even see where it got past him. He dove a little early, perhaps... I don't know. Jarome Iginla is a pretty badass hockey player.

Again, the effort was not lacking. The Jackets had chances. The problem is... well, a top-five payroll like this should be finishing these chances. Four power plays in the second, with nothing to show for it? Inexcusable.

Now, sitting at 9-22-5... where do the Jackets go from here?

Some fingers point to the suspension of James Wisniewski -- and thus, his absence in the first eight games of the season -- as the beginning of this season's debacle. Some others might point to injuries -- which is supposed to not be an excuse, but the impact of man-games lost to injury probably can't be ignored. Still others point to Mason, which a lot of people can certainly agree on... at times.

People have been calling for Arniel's head for weeks. It took me awhile, but I've certainly been leaning in that direction of late. I mean, a guy telling the media after last Thursday's 6-5 debacle to Nashville that his team is mentally "gone" does not inspire confidence.

Saying practice the next day was canceled? Uh, no. Not cool. I'm all for mental breaks, but the three-day break obviously didn't yield anything positive. There are still 82 games in a season, kids.

So does the team start firing people? Trading people? What will get this team going again?

Or at least get them to ten wins?

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Uncle, Dammit! UNCLE!!!!

2011-12-23T06:31:00.000-05:00

There aren't enough four-letter words.

You remember that part in A Christmas Story, where the narrator discusses his father weaving "a tapestry of profanity that, to this day is still unmatched"?

The Old Man had nothing on me during the third period last night.

Of course, if you're in Nashville, then the words you're looking for are "Holy $#!+..."

But in Columbus? Well... hockey died a little on Thursday.

Can an NHL coach get fired this close to Christmas?

We just might find out today. It's sad, but... it's time.

If my memory is correct, the current "Fired NHL Coaches" count is sitting at five. One of them, Washington, was even above .500 when they pulled the trigger. Hell, St. Louis was only a game below .500 when they canned Davis Payne.

Never mind what the hell you say to a guy who has coached your team to a 9-21-4 record through 34 games... how quickly do you say it?

Even in his best mood, ghosts and all, Ebenezer Scrooge would be saying "Cratchitt, take Christmas off! You know what... take the next day off, too!

"There's a game then? Bah, we'll make it work!"

And then change all the locks.

You can bet your pucks that the Ghost of Hockey Seasons Yet To Come showed Scrooge last night's game. On repeat.

A hat trick by Jeff Carter in the first period, en route to a 4-1 lead in the first period. Four power play goals... three of which came on a five-minute power play after the Predators' resident lumberjackass Brian McGrattan boarded Jared Boll.

All of those great plays... those highlights... and yet, it's really hard for Jackets fans to give a $#!+.

Why? Because the team has apparently stopped giving a $#!+.

You know that whole "cooler heads prevail" thing I was preaching some time ago? Yeah, that attitude is now a scratch. A very un-healthy scratch.

The Jackets are 10 or 11 regulation losses away from mathematical elimination (loose estimate, based on 95 points for the 8th seed). The odds are damn near impossible for the Jackets to win enough games to scrape out that Playoff spot now.

(Okay, they probably were a week ago... maybe two.)

(Okay, three.)

I understand the front office's previous stance about the injuries, and how fans needed to see the roster that Scott Howson built before making a decision on Scott Arniel.

Well, for the steps forward the Jackets have taken since then, they have taken more steps back. The team is now in worse shape than before.

The best the Jackets can hope for is to fight their way back to...

...well, "respectability" is off the table.

How about "some shred of dignity"?

There's an old joke that says, "You know you're going to have a bad day when your boss calls you into the office, and tells you to leave your coat on."

I'm sensing Scott Arniel is about to have a very bad day.

It's sad, but... it's time.

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National Disgrace... Or Lost In Translation...?

2011-12-21T04:19:00.000-05:00

It's a sad day when one of the finest players of his time in his particular sport can manage to do a complete 180 and become a national disgrace.

No, not Mark McGwire... I'm talking about a watchable sport.

Peter Forsberg -- who won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001, and scored the gold-medal winning shootout goal at the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994 -- turns out that he might have been part of an Olympic dive... in the Winter Games in 2006.

Or... it's all a big misunderstanding.

In a documentary about his life, Forsberg has supposedly admitted Sweden may have tanked against Slovakia in 2006 to secure an easier path to the Gold Medal that didn't involve a game against the Russians or the Canadians. The Swedes lost to Slovakia 3-0, but then won three straight win the Gold against Finland.

Is anyone else having a hard time not feeling a little sick? Just a little?

I know I'm a little ill at the prospect that there is any truth to this, as a fan of this great sport. The very idea of tanking in general bothers me. Normally when you hear about it, it has something to do with phoning in the rest of the season in order to improve your draft position... like the Cavaliers supposedly did in order to get Lebron James.

Now, this is a little different, because this is one of those cases which tanking actually gave Sweden a competitive edge at the time... on the ice in the tournament. Sure, there is always a chance that this little plan could have backfired and Sweden doesn't win the gold in 2006.

However, what upsets me -- and I would assert any hockey fan -- is this: If you're going to tank on the ice... the Olympics would be the POOREST choice of venue to do so.

Keep in mind... this is all during the era of NHL players on Olympic teams. It's a situation in which you hear NHL players gushing about what a holy honor it is to be able to play for their home countries in the Olympics.

Represent their home nations.

Win Gold for their homelands.

What does it say to the world if a bunch of players were willing to put on their nation's uniform in the Olympics... and take a freakin' DIVE?

Still not sure? Okay, try this little twist…

What does it say about a national hockey team that would take a dive because they're essentially scared to play Russia or Canada?

For the record, two players have denied this already, including team captain Mats Sundin.

But why would Peter Forsberg say it? Why would Sweden's greatest hockey player place his own reputation, and the reputations of his teammates -- his countrymen -- in doubt?

Or did he even say it? Why don't we know for sure?

Hell, why isn't there an independent translation of this interview yet?

If there is any truth to this, what does that say about Sweden? About the NHL? How about the NHL's participation in the Olympics?

I, for one, would say this would bolster my argument against continuing to send NHL players to the Olympics. Hell, as a hockey fan, I wouldn't care who was playing. I'd still watch it... and I think most hockey fans would. There are plenty of young players out there around the world who would love to have the opportunity to play for their national teams.

I seriously doubt you'd ever hear anyone talking about tanking if the Olympics went back to non-NHL players. Representing your nation in the Olympics is a privilege... one that should be reserved for those who work hard to get there.

And leave no doubt that they would work for it, and leave everything on the ice.

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Out Of The Cellar...(?)

2011-12-14T02:23:00.000-05:00

For sure… putting away the shootout in only two rounds would have been nice. Steve Mason's letting in the second shot from Alexandre biter-- er, Burrows... perhaps added a little suspense to a situation in which Columbus Blue Jackets fans could do without the suspense. However, the wrister from James Wisniewski that slipped just between the post and Roberto Luongo's left skate shut the door on any further, unnecessary suspense.

Thus, the Jackets split a pair of games with each of the defending conference champions from last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As a bonus, the Jackets have also, for the time being, climbed out of the cellar of the Western Conference. No, really! Look!

CBJ not in 15th! It's on NHL.com, so it MUST be true!

Now, the Jackets obviously have way to go to reach 13th. However, no one said the climb was easy

Make no mistake about it... the climb to the Playoff line is pretty freaking monumental right now. We are at the 30 game mark now. That means the blue jackets have 52 games remaining in theh season… of which they need to win about 37 to get in (this is just an estimate, of course, based on the final standings of the last several years).

Hey, when you're a CBJ fan obsessed with making the Playoffs, especially after such a godawful start… you crunch numbers like this. When you're really bad, you lie awake doing this. It's our lot in life.

So, yeah, winning 71-75 percent -- see? I'm doing it now! -- of your remaining games is a pretty hefty task.

Doable? Sure.

Herculean? Absolutely.

But doable.

Speaking of doable... after playing a crazy-good stint in net all game, I thought Steve Mason was toast when I saw him go down on his side. I thought for sure he popped a groin or something... seemed like the most logical conclusion after seeing a guy down on the ice for that long after that split he did. Thankfully, it wasn't, and he got back in net after Curtis Sanford held down the fort for a few minutes. Man, that had to be some damn painful cramping to give people a scare like that.

It was Mason's first start since mid-November. However, on this night, Steve Mason was the freakin' man in the crease tonight.

And if he keeps that kind of stuff up in net... this season is still doable.

And dammit... I'll believe it's doable until it isn't.

Two more games left in the homestand, and the Kings are up next on Thursday.

Watch the throne....
Go Jackets!

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Going For Another Turnaround...

2011-12-10T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Boston Bruins are eight games above .500. The Columbus Blue Jackets are eight games below .500.

Mismatch? On paper... absolutely.

On the ice... not so fast.

"Jackets vs. Bruins: Episode I" was also a mismatch on paper, when these teams met three weeks ago. The Jackets were at a dismal 3-13-1 record, while the Bruins were (at the time) gunning for their seventh straight win, which they got on route to a crazy 14-0-1 run that stretched through all of November and into December. Since then, they have dropped two straight. That includes an unthinkable shutout by Jose Theodore. Actually, it's not that unthinkable, as Theodore usually doesn't shut down until the Playoffs... but, I digress.

The Jackets lost the teams' first meeting in a shootout three weeks ago. However, in the process the team seemed to kind of find the proverbial "on switch," and managed to build on that game, winning three of their next four, and earning a five-game point streak. Unfortunately, the Jackets regressed a bit in a few games since, and find themselves still last in the Western Conference.

So tonight... Columbus finds itself in a similar situation to the last time they played the Bruins.

After a soul-crushing OT loss to the Nashville Predators Thursday night, Columbus desperately finds itself desperately needing to turn it around, if there to have any chance of salvaging the season -- and let me just express just how messed up it is when you're saying those words in December.

Apparently, Mrs. Martini's favorite well-spoken NHL player Tim Thomas is expected to get the start tonight. Too bad, really, because I had a dream the other night that the Blue Jackets lit up Tuukka Rask in this game. And no, I don't even claim that any of my dreams mean anything… if you look at my preseason picks, it is clear (at least at this point) that I apparently do not possess the gift of prophecy.

Besides... a one-goal win is good enough for me. Two points is two points. Curtis Sanford and the Jackets just need to really, really earn those two points tonight, against a damn good hockey team.

But they did it before, in front of a raucous crowd in a tough arena three weeks ago. They can do it again on home ice.

Go Jackets!

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Potentially Making Matters Worse...

2011-12-09T01:29:00.002-05:00

Coach Scott Arniel's... ummmm, "paraphrased" comments to the media might be the least of the Columbus Blue Jackets' worries when practice opens this morning.

The media in Nashville's already talking about it. So... just so no one's surprised amid the obvious frustration over the Jackets' come-from-ahead OT loss...

...the Jackets may very well go up against Boston on Saturday without one of their better defensemen of late.

At issue is the hit Nikita Nikitin put on Patric Hornqvist almost immediately after he scored the goal to pull the Preds to 3-2, a hit Preds coach Barry Trotz says is worthy of a suspension, per PuckScene.

Since it happened right after the goal... there is actually video of the hit to peruse.

I won't kid you... I don't think this will turn out well. I think the Jackets will be without Nikitin for a couple games. That's just my guess. It definitely looks like Nikitin's elbow is going into Hornqvist's back, and Hornqvist goes dangerously into the boards. The good news is that he managed to turn his body to ensure he didn't go into the boards head-first, and he returned to the ice.

I don't think Brendan Shanahan will ignore the fact that the hit was from behind.

It's a spot on what was otherwise a relatively good evening for Nikitin... as he tallied an assist, which was his 10th point in his 13 games with the CBJ.

If this goes the way I think it will, that playmaking ability will be missed on Saturday.

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A Point Wasted...

2011-12-09T00:26:00.000-05:00

It's enough to make one sick, really.

I mean, I have a strong stomach, but the collapse in that we witnessed by the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Nashville Predators was as epic in its illness-inducement, as it was in its sheer speed and severity.

The Jackets let the Predators threaten in the last couple minutes of the first period, but Curtis Sanford managed to keep the Preds out of the net, despite the increased pressure.

Still, even then, it seemed like the Jackets would be okay. Jeff Carter had scored a phantom goal that nobody saw until the War Room in Toronto took a look at it during a stoppage in play.

Yes! Really! The freakin' BLUE JACKETS got a phantom goal! AND the War Room got it right!

But I digress....

The backhand shot that Antoine Vermette roofed over Pekka Rinne kept the good feeling up for a while, even after Mr. Carrie Underwood cut the lead to 2-1 not two-and-a-half minutes later.

Even Derek Dorsett continued his insane, increased contributions to the CBJ, with his wrister past Pekka Rinne at 1:24 of the third period.

Then the Preds pulled their goaltender.

Like any Jackets fan... I'm sensing blood in the water. My next Tweet said it all:

[NOTE TO SELF: Next time you tell your team to put that "last nail in the coffin"... it's a good idea to specify WHICH coffin.]

One goal off a rebound, one shitty penalty (hey... Arniel said it) and one power play goal later... bam. The Blue Jackets had blown a lead and had OT forced on them... for a second straight game. Exactly the thing I'd discussed earlier this week.

The rest is history. Sick... infuriating... profanity-laced history.

Vermette's backhander. Wasted.

Dorsett's sweet cruise through the slot for a goal. Wasted.

A phantom goal from the blithering idiots in the War Room... who routinely BLOW such a call. Wasted.

That all-important second point.

Wasted.

And it has to stop....

...STILL.

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Miller Saga Continues: Puck To Face Disciplinary Hearing

2011-12-08T04:27:00.002-05:00

This has now gotten to the point of ridiculous.

A little over three weeks ago, Ryan Miller was a damn good goaltender who just happened to be in a slump. Then a couple days later, he was a d-bag who took to the press to insult and complain about a player who ran into him after he came at least 20 feet out of his crease to race the player to the puck and won by a half second. Then he became a crybaby demanding a suspension for a collision that was partially his fault.

Then he became a little bit of a hothead, as he pummeled Jordin Tootoo, after Tootoo crashed into him in his first start back from the concussion he sustained because of the aforementioned collision that was partially his fault. Then he became a crybaby again, demanding a suspension for hit that -- to his credit -- was not partially his fault this time.

Last night, I was almost to the point where I was actually starting to feel bad for Ryan Miller, when I found out he took a puck to the face after one of his own guys inadvertently knocked off his mask against the Philadelphia Flyers.

So for those keeping track at home, a quick recap… in his last three starts, Ryan Miller has sustained a concussion, been plowed into by an opposing player, and had his mask knocked off by his own teammate and almost immediately took a puck to the face.

Again, it's almost enough to make you feel sorry for him, because he is apparently the unluckiest goaltender in the NHL right now.

Then I read this little item in the Buffalo News. You see, after fellow blogger @derdrache made a comment about Miller during the Philly-Buffalo game, I immediately was curious, and theorized that maybe he broke a nail or something.

However, I waited to see highlights, and got to see Miller's rather impressive face save on Scott Hartnell's shot. Nothing about the play seemed necessarily dirty… however, I figured he would at least have something interesting to say during the post game comments. Maybe Hartnell shot the puck in his face on purpose, or there was intent to injure on the part of the puck or something stupid like that. Wouldn't be the first time he or Lindy Ruff shared conspiracy theories this season, after all.

So, I figured check out the Buffalo News to find out. Well, apparently Miller has had problems keeping his mask on this season. The News reports that Miller has worked with more padding this year to try and protect himself from a concussion like one he sustained last gear from a slapshot.

Unfortunately for Miller, the padding has presented a problem in the fact that his mask keeps coming off, or as he tells the paper, "apparently it's not keeping it on my head […] I got to get a way to make that thing stay on a little tighter."

Why, yes, Mr. Miller... I believe they're called stronger STRAPS.

Miller went on to share that he has tried different things with his helmets, and his helmet has come off four or five times this year. "I'll have to go to the drawing board on that because this is too much..."

Wow... ya think?

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Closing The Deal

2011-12-07T21:24:00.000-05:00

Now, I'm the last person you'd ever hear complain about two points. A win is a win, is a win.

However, this whole "letting teams stay in the game way too long" thing has got to happen a lot less often.

Our Columbus Blue Jackets escaped Montréal with two points Tuesday night.

Don't get me wrong… the fact they got two points is all that really matters in the big picture. And we love good close games, one-goal games, and even overtime games and shootouts. Seeing Rick Nash sealing up the last two shootout wins is even sweeter.

However, this game should not have taken 65 minutes and a shootout. This isn't impugning Montréal's talent... my concern is more with the timing. The two goals the Jackets gave up -- both of which tied the game at the time – came with 1.5 seconds remaining in the first, and about a minute-and-a-half left in the third period.

Simply put, Jackets need to learn how to be better finishers.

They essentially played 58 minutes of hockey Tuesday. No, wait… make that 63 minutes of hockey, because they only played 58 minutes. This team, however, was built to play 60... and has the talent and -- sorry, it has to be said -- payroll that screams the expectations of not needing the extra five minutes to take care of business.

How many times have the Blue Jackets been burned by game-tying and/or even game-winning goals (sometimes even in the same game) in the closing minutes, and be left to either settle for one point... or worse... zero? We don't even have to think as far back as the first few seasons against San Jose to come up with an example (man, it sure seemed like that happen a lot against the Sharks, though).
Hell, look at the Ottawa game in Oct-- you know, on second thought... let's not.

It's not that the Canadiens aren't good, but... well, they're not by any means great, even by Eastern Conference standards. Sure, some good young guys are coming up, and in the hodgepodge that's left, a couple veterans are providing some leadership. And to his credit, Carey Price (if my calculations are correct) has lasted longer than any goaltender in Montréal in the post-Roy era... and they have gone through more than a couple flashes in the pan in the last 16 years. Hell, even Price himself had a couple forgettable seasons before the semi-Renaissance he's having now.

The point is, the Jackets need to put away the winnable games. Ottawa was in hand. Colorado in October was in hand. Montréal was in hand. When you have the lead, you finish the damn job in regulation, because the league keeps track of those now, and subtracts shootout wins for the first tiebreaker when the season's over.

Now, of course, the Jackets have a ways to go before they have to worry about tiebreakers.

But fix this issue before it becomes a real problem... and the rest will work itself out.

The good guys are back home, and Nashville's next. Go Jackets!

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Well... It Doesn't (Completely) Suck...

2011-12-06T01:19:00.000-05:00

Well, Detroit will not move east... if for no other reason than, well... there is essentially no East anymore.

Columbus will also not move east... because, well... there is essentially no East anymore.

However, the Board of Governors did not push the Doomsday Red (Wings) Button I envisioned Monday, to essentially nuke the Eastern Conference out of Stanley Cup Final... because well... there is essentially no East anymore.

Instead, the Board approved a new, four-conference plan that will ease the travel schedules of both Columbus and Detroit -- who had the largest stake, in terms of traveling two to three time zones away for major road trips -- and make it so every team will travel and visit every arena in the NHL every year.

Some things will not change much for the Jackets. For one, they will still be in the league's toughest division... except now it's called a "conference." So, that whole "getting to the postseason" thing won't get any easier.

Long story short... the NHL will have four conferences, currently named in a "letter format," but expected to reflect on their geographic position, from the early Twitter chatter I've seen so far.

Conferences A and B are essentially made up of the former Western Conference teams plus Winnipeg. Conference B takes Minnesota from the former Northwest, Winnipeg from the former Southeast, and Dallas from the former Pacific Division. Conference A features the rest of the Pacific (San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Anaheim) with the addition of the rest of the Northwest (Colorado, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary).

Meanwhile, in the former Eastern Conference, Florida and Tampa Bay from the former Southeast with join the former Northeast Division of Boston, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Buffalo to form Conference C. Washington and Carolina then join Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the New Yorks and New Jersey to form Conference D.

So, as covered in the league's release, Conferences A and B have eight teams apiece, and C and D have seven apiece. The 82-game schedule remains intact. The teams in C and D will play the teams within their conferences six times each (36 games), and play a home-and-home against the other 23 teams (46). Teams in A and B will have a home-and-home with each of the 22 teams outside the division (44 games), and play the remaining 38 games against teams within the conference. Thus, each team would play three conference teams six times (18), and the other four teams five times (20). In subsequent years, they'd go on a rotational basis, so they'll play six games against an opponent in Year Two, if they played them five times in Year One, and so forth.

The Playoffs... now, this where it gets a little rough. According to the league's plan, the top four teams in each conference get into the Playoffs. That's it. So, it doesn't matter how many teams are better in one Conference versus teams in another conference. If Conference B's 6th-place team is better than Conference A's 2nd-place team... tough.

No top seeds for division leaders anymore. Finish fourth or better... or you're golfing in April.

Each conference's top four teams will be seeded, and play out the first two rounds to determine each conference champion. Then the conference champions will play in the third round... although the league has not figured out exactly how the semifinal round will be seeded yet.

So... there it is. The road to the Playoffs certainly doesn't get easier... does it necessarily get harder? Meh.

On one hand, being in Conference B with the current Central Division plus Minnesota, Dallas and Winnipeg (they won't suck forever) is definitely going to be challenging.

However, it's also fairly simple. The Jackets know where the bar is. They have to reach that bar like they would any other year. They have, at worst, one dreaded Western Canada Road Trip per year instead of two, one California road trip instead of two. Sure there's quite a bit of travel within Conference B (man, I hope they come up with some good names), but at worst, it's a one-hour time change.

It's not as good as going East, where the Jackets have performed fairly well the last few years, but it will have to do.

At least it's not as bad as Detroit going East.

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Last Word on Realignment(?)

2011-12-05T14:51:00.002-05:00

There is a chance that we might get the final answer this week about whether Columbus will move to the Eastern Conference of the NHL for the 2012-13 season. It has been a hot topic, especially in the cities of Columbus, Detroit, and Nashville. All three teams would certainly love to take Winnipeg's place in the East.

And why not? After all, the winner of the Eastern conference sweepstakes truly has greener pastures waiting on the other side.

Now, I do not think I'm the only one (in fact I think it's a pretty acceptable assumption) that a Columbus/Nashville/Detroit-for-Winnipeg swap into the Eastern Conference and Southeast Division is highly unlikely. With Winnipeg lying so much further west than Detroit and Nashville (and even Minnesota, in the Northwest Division), I think a directs swap putting Winnipeg into the Central is just weird, though Nashville and perhaps even Columbus would be at least okay geographically for the Southeast.

Now, do I think that an adjustment of the six division format is workable? Probably. However, I would have to say that I somewhat favor the idea of a four-division alignment that allows at least a home-and-home series against every team. I do very much like the idea of being able to play teams like Detroit (because Columbus in Detroit likely will be split up), Pittsburgh, and Boston at least twice each year. I think it's good for this sport when everyone has a chance to visit every arena. So, I think that's how the NHL is going to make it work.

However that same lingering question is burning in three cities: Who gets to move east?

Well, for the sake of argument, I have compiled a short list of pros and cons for Columbus, Detroit, and Nashville.

Let's start with COLUMBUS:

Pros
1) It gets Columbus out of the Central Division. Let's face it, being in the Central is murder. Moving east helps the team in terms of being able to compete. While boosting the Eastern Conference with a better team that makes the conference tougher.
2) It makes sense geographically... Columbus is at least east of Detroit (which I suppose is a kind of weak argument, as the difference is like a fraction of a degree on the globe).
3) It's almost as fun to hate Pittsburgh as it is to hate Detroit.

Cons
1) Honestly, despite how lopsided it is, I'd miss playing Detroit six times a season. They are a very hated (and natural) rival.
2) Whether Detroit or Columbus moves, Columbus would likely lose a couple easy sellouts of Nationwide Arena. Whether the fans in red sweaters are actually real Detroit fans or just WalMart WingNuts, they're still selling out Nationwide Arena and spending money.

Now let's look at DETROIT:

Pros (for them)
1) Easily steamroll through the Eastern Conference, guaranteed Stanley Cup Finals berth for at least the next 3-4 years.

Pros (for league)
1) Make good on some supposed promise Gary Bettman made to Mike Ilitch.
2) Quiet the whining Red Wing masses who want the team to have easy travel in the Playoffs, because it's SO HARD being in the Western Conference. (News flash, Detroit: Your team has won four Cups in the last 15 years as a member of the Western Conference... only New Jersey and Colorado have more than one in that span... your team is doing just fine).

Cons
1) See "Pros (for them)" above.
2) Five of the Original Six would be in the Eastern Conference, and that's too lopsided. It's bad marketing for the Original Six. You need at least one Original Six pairing in a conference. Detroit vs. Chicago? C'mon... that's classic right there
3) Easy incentive for Todd Bertuzzi to re-sign with Detroit... sign one more year, win Cup, and retire having spit in the face of the sport of hockey one last time.

Finally, NASHVILLE:

Pros
1) Similarly to Columbus, gets Preds out of the Central Division. Despite its success, Nashville is having a hard time consistently keeping up with the leaders of the pack in Detroit and Chicago.
2) Similarly to Columbus, gives the Eastern Conference a better and tougher team. Good potential to develop some good regional rivalries, however the NHL winds up realigning the teams in the Southeastern U.S.

Cons
1) I guess the Central would miss them. They're a damn good hockey team that helps make the Central as tough as it is, but a four-division realignment would probably remedy that, anyway.

To my fellow Blue Jackets fans... I'll be completely honest. I'm not holding my breath for Columbus to move East.

For the record, whatever the divisional format may be -- and biased I very well am -- I think the Jackets absolutely should move east.

I think the Original Six argument I stated above is just as compelling an argument against Detroit, as the fact that Detroit would crush the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future. However, if Gary Bettman made some sort of foolish promise to Mike Ilitch years ago for preferential treatment come realignment time, then my money says he's more than likely going to kiss that ass, so he doesn't come out looking like a hypocrite.

Thus, the Jackets will have to make the best of it.

Or, just hope that the governors in the Eastern Conference realize that putting Detroit in the Eastern Conference would be suicide, and vote down the plan.

Or at least hope that Bertuzzi takes up lion taming, or cliff-jumping or something, before the 2012-13 season.

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Tootoo Flies, Miller Cries... Here We Go Again

2011-12-05T12:16:00.007-05:00

I don't know, this one just might come down to a coin flip.

Ryan Miller's and Lindy Ruff's sad soap opera It's Open Season On Goaltenders didn't take long to enter its newest chapter, as Ryan Miller was involved in a collision on his first start back from a concussion, which he sustained three weeks or so ago when he collided with Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins.

This time, the aggressor was none other than Nashville's resident thug, Jordin Tootoo. Tootoo was on, believe it or not, a scoring chance in the Buffalo zone, when he cut toward the net with the puck, then lost the puck an instant before flying into Miller's face and upper body.

Miller, as he brags to the media afterwards, was ready for the hit this time, and Tootoo had barely hit the ice before Miller was on top of him and pounding on him.

Now, don't get me wrong... I love seeing Jordin Tootoo get pounded on as much is the next guy outside of Nashville. However, I'm not entirely convinced that this was all Tootoo's fault.

To be fair, I'm not entirely sure that it isn't, either.

Check out the video from NHL.com, and you'll see what I mean:

Miller, predictably, was mad. He noted that Tootoo is the kind of guy who will "come hard to the net every time." That's absolutely true. Let's also keep in mind, however, that if there was a player who would consider running a goaltender, it's Jordan Tootoo. That's just the kind of player he is.

The cats over at Preds On The Glass characterize this debate as "open season on goalies" vs. "hockey play gone awry." I probably couldnt put it better myself.

Obviously, the Buffalo Sabres are very sensitive about this matter, because this is the same goaltender who was knocked out three weeks ago, because of -- let's be honest -- a stupid, stupid play by Miller. Lucic did not receive a suspension, and rightfully so.

I have to tell you, though, I'm having a hard time figuring out who's at fault in this one. Here are the possibilities:

1. Jordin Tootoo was just being Jordan Tootoo, and was running at Miller, just like Miller (and coach Ruff)claim.
2. Jordin Tootoo is just being Jordin Tootoo, and got caught in a bad angle, because let's face it… he's just not that good of a hockey player... and his clumsy ass barreled into Miller.
3. Jordin Tootoo was pushed. If you watch the video, it does appear that Tootoo is getting a push from Christian Ehrhoff right before the collision. Danny Gare says Ehrhoff got a poke check in there. (Sorry, Danny, Tootoo lost the puck on his own. Anyway, Ehrhoff does seem to push Tootoo... or he just as likely could have been trying to keep Tootoo from hitting Miller, because Ehrhoff get have his arm around Tootoo enough that he lost his stick and right glove as Tootoo hit Miller.

This, of course is easy to analyze when we have the luxury of slow-motion. We have to keep in mind that when the incident is happening in a matter of seconds, we can only assume so much. It also makes it difficult to prove intent.

Obviously, it's easy to blame Tootoo, because again, that is the kind of player he is. However, because Miller (and Coach Ruff) made such a stink over the lack of suspension in the Lucic incident brings to mind the "boy who cried wolf" scenario.

It will be interesting to see what NHL disciplinary guru Brendan Shanahan decides. My best guess is that -- with the Miller-Lucic hit still fresh in the league's mind, and with many in the hockey world clamoring for better protection of goaltenders – Tootoo will sit a few games.

It is a decision that will likely piss off both sides -- Buffalo will consider the suspension too short, and the Preds will be mad there's a suspension at all. But there's a saying (although I admittedly have no idea to set it first) that if both parties are upset with the decision, it just might be the right decision.

So, I think Shanahan will err on the side of caution and hand down the suspension.

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Running On Fumes

2011-12-03T01:01:00.000-05:00

As I sit down the write this, Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel has just said the team "played like a team playing three games in four nights."

It's true... they certainly did. Problem is, there are teams that can do that and get better results. The other problem... the Jackets are not one of those teams.

They should be, though.

This team was built to succeed, and seemed headed in that direction again. Now, it feels like they're back to where they were at the end of October. Twenty-four hours after coming back from two goals down to beat Calgary, the Jackets not only quickly lost a one-goal, third-period lead... they were lit up by a 5-1 margin in the third period alone.

It makes the efforts by Mark Letestu and Derek Dorsett seem... well, wasted. And those goals were beauties, too... especially Dorsett's first one, taking advantage of a turnover and tickling twine as he was hopping over Devan Dubnyk.

Per Fox Ohio, the Jackets won't stop at home before playing Tuesday in Montreal in the Bell Centre. Still, there's some time to work out some kinks -- and more importantly, rest and/or heal -- before then.

They certainly need something to click before then.

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Trying To Get Back On Track...

2011-12-02T19:45:00.001-05:00

It's a sad fact: It's easy to write off this team this year.

Especially when said team is down 3-1, with four minutes and change to go in the game. Few teams come back from deficits like that. Only good teams come back from deficits like that, right?

Well, this situation would certainly bum out a team in the Blue Jackets' situation.

However, the unthinkable happened. The Jackets did not fold.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Nikita Nikitin continued his impressive play since joining the Blue Jackets, and manage to put the puck past Miikka Kiprusoff, -- just off of the face off, no less -- with just over four minutes remaining. Then, Rick Nash deflected another shot by Nikitin with just 58 seconds left to tie it up and earn the Jackets the first point.

Then again, that's the easy part. Getting the second point? That has been tough.

However, that was before last night. The Jackets continued the tough and gritty play in the overtime, and wound up forcing the shootout.

That, of course, has also been a problem for the Jackets this year. However, Rick Nash scored the only goal of the shootout to get the Jackets the second point they so desperately needed... and finally earned.

It was about time.

Tonight, Columbus goes into Rexall Place in Edmonton, for a game against the Oilers, who started out as one of the surprise teams in the NHL, looking like they were perhaps a year ahead of schedule for their return to respectability.

But after a 3-6-1 run in their last ten, the Oilers are muddled in the mix of Northwest Division teams on the outside looking in. However, they are only two points out of the current three-way tie for seventh. Meanwhile, Columbus has a chance to get out of the Western Conference cellar tonight, should Anaheim lose to Philadelphia.

A small step, to be sure. No one said the climb would be easy, though.

The good news is that the good guys get a little more of a break after tonight and before a road game at Montreal. It certainly would be nice to get a good showing on a long Canadian road trip.

And more good news... remember that Kristian Huselius guy we haven't seen in what seems like forever? He might be putting in an appearance tonight!

Go Jackets!

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(And, as always, thanks for stopping by... after catching up on some stuff, I realized that I haven't posted in like a week. So... thanks!)

Jackets at Devils: Not Totally Satisfying, But...

2011-11-24T01:44:00.001-05:00

It's a loss.

However, it's a loss in a shootout... which means the Columbus Blue Jackets are still at least climbing. Getting that second point is still a concern, especially given Curtis Sanford's woes in the shootout (4 of 9 going in, 4-10 coming out).

But the Jackets are moving up. You just can't tell in the standings because they were so far down to begin with... but it is happening. The Jackets have earned points in their last four games (2-0-2), and three of those games were on the road. That zero in the middle is important... but so is the second point.

That point was hard to come by, though, because Martin Brodeur was doing his best "younger Martin Brodeur" impression -- and doing a damn good job of it, for all the shots the Jackets put on him.

However, despite his aforementioned (and continued) shootout woes, Curtis Sanford matched Brodeur's effort, only letting in one goal from a New Jersey team with a lot of weapons. It's hard to be too disappointed in that, because Sanford is a major reason for that 2-0-2 record in the last four.

Another easy game puck goes to Jared Boll, who not only kept playing after taking a head-on hit that likely knocked his broken nose around a bit... but managed to get in front of the net after a hit in the corner, and deflect in the game-tying goal six minutes into the third period.

The Jackets have confidence, after four good games against good teams. The key will be to keep it going for two homes games against two more good teams. Friday brings a rematch with the Sabres, who led the Northeast Division before falling Wednesday to the Bruins -- who still have not lost in November. Then the Jackets take on their old mentor on Sunday, as Ken Hitchcock brings the Blues to town. Hitch and the Blues are 5-1-2 since his hiring. Like I said before, Hitch will make the Jackets' climb tougher.

But the Jackets are still climbing. And that's what matters.

And as we sit down with loved ones and enjoy our turkey and the inevitable turkey coma to come... that is something to be thankful for.

(Just don't mention it at grace... unless you know for sure you can get away with it....)

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Well, Yes, They Call It A Streak (Boogity Boogity)*

2011-11-21T22:54:00.001-05:00

Don't look now... the Columbus Blue Jackets are on a point/win streak.

Yes! Really!

Beginning with the Jackets' shootout loss in Boston, the CBJ have put up five of a possible six points since Thursday. All three wins are also credited to Curtis Sanford, who may be starting for a while... not just for his hot hand, but also for the fact that Steve Mason was apparently hurt by a puck to the mask in practice.

It's good to know there's protection for the Jackets' net in the meantime, as Sanford turned in yet another stellar performance.

Speaking of stellar performances, the CBJ got another one of those from Jeff Carter, who opened the scoring with a beauty of a wrister from the left circle, then popped in a rebound during a two-man advantage in the second to put the Jackets up 3-1. Vinny Prospal continued his solid play by chipping in three assists, and Rick Nash made people feel a whole lot better by notching his first goal in eight games.

And what the hell was that goal by Antoine Vermette to put the Jackets up 2-0? Flipping the puck with the blade of his stick from inside the ankle? I could have sworn I heard Bill Davidge say guys practice this move, and my first thought was, "Sure, they practice it, but the odds of such a situation coming up in a game...?"

The Blue Jackets looked solid overall. Sanford made 27 saves. The Jackets capitalized on a 5-on-3 situation and went 1-for-3 on the power play. Would've been nice to keep Calgary's power play off the board, but the win is what's important.

From here, the Jackets hit the road for a game in New Jersey, before coming home on Friday to try to even the series with Buffalo. Keeping this streak going...? It's doable... especially if the Jackets continue to play like this.

But no more speculation... I've already said too much. One game at a time....

Go Jackets!

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*-Apologies to Ray Stevens

CBJ at Nashville: A Curse Broken...

2011-11-20T02:06:00.001-05:00

Where does one start?

A hockey team off to its worst start in franchise history goes into a building in which it has not won since April of 2006...

...and wins.

The last goaltender to win in Nashville was Pascal Leclaire (wow... remember him?). Since then, the Blue Jackets have started five different goaltenders:

Fredrik Norrena (0-5-0)
Ty Conklin (0-1-0)
Pascal Leclaire (0-2-1)
Steve Mason (0-3-3)
Mathieu Garon (0-1-1)

Those goaltenders combined for an 0-12-5 record.

And Curtis Sanford freaking did it.

Now, that's not to say he didn't have help. In fact, the Blue Jackets got help from the kind of guys they needed most... their primary and secondary scoring.

Jeff Carter finally got that first goal as a Jacket on a shot from the slot that somehow flew right past Pekka Rinne. Vinny Prospal flipped a gorgeous backhander under Rinne's glove to tie the game at 2-2, barely two minutes after Mike Unde-- sorry, my bad... Mr. Carrie Underwood gave the Preds the lead.

R.J. Umberger finally gave the Jackets the lead early in the third, knocking a rebound into a wide-open net for the second of two power play goals on the night.

Giving up the game-tying goal late in the third tends to be scary when you're a Columbus fan. However, James Wisniewski's OT winner made the slip forgivable. Rick Nash didn't score, but he was still a factor with a pair of assists.

I know there has been a focus on fighting and violence in hockey... but any way you slice it, there is something about fists in Jordin Tootoo's face that just makes a Blue Jackets fan smile... especially he fact that once his sissy-slap antics were over, he almost fell over before Derek Dorsett started beating him. Dors flung the stick a bit far in the process of dropping he gloves, but... oh, well.

Jared Boll giving up 20 pounds to McGrattan... less wise. Don't know where they found that guy, but... yikes.

Still, there is nothing that makes a Jackets feel good like seeing the Jackets get that Nashville road monkey of their backs. Especially the timing of it. A point in Boston on the road, two in Nashville, and coming back home against Calgary? Not a bad situation to be in, if you're the good guys... coming off the road with confidence for quite possibly the first time all season.

Whether the Jackets will capitalize on that is the big question.

But we can enjoy this moment for now -- however briefly. There is still a lot of hockey to be played... the Jackets will be playing night-on, night-off for the next week and a half, until a back-to-back with Calgary and Edmonton on December 1 and 2 to wrap the team's first Western Canada Road Trip.

But... hey, one game at a time.

Go Jackets!

Beaten... But Not Completely Bruined...

2011-11-18T21:00:00.002-05:00

Let's start with the bad news: The Columbus Blue Jackets are still ten games below .500.

Now the good news: The Jackets aren't 11 games below .500.

"Oh, surely it gets better than that," a casual, innocent bystander might say.

Nope. Not when a team is trying to dig out of a ten-game hole. Yet, at the same time... we're really happy it didn't get worse.

A start like the Blue Jackets have had will do that to a fan.

True, one can pull quite a few positives from Thursday night's game against the Bruins. One, the Blue Jackets kept up pretty good pressure throughout the game, against what is hailed by many as the hottest team in the NHL right now. The CBJ scored first, which certainly must have come as a shock to the Bruins faithful gathered at TD Garden last night. And, end result notwithstanding, Curtis Sanford did play one hell of a good game in net for the Jackets. Hell, the Jackets finally got their first points on the road.

However, where the Jackets are sitting, we really can't ignore that end result, nor can the team. A loss is still a loss, whether they got a point on the road or not. The Jackets should have had their first point on the road weeks ago. They held on the lead for not even 2 minutes, before the Bruins tied up again.

Where did the Jackets' goal come from? One Derek MacKenzie. Who wasn't on the score sheet? Guys like Rick Nash, Jeff Carter, Antoine Vermette, R.J. Umberger… and the list goes on. The Jackets are getting some great play from the so-called "role players." However, guys that are supposed to be scoring are still not getting there. Primary scoring, secondary scoring... none. Tuukaa Rask is a brilliant goalie, but he's still human. The guys playing in front of him are also really good, but they're still human.

Could Curtis Sanford have done anymore for the Jackets last night? Eh, probably not. Not much you can do about that weird deflection on that Bruins goal. For some reason, the goal was credited to Adam McQuaid, but it certainly seemed like it when it off Rich Peverley. Anyway, evidently Sanford will get a chance to continue to show what he can do in Nashville on Saturday. Good for him.

Considering where the Jackets are right now, it's hard to be overly positive. What can I say, I'm only human. However, that is not to say that Thursday night's loss isn't a potential starting point. The Jackets went to a very tough arena and played a damn good game against a damn good opponent (not to mention the defending Stanley Cup champions). Maybe, just maybe, that counts for something.

Although we obviously have yet to see the Blue Jackets do anything resembling building on momentum, that doesn't mean they can't. Just because we haven't seen that competitive fire consistently doesn't mean it isn't there.

Is this a "keep the faith" moment? Well, maybe it is. Like I said before the game, this game against the Bruins would be a good time to take a page from the Bruins book, fix what is wrong, and see if you can't get a monster streak started. No one ever sad that streak had to begin with a win. Maybe that measly point just enough to get these guys started.

That's not me being overly optimistic... that's just speculation based on a technicality.

Go Jackets!

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A Brief Open Letter To Ryan Miller...

2011-11-17T04:58:00.000-05:00

Mr. Miller:

Really?

Given... Milan Lucic went on the radio and said some stupid crap about the hit, threw out a theory about a hit in the second period that might have caused your "concussion," and so forth.

I hope you get well soon. I'm glad you're not so woozy that you can't continue to talk about the hit and how bitter you are about there not being a suspension against Lucic. But at some point, you need to concentrate on getting better and getting back on the ice.

Read: Shut the hell up already.

You're probably the best American-born goaltender of the last 10-15 years. I know... the depth chart's not great on that, but take it for what it's worth. You're an Olympic Silver Medalist (and were only one Disney Crosby goal away from Gold), you've brought the Buffalo Sabres back to respectability and consistent contention.

But, Mr. Miller, you made a bad decision. You decided to get into a race that could very well have gotten a puck knocked into your net. You raced Milan Lucic to the puck. Hell, you even won.

However... you won by a half-second. You can say all you want, like you did to ESPN, that "[Lucic] can skate. He can stop. He can turn. He can pick his head up."

In a half-second? Really? From full speed, a guy is able to put on the brakes, veer off, dust off the snow and say, "Whoa, ol' boy... almost had a spot of a collision there, I dare say...."

So, after the theories of what caused your injury... you "didn't know [the Bruins] were all doctors."

I don't think I ever realized what a whiny jackass a hockey player could be.

I sympathize with the pain and everything, but that's it, dude. At some point, you need to let it go. Yes, it brings up the important topic of goaltender safety, and making sure teams aren't "running the goaltenders" and so forth. I know I would be livid if someone took a shot at Steve Mason or Tim Thomas... or really anyone.

However... your situation just wasn't an example of the topic at hand.

And you and Lindy Ruff look like idiots in the process.

Have some pride, man.

Last season, Max Pacioretty went headfirst into a stanchion and sustained a freaking neck fracture, after a hit that should have meant a suspension for Zdeno Chara. Chara did not get that suspension.

Yet, Max Pacioretty, while upset at the outcome, did not complain about it nearly as much as you have about Lucic.

And this is in hockey-mad Montreal. Whatever he felt about the situation privately, he didn't fall for what I'm sure was consistent baiting from the Montreal media. Pacioretty put it behind him, focused on his recovery and suited up this year.

Try to learn something from that... because what you're doing now is just undignified.

Man the hell up. Get well soon.

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A Tale Of Two Cellar-Dwelling* Teams...

2011-11-17T04:48:00.001-05:00

Two teams... both with high hopes great personnel and great expectations. One struggled en route to another sub-par season... the other bounced back from an embarassing Playoff exit to break a 39-year Stanley Cup drought.

Yet a few weeks into the season, both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Boston Bruins were mired in dead last in their respective conferences.

October was a rough month. Columbus came into the season with high expectations, and a roster finally built for the up-tempo style that Scott Arniel touted -- a style the team desperately needed.

Meanwhile, in Boston, the Bruins -- after losing a couple guys to free agency but largely keeping the lineup intact -- fumbled and stumbled to what can only be described on the "Stanley Cup Hangover Scale" as something equivalent to waking up, falling out of bed, making your way to the living room and finding Snooki from Jersey Shore calling McDonald's to see if they'll deliver breakfast.

Needless to say, between Columbus and Boston… I was shaking my head A LOT in October.

Now it is mid-November. Although Columbus is still trying to find its way out half of a ten-games-below-.500 hole, the Bruins have won six straight and are knocking on the door of the top eight in the East. The Jackets are once again coming off another failed opportunity to get a win streak going -- after being shocked into submission by two quick Minnesota goals that tied the game, en route to a 4-2 loss.

Now, to be clear, no one picked the Jackets to win the Stanley Cup. And honestly, it seems very few even had Columbus even making the Playoffs this year. For the most part, the doubters were focused firmly on Steve Mason. To be fair, the Jackets' woes are not all on him. On quite a few occasions the team in front of Mason has been playing like $#!+. And then, of course, there are the occasions that Mason has been very, very hard to watch. This entire team has been woefully underperforming. Seems this team has no faith in their goaltender, the goaltender has no faith in the team in front of him. Most sadly... I'm not sure this team has faith in itself.

And that is deadly. This team is running out of time to get back on track, and have any reasonable expectation of even sniffing the playoff line in the Western Conference. Even the New Jersey Devils -- as godawful as they were last year -- didn't dig themselves a whole this deep, and in the long run, they fell short anyway. And that's in the weaker Eastern Conference, with the NHL's best (statistically) goaltender of all time.

Now, it is Columbus as good as Boston, personnel-wise? Probably not. Boston essentially has two number-one goaltenders, and are hitting their stride in scoring, and have young guys like Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand following their impressive rookie years with solid performances this season. There is a reason why Boston didn't have to do much in the off-season and still be considered by some as favorites to repeat.

Yet, like Columbus, Boston got off to a craptastic start that got quite a few fans rattled.

However, Boston has proven that it is possible to go on a monster streak and get back in contention... and quickly. Jackets GM Scott Howson has put together some really good players on this hockey team. Why it has not shown on the ice is anyone's guess. All we have our same old canned responses about having confidence in one another, we're just not getting it done, we need to establish consistency, yadda yadda yadda.

The Jackets have the personnel to win. It's time for them to take a page from the Bruins' book, focus on the problems, fix them and shut up and play the hockey they know they can play.

And what better team to begin that potential monster streak against... than the Boston Bruins?

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* - Obviously, one of them isn't anymore...

Bad Gamble By Miller... Good Call By Shanny

2011-11-14T16:33:00.000-05:00

Milan Lucic faced a hearing with NHL discipline guru Brendan Shanahan today, over a hit by Lucic on Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.

Although I was mildly surprised it came to hearing at all, I can totally understand that you have to look at it when a goaltender winds up with a concussion because of it. However, I have watched this play quite a few times, trying to find a reason to suspend Lucic for it, and I just don't see it.

Lucic chips the puck a bit too far ahead of himself, but he is clearly still going for the puck, and was within a reasonable distance. Miller was trying to play the puck at the same time. Now, I have all the respect for Ryan Miller in the world, but why he would come out of his net by a good 15-20 feet to play a puck when a skater is clearly coming after the puck, is beyond me.

True... you see goaltenders come that far out of the crease all the time to play a puck, to keep a power play going or whatever, but it's usually when the other team is making a line change. A goalie worth his salt makes a judgment call as to whether he should play the puck like that. How many times do you see a goaltender come out that far when a guy's coming in on an attempted breakaway?

I think I saw Patrick Roy do it a couple times... and I think we can all agree he's a little bit nuts.

I'm not denying there was a collision. There obviously was. But I don't know how anyone can argue intent when the puck was playable by both players, and hardly a half-second passed from the time Miller played the puck and Lucic hitting him.

It's not like he hit him head-on… and honestly, Miller expects a guy to be able to stop within half second of him playing the puck?

Miller coming that far out of his net with an opposing player bearing down on the puck was -- I'm sorry -- a dumbass move. And unfortunately, he paid for it. Getting a concussion is far worse than getting scored on in this case, because it hurts the team.

The fact is, however, that Miller made a bad call coming out. It's like if a bicyclist in downtown Columbus doesn't stop at a stop light and decides he wants to try and beat crossing traffic. Does he deserve to get hit by a car? Absolutely not. Is he asking for it? Yes.

Despite what Buffalo fans have been proclaiming since the incident, this call by Shanahan is not about goalies being "fair game" if they come out of the net. Lucic does not have any right to intentionally hit Ryan Miller for coming out of the crease. The charging call? Sure. That's legit. It's a "control yourself on the ice" kind of thing... I won't argue that.

The problem in this case… there was no intent. If Miller plays the puck, and Lucic hits him maybe two the three seconds after he plays the puck? Sure, maybe you can argue intent, and Miller can go crying to Brendan Shanahan all he wants. You can argue intent there easily. But this was not the case.

I feel badly for Ryan Miller. I really do. And I'm not saying that he should apologize to Lucic for calling him "gutless" and a "piece of $#!+." Hockey players have pretty thick skin... Lucic is probably over that.

However, this play resulted from a bad gamble on Miller's part, not malice on Lucic's part.

You chalk it up to "$#!+ happens" and move on.

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Shake Up... (Or Shake Out, I Guess)

2011-11-11T01:37:00.002-05:00

Somewhere in Southwest Ohio, my esteemed colleague Dannielle is destroying glassware. This is just a wild guess on my part.

However, the artist we in the hockey world know as @FrickinDannie (also by her blog, StraitJackets) has had a rough day. After writing an open letter to the team today preceding Thursday night's sick loss to Chicago, Dannie lost one of her favorite twins.

No, the Sedin girls are stil in Vancouver.

Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson pulled the trigger on a trade that... well... actually, I'm not sure what the hell it does.

Kris Russell for Nikita Nikitin. Ummmmm... okay. Let's look at the "tale of the tape" (per their "Player Cards" on NHL.com:

Russell                                Nikitin   5’10”             Height              6’3”
    172              Weight              217
   2-1-3    G-A-P (2011-12)     0-0-0
     12       Games (2011-12)        7
     -1                  +/-                    -5
18-61-79   G-A-P (Career)      1-8-9
    288        Games (Career)      48

So, yes, the Jackets give up a little salary. They're getting some size, but this doesn't help scoring. They're giving up some experience.

Does it actually help? Hell if I know. From the looks of it, he'll have a chance to prove himself here. We'll find out.

Rumors also circulated about the Jackets trading for Evgeni Nabokov... so far, that is thankfully not true. Hell, people thought he was uncooperative at the prospect of playing for the Isles? Think his attitude would be any better in Columbus? Does Columbus need that?

I don't think so, either.

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Nope... Apparently That Wasn't Rock Bottom Before...

2011-11-11T00:38:00.002-05:00

Maybe this is rock bottom...?

Or... maybe we're just in Hell.

It seemed like there was some hope... some fight... when Grant Clitsome scored a power play goal to tie it up, not even three minutes after Chicago opened up the scoring.

Okay, just a small hiccup... our guys might be getting back on track.

Yeah... about that....

...about those five straight goals the Blackhawks scored after that... against a number one goaltender who's playing like a number four -- and whom is backed up by the number four, because numbers two and three have been out with injuries. Thus, Steve Mason is left in to get his ass handed to him again. And embarassingly so.

I think the dude's broken. You can't have a guy shoulder the goaltending load like that, watch him get clobbered every damn night and expect him to be able to recover. The guy has no confidence in the team in front of him, and seems to have none in himself, as well (rightfully so, in both cases).

That doesn't mean the team in front of Mason isn't playing like $#!+, though. Believe me, no one is escaping that fact tonight. When a pseudo-player like Danny Carcillo is getting credited with a "heads up play" on an assist on Patrick Kane's goal... your team is NOT playing well.

Still, although they were easily overshadowed (read: trounced) by the plethora of bad news during the game, there were a couple positives that we can reflect on before ordering another round to numb the pain... the Jackets' power play wasn't horrible. They got two power play goals. Mark Letestu showed that Howson seemed to make a right move bringing him aboard.

Apparently, "moves" might be a theme in the coming days... whether those will be positive in the short or long term (or any term, for that matter) is not yet certain.

Stay strong, D....

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Hitch(ed) To The Blues...

2011-11-07T22:38:00.001-05:00

Well, any thoughts (hopes, maybe?) that Blue Jackets fans might have had about replacing Scott Arniel with Ken Hitchcock were quickly squelched late this weekend.

Hitchcock -- the only coach to ever get the Columbus Blue Jackets into the Playoffs -- is about to make the Jackets' long climb back into contention that much harder. Because not only is he no longer an option to take over -- if he ever was one -- he's taking over as a head coach in the Central Division.

That's painful.

St. Louis made the announcement today. After a 6-7-0 start, the Blues canned Davis Payne and hired Hitch. Think about that a moment... 6-7-0, and changing coaches.

I can almost guarantee at this very moment that the rest of the NHL thinks Columbus is downright INSANE right now.

Still... it's a great move for both sides.

For Hitch... let's face it... this guy was not meant to be a "consultant," or whatever the hell he was doing here in Columbus. Ken Hitchcock doesn't belong in an office... he belongs behind the bench. Obviously, it's good for the Blues, too. Hitch will help ignite veterans like Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner, and push them to lead the younger guys as well. The Blues are a good, physical and tough team. Having Hitch makes them instantly tougher. And better.

Yes, it sucks to lose him, but... hey, what would you do?

It sucks that it's in the same division, though.

Good luck to you, Hitch...

...not that good, though.

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Okay, This Is Rock Bottom... Right?

2011-11-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

There are no words for what happened to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

No good ones having more than four letters, anyway.

The Jackets' 11th loss was particularly ugly.

Five goals given up in the first period. Three by Mason, then two by York, before coach Arniel put Mason back in. The second period got no better, and the Flyers opened up and 8-0 lead. And yet, could have been so much worse, if not for the third-period heroics of Derek Dorsett and Grant Clitsome.

It's this long to write a post, because of the severe nature of the ass-kicking the Jackets took. A seven-goal margin is ugly anyway you slice it -- unless, of course you are Boston, who beat six kinds of hell (well, seven, I guess) out of Toronto the same night.

Man, I really need to get my cable changed. I really wish I could have flipped to that game on occasion. Not that the Bruins are off so much better start in Columbus. Well, actually they are...but like Columbus, they have spent the first few weeks of the season in 15th in their conference. But at least the Bruins seems to be making progress. It's hard to be sure the Blue Jackets have even been trying at times. Sure, Philly is good. Stanley Cup good? Probably not this year, but they are damn good.

So, at a very ugly nine games under .500, Columbus goes into a three-game homestand really needing to climb out of the hole they have dug. Time is running out . They need to get some key bodies back, and maybe we'll figure out if this Blue Jackets roster can actually win, or if the front office needs to show Scott Arniel the door.

Even with this godawful start, I am not on board with getting rid of Arniel. Like I said before... I've given up trying to defend him, but that's way different from actually advocating his departure.

However, if you recall, I said my goodbyes the last time I posted. If this team pulls off a miracle on ice and proves me wrong, so be it. I will gladly eat my words if and when this team gets it together.

The only reason Arniel still has job is the fact that this team was built in the offseason to be able to play the quick, up-tempo style that Arniel said he wanted to bring to Columbus. Technically, we still haven't even seen that team play together yet. However, with the Dispatch now I'm recording that Jared Boll and possibly even Jeff Carter could be ready by Thursday, this team's a lot closer to intact.

And that means it just has to get better, and climb out of this 2-11-1 hole… the team is officially out of explanations for the Blue Jackets' failure on the ice.

The big question is, how long does the front office give this team to turn it all around, before heads roll?

It's all about the climb now... or else.

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A Tale Of Two (Or One, Or Zero) Scotts...

2011-11-04T02:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, we're not even talking fashionably late to the party. Some guy named Scott is walking into the party, an instant before you hear the skip... which instantly goes to that ppppppppppppppppppppp sound.

The party's over. This game that featured (some shadow of) the Blue Jackets(' potential) versus a hot-but-just-waiting-to-collapse-by-February Toronto Maple Leafs team was the "Electric Slide" of hockey.

What do I mean?

Take a journey with me, hockey fans. Think back to that last wedding you attended....

[I swear I have a point. Bear with me, okay?]

Remember when "Electric Slide" came on, and by the time those people returned to their seats, at least a quarter of the people were gone?

This is, of course, assuming the song was not followed by "Macarena." If you got that deadly double-play... half the room's gone before the bride and groom even cut the cake.

Mrs. Martini has a name for those songs: "Wedding Killers."

So... mathematically...

"Electric Slide" = "Macarena" = Some guy named Scott.

Which Scott goes first? The coach? Or the GM?

Beats the hell outta me.

Actually, I think the scenario goes something like, "You don't can the GM before the coach... unless the GM is Doug MacLe--

[Oh, no... I've mentioned "MacLemort" in consecutive posts, haven't I? It's over, isn't it...?]

But, I digress...

Some guy named Scott -- we'll call him "Scott A," to protect his anonymity -- is looking at a very finite tenure.

How finite? Well... a week from Saturday, former Jackets interim head coach Claude Noel might just be shaking hands with another interim head coach -- [oops, did I slip and hint at which Scott?] -- when Winnipeg comes to town, and the dialogue will go something like: "Been there, pal. Good luck."

I tried to talk sense into the masses, little more than 24 hours ago. "Wait until this team is intact." "Guys like Brass and Vermette just need to get their $#!+ together." "Firing the coach and/or GM is too rash." "Firing the GM 12 (now 13) games into the season will throw the organization into chaos."

You know what? Screw it. I give up. "Scott A" is gone very soon. "Scott H" -- again, protecting anonymity -- is likely not far behind.

And at this particular point, I'm not sure I can defend either of them much longer.

Example... the game was in second intermission, and I was paying my tab at a networking happy hour, when a guy who was a couple sheets to the wind...

...actually, about half of Macy's bedding department to the wind, asked me...

"So, whaddaya thhhhhink... is it time to trade away Ssssshhhhteve Nash?"

Now, I'm thinking the same thing as you at this point: I don't think anything the Dallas Mavericks do can help the Blue Jackets worth a crap while the NBA's in a lockout.

However, because I have no idea how hammered the dude is, or how hard he can punch... I play along, and explain that trading away Steve Nash doesn't help, and that a lot of guys (like Steve's distant cousin Rick, for instance) are committed to long-term (and monetarily-heavy) deals, which makes them quite unattractive for trade possibilities, and that changes are much more likely at the top, rather than on the ice.

I know. I don't want to believe it, either.

Because after all of the exciting things that happened since mid-June, firing a Scott or two -- well, it feels like giving up.

Giving up on the front office... on the team... on the season.

I don't know when it's actually going to happen, but let's just save some time... so long, coach... it has been more-or-less nice. I really would have loved to see what the fast-paced, aggressive style you were touting would have looked like.

Cheers.

Go Jackets!

[Please?]

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Okay, Everybody Just Calm The [bleep] Down

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

2-9-1.

For those playing at home -- and for those who aren't -- that is a lousy record for a hockey team to have 12 games into the season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are, as you might imagine based on the above record, in last place in the Western Conference. They are also boasting (well, that's really not a good word for it, I guess) the fifth highest payroll in the NHL. Essentially, the Blue Jackets are this year, what the New York Rangers were in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Simply put: Talent unrealized.

Now, to be fair, the team is not exactly at full strength. Actually, the team isn't even close to intact. James Wisniewski sat the first eight games via suspension, Jeff Carter has been out for the last few with a foot injury, Radek Martinek remains out with concussion symptoms, and it looks like at least another week before we get to see Mark Dekanich in action, as he wraps up recovery from an ankle sprain.

I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm a strong believer in Ken Hitchcock's old mantra that injuries are not an excuse for an NHL team's poor performance. I still subscribe to it. The season doesn't take a break just because you have a couple guys out. Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs give a crap about the Jackets' injury situation going into Thursday's game?

Do the words "honey badger" mean anything to you? Exactly.

Let's face it, the Blue Jackets are not getting scoring from some of the guys that we are used to seeing doing the scoring. Looking at guys like Antoine Vermette. Derick Brassard. We're looking at a roster of so-called "core" players who got some long-term extensions, and helped push the Jackets' payroll to where it is today. These players (and quite a few others) need to get in the damn game already. They need to think about what they're doing out there, do a little introspection and figure out why they are not performing up to their potential. Or their paycheck.

The big reason: The NHL is a knee-jerk world. And when it comes to sports, Columbus is a knee-jerk kind of town. First scapegoat is always the coach.

One need look no further than just up the road at Ohio State. A scrambling, pieced-together Buckeyes team loses to a Miami team that, turns out, is pretty terrible. The game wasn't even over before social media was exploding with talk of firing Fickell, and the biggest nutjobs of Buckeye Nation pining for Urban Meyer.

I'm convinced a lot of them are the same ones calling in to The Fan calling for the ouster of one or both Scotts. Obviously, both of them are both justifiably on the spot here. No more "cleaning up after Doug MacLean's mess" talk about it. This team is Howson's baby now. Oh... and the Jackets are 2-9-1.

Arniel has been putting murderous minutes on the top defensemen lately and shortening the bench, instead of putting faith in having fresh, young players on the ice. Oh... and the Jackets are 2-9-1.

It's possible that the Jackets have had a glaring flaw exposed: Perhaps the Jackets don't have as much NHL-ready depth they have had in previous years. There are quite a few young guys on the team this year who need to find their legs in the NHL, find consistency, and grow up on the ice really damn quick.

Now the rumormongers and people blindly calling for firings are creating a distraction. Calm down, people.

Getting Ken Hitchcock to coach? Uh... no. Remember, the Jackets fired him essentially because he didn't seem to be getting through to the players anymore. Maybe that's the case with Arniel, maybe it's not. Like I said, though... the coach is usually the first to go in this case. Tossing around GM names to replace Howson? Idiotic, and honestly... pretty dickish. However, considering the factors I've discussed, there is an argument for Howson to go.

But cooler heads need to prevail here. Yes, it's a bad situation... but the roster may be close to intact again.

Let's be clear... are the coach and GM seats hot? Yes. Should they be? Sure.

Should they be vacated? Not yet. Who the hell do you put behind the bench as an interim coach? Who the hell runs the team the rest of the season? All that does is make a bad situation chaotic, and no one needs that, at least not 12 games in.

This team can come back, but it's up to the players here. Maybe Coach Arniel needs to do a quick yelling at the team after a loss, then pick a couple guys to meet John Michael outside the locker room to go explain why the team played like $#!+.

At least that beats a a Fox Sports OHIO interview with the game-winning goal scorer from the OTHER TEAM.

You like working with the coach, guys? Good.

You want to keep the system, guys? Great.

You want to win? Awesome!

So... get your $#!+ together and play some damn hockey.

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CBJ at Buffalo: Painful Regression

2011-10-28T01:51:00.000-04:00

Sometimes... there are no words.

At least, none that can be said within earshot of children.

I know a couple people who probably need to get a sitter for their kids when they watch the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. At home. And that was when Jim Tressel was coach and the Buckeyes were winning.

I pray that when that time comes... I don't have to send my children elsewhere while I watch the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then again, maybe they'll figure out how to win consecutive games by then.

This team beat the Detroit freakin' Red Wings two nights ago (yes, the second-rate backup was starting, but they beat the rest of the team, too). Hell, they even battled back from down 2-0 to tie up this game.

Overall, though, they just... seemed to regress back to the team that started the season 0-7-1. Defensive breakdowns. Big rebounds that left Steve Mason vulnerable. Again. It wasn't for a lack of effort, and it wasn't for a lack of offensive opportunities... hell, the Jackets put 43 shots on net. The defense reverted back to pre-Tuesday levels, though. And the PK... cripe, how many power play goals have the Jackets given up in the last few road games now? I'm trying to block out those first eight games, so I'm not looking it up... but they gave up two tonight. In what, three tries?

The power play regressed to 0-for-6, snapping the five-game streak with a power play goal.

Man, this Arniel system of aggressive, attacking hockey sounded so exciting when the team hired him. I can understand the Jackets didn't have the personnel to pull it off last year. This year, there's no excuse. Sure there are a few guys out, but we still have yet to hear from certain guys on the team who are part of that "core."

Guys who signed lucrative extensions.

Guys who are here another four or five years, as the Jackets' payroll sits within a million or two bucks of the Salary Cap.

This team can NOT be this bad.

Not with a back-to-back against Chicago and Anaheim this weekend.

Please...?

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Detroit at CBJ II: It Starts With One...

2011-10-26T01:05:00.002-04:00

"The CBJ was just waiting to win so they could make a statement. They are so forward-thinking. Stanley Cup Finals, I see it now."
-- Kate (@hockeydarling), San Jose, Calif.

Kate is a Sharks fan. In San Jose. I've never met her. However, like the hundreds of CBJ and NHL fans that I follow on Twitter, she watches hockey in what I've described previously as the World's Largest Living Room. As her Sharks have rid the Playoffs of the Detroit Red Wings the past two years, we both generally have nice things to say.

Anyway, I see this, and I inform her that I like her thinking. To this, she replies with my nomination for Quote of the Night:

"CBJ is that stoner in class that's really, really smart."

So... after I stop laughing heartily, I start trying to think of what that person looks like, so I tried to think of stoners in movies that fit the bill. Spiccoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High? Stoner... yeah. Smart... meh, not quite.

Slater from Dazed & Confused? Stoner, absolutely. Smart... well apart from the discussion of George Washington and aliens....

Realizing of course, that this has nothing to do with the CBJ win or even hockey... I settled on that really smart pothead from Road Trip. However, I found the stoner quote too hilarious not to share, so I asked her if I could share it, and she agreed.

So... thanks for a good laugh, Kate.

Now I wouldn't say the Blue Jackets by any means smoked the Red Wings (last stoner joke, I promise), but they sure as hell played a damn good hockey game against a damn good hockey team.

They didn't wait long to jump all over the opportunities they got, either. R.J. Umberger came out of the corner just 21 seconds in, found a rebound and put it past Ty Conklin for his first. Dude kinda looked like he was convulsing in that celebration, but man, emptying that kind of frustration had to feel good.

Even after a game-tying goal and a brief scare involving Steve Mason, the Blue Jackets didn't seem fazed. Then Ryan Johansen scored his first career NHL goal from behind the net and the place went crazy. From there, the Jackets did something they hadn't done yet this season: They played 60 minutes of hockey, and played well with the lead. They even added to it, as John Moore tallied his first career NHL goal from long range in the second period.

The special teams... solid. Sure, you always want more power play goals with seven tries, but the Jackets have now tallied with the man advantage in five straight games. The recently abysmal PK was perfect in three tries. And, hey, Derek MacKenzie's empty netter was even a shortie.

And then there was Steve Mason. It has often been discussed that he needed help in front of him, in order for him to get some confidence. He got it, and he did. He looked damn good... and we saw flashes of just what kind of hockey we can look forward to if the Jackets keep this up.

Which brings us to the unheralded man of the hour, James Wisniewski. Was he on the scoresheet? Nope. Was he a presence? Oh hell, yes. What did he get, 27-plus minutes of ice-time? Hockey may be a team sport, but Wiz proved to be just the kind of infusion this hockey team needed. The puck moved, and in the right direction much of the time.

Now, to put it all in perspective, the Jackets are now 1-7-1. This was just one win. The Jackets need 40-something more of these in the next 73 games to play in mid-April.

That said... this was a win against the Detroit Red Wings, which makes any night sweeter. More importantly, 15,000-plus fans in Nationwide -- whatever sweaters they wore -- and thousands more on TV saw a different hockey team from the one that had been getting mercilessly panned by outsiders for the first eight games.

They saw hope... and what we hope is the future of this team this season.

It's just one game, and it's just one win.

But it starts with one.

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Starting From Zero... Still...

2011-10-25T16:10:00.000-04:00

Here we go.

Time to find out if James Wisniewski is an answer the Columbus Blue Jackets' current mess.

Note I said an answer… not the answer. Frankly, at this point, I'd be fine with just having a couple fewer questions about this team right now.
That's what an 0-7-1 start can do to a hockey fan.

Sure, there have been some bad bounces. Sure, maybe the Jackets are just who born unlucky. However, I don't think we've seen a game yet in which the Jackets have truly outworked their opponents. This team has the ability to score. This team has the talent to score.

What they seem to be lacking is the will. Motivation. The Blue Jackets can talk all they want about staying positive, but the only way to snap out of their current funk is to shut up, go out there and hit some people, outwork everyone else on the ice and get a win. Not wait for bounces, look for opportunities and hope.

That won't work tonight against Detroit. They're a perennial powerhouse. They don't rebuild, they reload, yadda yadda yadda. They're good. Wings fans (or at least people wearing Wings sweaters) will more than likely outnumber Jackets fans tonight. They might as well be playing in The Joe.

But they're not. And damn it all... that has got to mean something.

An 0-7-1 start sucks. The loss at Ottawa has got to be one of the lowest points any hockey team has ever experienced.

However, if it makes each player to a man realize that "Hey, we know we're a good hockey team, but we played like absolute $#!+ Saturday night. I will not let that happen again"...

...maybe that godawful loss to Ottawa could be... worth it?

The Blue Jackets are starting from zero. Again.

Time to think of Saturday as Rock Bottom, get their $#!+ together. They can't count on the Wings letting Ty Conklin get lit up like they did in their own nasty loss on Saturday (7-1 to the Caps).

Take a win. Not only seize... but create opportunities.

To call the ninth game of an 82-game hockey season a "do-or-die" game... well, no "borderline" about it, it's just plain crazy.

It feels pretty damn close to it, though.

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"Blue Jackets" Are A Seven- (Oops... Eight-) Letter Word...

2011-10-23T01:37:00.003-04:00

The next few sentences are going to hurt like hell, but I'm going to say it anyway, because they are 100% true.

These Columbus Blue Jackets are one godawful hockey team. Just how godawful? So godawful that they gave up the game-tying and game-winning goals in the last minute?

No... even more godawful than that.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are so godawful that they gave up the game-tying and game-winning goals in the last minute to a team that by every conceivable standard is likely MORE godawful than they are.

Never mind the great goal that Aaron Johnson scored in the first to tie the game at 1-1... when he patiently stood on the opposite side of the crease and knocked in the loose puck as he was being tackled.

Never mind the gorgeous go-ahead goal by Rick Nash in the third as he wristed it past Craig Anderson.

No one remembers those goals after a game like this. They remember two red sweaters camped out by Steve Mason, waiting for (and getting) the rebound with 36 seconds to go.

They remember another red sweater camped out in front of Steve Mason getting a deflection with less than five seconds remaining.

They remember blowing a game in the last minute to team that will be in Playoff contention no later than January... even in the Eastern Conference.

Oh... and up next is Detroit again. Oh, joy. On a school night, too.

So the 8,000 or so seats Columbus fans didn't buy early enough will be taken up by actual Detroit fans making the trip... plus the local/regional WalMart WingNuts who don't know their ass from their Abdelkader.

But... at least the James Wisniewski suspension is officially over.

One careless elbow. One Academy Award-winning flop.

Eight games. 0-6-2.

Oh, right... 0-7-1... I wanted that OT point so bad.

[edit... damn, that's sad]

So much for the rest of the team stepping up.

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Damn It To Detroit...

2011-10-22T10:21:00.002-04:00

Another night, another seemingly uninspired effort by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Or, maybe the Detroit Red Wings are just that good.

More than likely, it's a bit of both. But once again, the Blue Jackets fell behind, and just never could draw even.

They couldn't match Detroit's speed. They couldn't match Detroit's strength. They couldn't match Detroit's intensity. They just flat-out couldn't match Detroit.

Detroit showed why they're now unbeaten in five, and Columbus showed why they're now winless in seven.

The Blue Jackets lost yet another of their offseason acquisitions, with the apparent concussion to Radek Martinek in the first period. He joins Carter, Dekanich and Wisniewski... although at least the Jackets get Wiz back Monday.

Still, despite this depletion, tonight's game at Ottawa is critical. A game that should have been a breather after Detroit is now a must-win. Sad what an 0-6-1 start does to a team's perspective.

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Catching Up...

2011-10-21T16:55:00.000-04:00

First and foremost, thanks for stopping by. I had a bit of an unexpected hiatus, which was actually preceded by a vacation, and a "hockey-free holiday" of sorts for the Mrs. It was her birthday this week, and so it seemed appropriate that I eschew all things hockey for the length of our stay in beautiful New Orleans. (Which was, indeed, quite beautiful this time of year, and one hell of a good time).

Then, I got sick. Originally, I thought, from food poisoning. Needless to say, illness can really put a kibbosh on any sort of vacation-type proceedings. I did make the point of getting checked out once we got home this week, just to make sure it wasn't something much more serious. Thankfully, it wasn't… however, it was viral.

Largely, my last few days have consisted of sleep, try to eat, work (some doctors' orders, sorry, have to be ignored), go home, sleep, try to eat, etc.

Me? Too sick to provide opinionated, snarky and sometimes downright mean hockey commentary?

Hey, sometimes, we still learn a lot about ourselves.

So, everybody... again, thanks for stopping by! What did I mi--

Oh. That much, huh?

Atkinson and Calvert demoted... Carter hurt... even the third-string goalie is injured, meaning a struggling Steve Mason is carrying the entire load... and we're still waiting on other guys to come back.

Oh. And we're still two more games away from seeing if James Wisniewski will be part of the miraculous recovery (or, at least, the stopping of the bleeding) that this team so desperately needs.

So, the Jackets take their battered and bruised, 0-5-1 egos into Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, in what most will dismiss in a "lambs to slaughter" fashion before the game even starts.

Or... this weekend's road trip to Hell and Ottawa is the beginning of the Jackets' "I'm not dead yet!" rally back upward in the Western Conference standings.

Sure, Detroit is 4-0-0, and they are contenders as usual. Yes, the game is in the Joe, which holds even more Wings fans than Nationwide does (and heaven knows, Nationwide holds a LOT of WalMart WingNuts).

But we can also look at the positives... the Blue Jackets have scored a power play goal in two straight games! Plus... ...well, maybe that's the only positive the Jackets have coming into this game.

It's a start. Maybe tonight will be, too.

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Avs at CBJ: Almost...

2011-10-13T10:34:00.000-04:00

Soooo... how'd the Columbus Blue Jackets do last night? Well, from the sound of things (no TV, after all)… they at least took a step. In fact, they almost took a win against the Colorado Avalanche.

If not for a shot from former Jacket Jan Hejda, deflected past Steve Mason by Gabriel Landeskog, the Jackets would have come away with two points instead of one.

However, the point is a point. They all count. Obviously, the Jackets need to snap out of their funk and get more of them. Getting outshot 16-1 in the third period is not how you get two points. Those last-minute goals – like the aforementioned by Landeskog – may not be killers by themselves, but they can certainly set you up for one.

Still, from the sound of it, Mason was a freaking wall in that third, before the freak goal. Again... the guy needs help from the guys in front of him. There's no way a team should be outshot by such a margin.

Anyway, after watching the highlights on NHL.com, I can say it was nice to see Rick Nash score one of those "Dammit, I WILL make this puck go in" kind of goals in the second period ("going right to left on your radio dial," as the great George Matthews says), and that goal from Martinek from the wall was just fun to watch go in.

Still, 0-3-1 isn't pretty. That "1" may be a sign of getting it together, though (late goal notwithstanding). I do think it will behoove the team to take advantage of that second day between games -- maybe experiment with the lines, drill a bit harder, get a good yelling-at or two from Coach Arniel....

"Duh" Statement of the Day: These next two games against Dallas are going to be critical. You know that "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging" thing? It's a lot like that.

This team has to make people want to come down to Nationwide. Last night's crowd dipped below 9,000, the lowest attendance in franchise history... which also means the Jackets drew more on Opening Night than they have in the other two home games.

Combined.

Time to turn it around, guys.

Go Jackets!

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Vancouver vs. CBJ: Opportunity Knocks... Nobody's Home

2011-10-10T23:31:00.001-04:00

Okay, seriously... who does Scott Arniel have to swat with a stick to get a power play goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets?

0-for-5 Monday. 0-for-16 through three games. The Jackets are not helping themselves, and you can't blame all this on James Wisniewski's absence. I keep saying it... missing players are not an excuse. It's called gut check... you step up. The Jackets have the talent.

So what do you do? Start shuffling the lines a little on the power play? In 5-on-5? Maybe send Carter to the second line and bring Vermette up with Nash and Prospal? I'm not a coach (obviously)... just a thought.

Something has to happen, though. We have yet to see the Jackets play 60 minutes of hockey on a given night. That's not to say there weren't high points tonight. That first period was crazy good... even with the Vancouver Canucks' tying goal, they weren't getting a lot of chances on the attack.

Cam Atkinson's wrister past Cory Schneider was a nice way to get a first career NHL goal. Vinny Prospal's wraparound was a beauty, as well.

But Vancouver got a bounce here and a deflection there -- actually, a few deflections -- and seemed to outwork the Jackets, especially late, to get the win. So, the Jackets will have to wait until Wednesday to get another shot at win number one -- and hopefully, a power play goal at some point -- against Colorado.

Hopefully with a larger crowd in the stands, too... 9,100-something? I know it's a school night, but... yikes.

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CBJ vs. Minnesota: Rough Weekend

2011-10-09T15:19:00.004-04:00

To say "disappointing" would be an understatement.

Despite what we would hope is their best effort, the Columbus Blue Jackets fell behind by three goals and just never caught up against the Minnesota Wild.

Power play? Nope, still ineffective.

Top line? Ineffective.

Penalty kill? Not particularly great.

Were the four goals against completely Steve Mason's fault? Not really, but it's not unrealistic to expect your last line of defense to be better on the ice. The great goaltenders do... and we have seen Steve Mason be great, so it's not a question of ability.

I don't know about you, but I'm not sure what's worse... being able to very clearly hear the "Maaaaason... you suck!" chant from a small throng of away fans from the opposite corner, or being able to hear it on the telecast during a road game. It's pretty freakin' awful in both cases.

However, blame where it's due... the whole team in front of him has not looked good. A team whose payroll has eclipsed $60 million over the summer has not played 60 minutes of hockey. The Jackets have not necessarily lost to two teams that were better than them... they have simply played better.

Although my wording last night that Mason should have the night off to be locked in a room and mildly tortured were a bit strong (and I am backing off of that... *wink*), I do think it may be a good time for the Jackets to rest Mason and Curtis Sanford on Monday.

Apparently, there will be a hearing for Pierre-Marc Bouchard with the NHL today, to discuss his whack of the stick to Matt Calvert's face, according to Aaron Portzline at the Dispatch. I'm not sure what to think, as far as what will happen. There are doubts as to whether Calvert unintentionally caused the incident in the process of lifting his stick. It's not that clear from the angles provided that Calvert lifted Bouchard's stick into his own face. I'm guessing that somehow Brendan Shanahan will have some angle that will determine whether Calvert's and Bouchard's sticks just got tangled up during the faceoff.

Guess we'll find out later today....

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Big Debut, Mixed Review

2011-10-08T12:27:00.001-04:00

Well, that wasn't an ideal debut.

The Columbus Blue Jackets opened their season with a 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators, before a sellout crowd at Nationwide Arena.

Fans (and perhaps some casual observers) got their first glimpse of the new and (mostly) improved hockey team. Most notably, they got a glimpse of the new top line of Jeff Carter, Rick Nash and Vinny Prospal.

That line also accounted for all the scoring. Nash and Prospal got the goals (and an assist each), while Jeff Carter assisted on both goals.

The rest of the team struggled against the Predators' so-good-that-of-course-we-hate-him goaltender Pekka Rinne. The 0-for-5 power play looked sharp at times, and disjointed at others... having problems putting chances together against Nashville's forecheck. On the other end, Steve Mason was busy, and not as sharp as expected. He'll get better... the guys in front of him need to play better.

You could sense that James Wisniewski could have been of some help.

Cam Atkinson was the standout of the three rookies, getting in on quite a few plays in the offensive zone. Ryan Johansen didn't particularly stand out. David Savard looked a bit off... maybe even nervous.

This was one battle. There are 81 more of these. Despite the struggles on offense, the Jackets still played hard and got 34 shots on Rinne, including an exciting flurry at the end.

It has been a long time since I've seen Nationwide as loud -- or as full -- as last night. Maybe the sellout was just opening night, but the volume was unmistakeable... even (unfortunately) the Preds fans' goalie chant, which could be heard from the opposite corner.

Obviously, there is room for improvement, and not a lot of time to get it together, with the Jackets on the road tonight in Minnesota.

WRANDOM WRISTERS

I did get to see a couple of the new Preds sweaters up-close after the game. Good design overall... not crazy about the whole guitar pick thing, but they're pretty sharp.
Pretty sure I heard Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova" playing as the second intermission got underway. As I recall, Mr. Carrie still plays for Nashville. I know, it's not as bad as the "Chelsea Dagger" incident from a couple years ago... but, yikes. Not cool.
I was happy to see the curved glass at the stanchions by the benches. I'm glad the NHL adopted that change before this season, after seeing some of the scary incidents that have occurred over the last few years with hits in that area of the ice. Now we just need those Goal Verification Lines, so we can eliminate the randomness of goal reviews in Toronto.

Go Jackets!

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CBJ 2.0: The Reboot

2011-10-07T01:44:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Columbus Blue Jackets 2.0.

Some might argue that it is "Version 11"… and some might wonder why were even using computer terms here.

But the fact is... it is appropriate because the Blue Jackets officially begin their second decade of existence in the NHL. And, since the Jackets theoretically have the top-line center and puck-moving defenseman they have coveted for the entire first decade... I think we can safely say this is finally the upgrade the faithful have been waiting for.

One way to think about this past offseason is that of an exorcism. A tad dramatic, yes. However, the idea of the guys at the top of the organization doing a top-to-bottom audit of the front office and the entire team, just has that certain tone of... finality.

The old guard of (not so much failure, but)... I'll call it "unsuccess," is gone. And I don't mean to characterize Doug MacLean as the "demon" being exorcised, but I guess I sort of am.

Old head of scouting... gone. The wayward status of part-time goaltending coaches... gone. Attitude of "status quo and let's see what we can do"... gone.

This is an upgrade... I think that even includes General Manager Scott Howson, who took this summer and made some bets... put some money out there, and for better or worse, he has definitively put his mark on this team.

That alone is in stark contrast to the Scott Howson who hired Scott Arniel and then stayed largely quiet... on the notion that the CBJ could make the Playoffs with essentially the same personnel. As is, the team got off to a really good start. Then, similar to the previous season, December and January threatened disaster for the CBJ. However, in the tight Western Conference, the Jackets managed to still find themselves in contention at the Trade Deadline. Sadly, even after moves that were designed to jumpstart the team, the CBJ faded down the stretch.

Enter: Scott Howson 2.0.

First, the bold gambit in trading to get Jeff Carter from the Philadelphia Flyers. Then another, getting James Wisniewski from the Montréal Canadiens just before the free agency deadline, and then finishing the job by getting him signed before noon on July 1.

Then came the moves to get help for Springfield, and the moves to lock in core guys like Clitsome, Tyutin and Umberger for the long term. Now we see some prospects coming up in the offseason and emerging in the preseason... and ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a good-looking hockey team.

How good? We'll find out beginning tonight.

Sure, tonight's game against the Nashville Predators and tomorrow's against the Minnesota Wild are only two games out of an 82-game slate. However, needless to say, after yet another long, nearly 6-month off-season... fans expect to see something spectacular coming out of the gate.

It's only natural. We are hockey fans.

Theoretically, the Blue Jackets now have all the pieces in place. Only in April will we know if it's all enough to take the next step into the postseason.

The team has already taken a couple of hits, with Mark Dekanich's ankle sprain and Wisniewski's suspension... but these events are irrelevant.

Sure, it sucks to not have the entire team ready to go, but no excuses. Someone ahead of you goes down, you pull together and get the job done. These first few weeks are a test of character. Teams face adversity all the time... you suck it up and play hockey.

Tonight is the night we've been waiting for in Columbus.

Not to abuse the phrase that has permeated our consciousness since CannonFest, but this is the Jackets' Call to Arms (and if you're not clicking on this link and watching Skraut's video at least once today, you're not yet ready for this season).

Strap in, and keep your limbs inside the car at all times... unless you're standing up and screaming and waving your hands in the air like a fool. Don't worry... it's encouraged.

The ride begins tonight. See you at Nationwide.

Go Jackets!

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Fearless (Maybe Just Crazy) Western Conference Predictions

2011-10-06T15:52:00.000-04:00

The ice is down in the NHL's 30 rinks. Training Camp is over. Puck drops in Columbus in about 24 hours. The time as come for...

(just pretend there's a drum roll here...)

...FEARLESS PREDICTIONS in the NHL for 2011-12!

Or maybe just misguided... and/or crazy predictions.

Let's start out with the NORTHWEST DIVISION...

The question is not who will win the Northwest Divistion... but by how much the Vancouver Canucks will win it.

Oh, wait... make that two questions... will a second Northwest Division team make the Playoffs this year?

(Answers: 20 points or more... and "no.")

The Northwest didn't get any more or less tough. It's just kind of... there.

Vancouver looks to be as strong as ever, still possessing most of the team that was within one win of getting its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Though the losses of Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres will hurt in the short term, the addition of Marco Sturm (assuming he can stay healthy) will help fortify the Canucks' weapons on offense. In short... in the weak Northwest, Vancouver only needs to be concerned about making it through another deep Playoff run. With Tampa likely giving Washington a fight over in the East's Southleast Division, the Presidents' Trophy is a lock. They might even win the Cup if they put a media gag on Roberto Luongo (sorry, dude... I think of you every time someone gets a flat tire now).

The Minnesota Wild will be very interesting to watch. The team added a couple good offensive players in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi to try and snap them into some kind of goal-scoring shape. Grabbing Mike Lundin will also be a solid help on defense. Will it be enough to put a second Northwest Division team in the Playoffs? Probably not yet.

With two new goaltenders, it almost feels like the Colorado Avalanche is completely starting over. However, they still have much of the core youth that shockingly made the Playoffs two years ago, then shockingly plummeted off the radar last year. Jan Hejda was a good Free Agency pickup who should help the defense. The big questions with the Avs lie in their consistency on the ice, and whether Semyon Varlamov can withstand the attacks of Western Conference teams. Otherwise, the Avs have a more-than-capable backup in J.S. Giguere.

The Calgary Flames got rid of some underproductive baggage in order to keep a core of good players together, but the question is whether they did enough to get themselves back into the Playoffs. Sadly, that answer is also no. In fact, the bottom three of the Northwest will be pretty muddled together this year. Might take a coin flip to figure out whether the Flames or the Edmonton Oilers stay out of the divisional cellar this year. However, don't count the Oilers out too much longer... it's only a matter of time before that infusion of youth and high draft picks puts them back in contention.

The PACIFIC DIVISION... well, the title will be in California, that's for sure.

The obvious frontrunner would be the San Jose Sharks, and though icing a scarily strong team has become one of their trademarks, another less flattering trademark has been their inability to finish the job. The Sharks hope a proven playoff performer like Martin Havlat can help remedy that situation. The bigger question mark is the health of their goaltenders, with Antii Niemi still in doubt after surgery and Antero Niittymaki out for at least another month or so after "lower body" surgery. A stumble out of the block opens the door for L.A. and Anaheim.

Well, well, well... look who decided to show up for work for the Los Angeles Kings. After supposedly playing contract hardball with Drew Doughty, the Kings caved and agreed to pay him more than Anze Kopitar (on average, anyway). So much for taking a stand against the little brat, but it is what it is.

Anyway, the Kings will get some leadership from new guy (and former Philly captain) Mike Richards while Doughty (slowly) grows up and (maybe) starts proving he's worth $7M/year. Richards will get some help from other new guy Simon Gagne, and the Kings will continue their rise. They might even give the Sharks a little heat at the top of the Pacific.

Just watch out for the Anaheim Ducks, who still boast that Ryan Getzlaf-Bobby Ryan-Corey Perry line. They also have strong goaltending returning in Jonas Hiller, and lest we forget... the man who refuses to grow old, Teemu Selanne is returning for another go-round at the age of 41. Hell, if you could still score a point-a-game of better -- including the Playoffs -- at the age of 40... wouldn't you? The Pacific race will be tight at the top, kids.

The Phoenix Coyotes have fought through the distraction of off-ice ownership and arena sagas for the past two seasons, and made the Playoffs both years. This year, Coyotes fans will have to deal with both off-ice and on-ice problems after the departure of Ilya Bryzgalov. Most of the forwards and defense are still intact, but the biggest question mark is still in goal. After years of struggle, Mike Smith ended his tenure in Tampa with flashes of brilliance -- including some incredible work against Boston in the East Finals last year. Now, he's the top goaltender in a town that desperately needs one... and hopes to hold onto its hockey team as well.

Whatever Brad Richards may do in New York with the Rangers in the coming years (and I doubt a Cup will among those things) the Dallas Stars are going to miss him. The Stars will have to rely on young guys like Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn, and hope veterans like Brenden Morrow and newcomers Michael Ryder and Radek Dvorak can help them along. Offense will be the Stars' biggest issue.

Saving the best for last, the CENTRAL DIVISON is looking strong, and a couple teams on hard times of late are looking to change the guard a little bit. Still, the Detroit Red Wings look to rule the roost, following the departure of longtime goaltender and Cup winner Chris Osgood. The Wings will be formidable in goal as usual, with Jimmy Howard starting and Joey MacDonald serving as backup. The lone notable subtraction was Brian Rafalski, and the Wings reloaded with Ian White and CBJ castoff Mike Commodore in free agency. Not exactly exciting, true, but with their core of forwards intact, unless their goaltending goes to hell early, the Wings will likely be looking down from the top of the Central all season.

The Nashville Predators had a rough offseason. They lost guys like Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward... not huge, but not small losses. Then throw the arbitration nightmare with Shea Weber into the mix, and the typically-frugal Preds were suddenly saddled with a huge paycheck to their captain, who will just be a UFA all over again in the summer. Still, Weber is a vital cog in Nashville... they couldn't afford not to have him this season. Still, even with having to rely on some young players and some tertiary help from free agency... you can never count the Preds out of the Central Division race. I don't know what it is about this team, but looking at head coach Barry Trotz is a good first step. He's not the franchise's only coach going into his 13th season for nothing. It helps to have a goaltender like Pekka Rinne, though they may have to lean on him a bit more this season. If he keeps his form, though, the Preds are a legitimate threat to Detroit.

Now we come to the Columbus Blue Jackets... version 2.0. The top-to-bottom "audit" of the organization resulted in a massive overhaul. When the dust settled, there were new faces in scouting, coaching staff, and of course, on the ice. The roster overhaul (hopefully) brought the Jackets the top-line center (Jeff Carter) and the puck-moving defenseman (James Wisniewski) that the franchise has needed since its inception. It has also brought contract extensions to core players (Clitsome, Methot, Tyutin, Umberger) and an infusion of youth that looks to rise among the veterans and turn this team into a contender. Even with all that talent coming in, the fate of the Jackets' season will still hinge on goaltender Steve Mason rediscovering his rookie form from three seasons ago, and finding consistency.

The offseason moves can be summed up with the two-word mantra "Win now." The payroll numbers say "You'd better."

Like the Jackets, the St. Louis Blues look to return to the Playoffs after a couple seasons of futility. Injuries to their forward lines doomed them last year, so they added to their forward depth by signing veterans Jamie Langenbruner and Jason Arnott. The pair will also provide key veteran leadership in the locker room. Jaroslav Halak transitioned better than expected to the Western Conference, and helped the Blues perform well, even within the tough Central Division. If health allows, the Blues will be the fourth Central team in the Playoffs.

The rest of the hockey world is going to think I'm crazy, and that's okay... I may be the only person who thinks the Chicago Blackhawks will actually regress this year. A season after the Hawks had to break up the team that won the Stanley Cup, they went out looking for some grunt, and got it in guys like Sean O'Donnell and former Philly goon Danny Carcillo. I'm all for grit, but the rest of the Central Division needs to watch its back with Carcillo on the ice, because a hit from behind is about all he is able to contribute. On the positive side, the Hawks also snagged Andrew Brunette. Though entering his hockey twilight, Brunette is still a good goal scorer. The biggest question mark is whether Corey Crawford is the man in net. If not, the Hawks could struggle to find a "go-to guy" with Ray Emery or Alexander Salak.

With the divisional breakdowns done, I give you:

FINAL WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. Nashville Predators
5. Los Angeles Kings
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
7. Anaheim Ducks
8. St. Louis Blues
9. Chicago Blackhawks
10. Minnesota Wild
11. Colorado Avalanche
12. Phoenix Coyotes
13. Dallas Stars
14. Edmonton Oilers
15. Calgary Flames

Here come the men in the white coats... see you Friday.

Cheers.... Go Jackets!

See the picks for the "Other Guys" in the Eastern Conference Preview...

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Fearless (Maybe Just Crazy) Eastern Conference Predictions

2011-10-06T14:18:00.001-04:00

The ice is down in the NHL's 30 rinks. Training Camp is over. Puck drops in Boston in a matter of hours. The time as come for...

[just pretend there's a drum roll here...]

...FEARLESS PREDICTIONS in the NHL for 2011-12!

Or maybe just misguided... and/or crazy predictions for the Eastern Conference.

We'll start with the SOUTHEAST DIVISION...

The Washington Capitals will look to contend for the Presidents' Trophy this year. They should probably keep looking. The days of breezing through the "Southleast" Division are over, with the emergence of the Tampa Bay Lightning as contenders. Yes, Alexander Ovechkin is very good hockey player... and I'm sure he's relieved to be getting some help via free agency from Troy Brouwer and Roman Hamrlik. However, the factor that continues to plague the Capitals come Playoff time is goaltending. Tomas Vokoun was the top free-agent goaltender available this summer… which I don't think says too much for the crop. The Caps likely realized that and only signed him for a year at $1.5 million. Michal Neuvirth is the goalie of the future in Washington, but could be the goalie of the present again... essentially, expect another goaltender controversy. The front office can say all they want how they're comfortable with playing three good goaltenders (throwing Braden Holtby in, too). Problem is, you need one who can win a Cup... which is why they will struggle for another year to come up with excuses to explain why Ovi won't hoist it again this year.

The Tampa Bay Lightning promise to be a team to watch this year, taking the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. The Bolts are still loaded, with a cast lead by new hella-millionaire Steven Stamkos. Despite the loss of Simon Gagne's offensive skills, this team will be tough to beat. Dwayne Roloson was insane for the Bolts down the stretch and in the Playoffs, and aims to match that level as he turns 42 next week. Mathieu Garon should provide a capable back up when he needs rest. Expect the Bolts to be breathing down the Capitals' necks in April.

After Washington and Tampa, the rest of the Southeast is quite up in the air. However, the Carolina Hurricanes stand the best chance of at least making progress this year. Jeff Skinner brought a solid rookie campaign to the Canes in 2010-11, and young guys like him and Brandon Sutter will be relied on to step up and support veterans stars like Eric Staal and Jussi Jokinen. If they overachieve and a couple other teams run into problems, this team could even make the Playoffs this year.

Believe it or not, I truly believe there will be a team in the Southeast Division worse than the very non-Southeast-based Winnipeg Jets... even with the hellish commute. But we'll get to that in a sec. The Jets can at least say they have a number one goaltender, some scoring ability on defense in Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom, and a cadre of experienced guys with potential at forward who can score goals, such as Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler. The question is, can they score enough? To win more than the next team, yes. To get in the Playoffs, no.

However… at least the Jets seem to have a plan. The other good news: They have a rabid fan base that could make the MTS Centre a very interesting place to play this year.

I'm not sure that the Florida Panthers have either of those things. Or a plan, for that matter.

The Panthers make me wonder if that whole space between the salary cap and the salary floor is too small. I mean, how much does it suck to be a team forced to overspend on a bunch of random guys just to meet the floor? Think of this year's Florida Panthers team as a lower-budget New York Rangers… with even less return on investment.

One thing is certain: I do not envy Claude Noel or Kevin Dineen – both of whom are still well-liked and respected here in Columbus – in their first full time head-coaching positions.

In the ATLANTIC DIVISION, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins look to have a fun fight brewing for tops in the division (and a fun fight, period). It is hard to say for how long, but Philly has the advantage as long as Sidney Crosby is sitting for the Penguins. While goaltending problems have haunted the Flyers for the better part of the last two decades (at least), they may finally have their answer in Ilya Bryzgalov. Their acquisitions in free agency or trade were certainly interesting, as they added Jakub Voracek and Brayden Schenn… and of course the acquisitions of Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot will certainly spice up the series against the Penguins this year.

However, depending on how quickly Crosby gets into contact, practice, and NHL games, the Pens could be making a case very soon in the Atlantic. Steve Sullivan was their only major addition this off-season. Keep in mind that even without Crosby for about two months and Evgeni Malkin for longer, the Penguins still managed 49 wins... the most since Crosby came aboard. If Crosby and Malkin stay healthy, the Pens could contend for tops in the East half-asleep.

Brad Richards is ready to take the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup. Yeah … not so fast. You can only fit so many clowns in that SmartCar. Sure, Richards is incredibly talented, and will be able do a lot of great things for the Rangers, but the fact remains that Glen Sather has not managed to build a contending hockey team in New York for quite some -- well... ever.

Any fool can write Brad Richards a huge check... and any fool did. Still, the Rangers should look a little better this year with Richards in the lineup. They've cut a large salary or two, and have some decent guys in the lineup, but some of those guys have really underachieved, for all the significant money the Rangers are paying (looking at you, Marian Gaborik). Henrik Lundquist is a pretty good goaltender, but he's not a $6.9 million, Cup-winning goaltender. Give the Rangers time. Just don't expect them to do anything relevant this year.

The New Jersey Devils could push New York for third in the Atlantic, and possibly for a playoff spot. There are no excuses for how New Jersey played last year. Now, since "Crazy Lou" Lamoriello essentially kept the same team intact, it is clear that the Devils are not panicking after last year. However, it also means it's much more important for them to get it together, especially with Martin Brodeur getting ready to ride off into the sunset. And heaven knows, the Devils have treated their goaltending situation as if Marty was always going to be there. They don't have a backup plan.

They had better find one soon.

The New York Islanders are… pleading the fifth. This team is so bad that if they don't plead the fifth, they just might manage to finish sixth in the Atlantic.

But seriously... prodigal goaltender Evgeni Nabokov looks to be the man in net (or will be, when that pesky torn cuticle in Week 2 sidelines Rick DiPietro for the foreseeable future). Or... maybe the man is Al Montoya. Or maybe... you know what, it's a mess. The Blue Jackets rescued Radek Martinek from the Island. Let's leave it at that.

Last and certainly not least, the NORTHEAST DIVISION...

The Boston Bruins look to be the first team to repeat since Detroit won back-to-back Cups in 1997 and 1998. They have most of the team intact to do it as well. Negotiations with Bard Marchand ended on a positive note, and at a reasonable rate so if Marchand builds on last year's breakout season, it's going to look like a steal. The only major piece missing is Tomas Kaberle, who signed with the Hurricanes in the off-season as a UFA. In an interesting coincidence, the Bruins signed Joe Corvo, formerly of the Hurricanes, to fill Kaberle's puck-moving defenseman slot. The big question lies in goal, as Tim Thomas, now 37, tries to repeat the mind-boggling goaltending spectacle he put on throughout the Playoffs. The question is not whether Thomas can do it, but how the Bruins will distribute the workload between Thomas and heir apparent goaltender Tuukaa Rask.

Looking to threaten the Bruins at the top of the northeast are the Buffalo Sabres, who upgraded their defense by adding Christian Ehrhoff and Robin Regehr, and added Ville Leino to bolster their top six forwards. Factor in the steady goaltending of Ryan Miller, and you have a formidable challenge for the top of the Northeast.

The other team painting at target on the Bruins' backs are the Montréal Canadiens. Though they lost James Wisniewski's playmaking abilities on the blueline, they still have a solid defensive corps, and P. K. Subban still provides an impressive offensive boost. They also snagged Erik Cole away from the Hurricanes, to help them add scoring at forward. If Carey Price continues to improve, the Canadians could make the Northeast race very interesting this year.

A lot of people in Toronto watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs: people that live there, people in the league office that work there, guys in suits who call back legitimate goals. Sadly, the Toronto Maple Leafs also watch the playoffs a lot. At home.

The Leafs have been on the sidelines in April for the past six years. We probably shouldn't expect that to change this year. However, this team could be a couple deals away from contention for a coveted playoff spot. The Leafs added Tim Connolly and Philippe Dupuis to their forwards, and John-Michael Liles to their blueline, and those are definite improvements. However, since Jean-Sebastien Giguere has moved on to Colorado, the team looks to lean heavily on James Reimer, who had a decent showing last year. The question is whether he can carry the load, and how much the Leafs expect him to carry. Still, if Toronto manages to be in it at the trade deadline, maybe Brian Burke will swing something.

The Ottawa Senators will at least be not as bad as the Islanders. They are making progress, and have made moves that they hope will kickstart them back into an upward trend. Craig Anderson is a decent goaltender, but the Sens need a lot better then a 2.83 GAA for their starter, to make up for the lack of offensive firepower. Their hope is that Nikita Filatov will get a fresh start with a new team, and that their young guys can step up and give players like Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson some much-needed help.

With the divisional breakdowns done, I give you:

FINAL EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS1. Washington Capitals
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. Boston Bruins
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Buffalo Sabres
7. New York Rangers
8. Montreal Canadiens
9. New Jersey Devils
10. Toronto Maple Leafs
11. Carolina Hurricanes
12. Ottawa Senators
13. Winnipeg Jets
14. Florida Panthers
15. New York Islanders

With that having been said, let's get this season underway already.

Game on!

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Dude... Where's My CBJ Swag? (Part II): Bringing "Snapback" Back?

2011-10-04T11:19:00.001-04:00

Again, I recently found myself in a mall, this time on an emergency memorabilia run for Mrs. Martini. After settling the emergency, I wandered into... well, in the interest of protecting the innocent (and they were nice enough to let me take pictures to illustrate my point), let's just call it a... "sports-centric haberdasher."

Reds, Tribe, Bengals, Browns... college, obviously very Buckeye-centric, but plenty of stuff for real and bandwagon fans of the major college football and basketball programs. Plenty of NBA stuff, even with seemingly no season on the horizon. Plenty of "brand" stuff... Nike, Adidas, Kangol, L.A. Gear (okay, I'm kidding about the last one).

Three walls... searching... searching... ah-HA!!!!

Two...

small...

miniature rows of NHL hats.

And... not a CBJ hat among them ("We're supposed to get a bunch soon," I'm told).

The good news is, I was just browsing in the first place, because I had already made an "impulse swag buy" last week, when I discovered there were CBJ "Draft Hats" with the Cannon logo and third-sweater colors at the Blueline. I was not passing that up -- that 2011 design is awesome.

I was drawn to the Bruins hat, though, so I figured I'd take a closer look. It was a nice design, more or less. Nice front, nice brim...

...then I turn it over, and to my shock (read: horror)...

The old, retro, plastic adjustable straps. Apparently the kids call them "snapbacks" now.

Cue that noise from The Price Is Right. You know, the "fail" one... boomp-boomp-ba-bmmmmm... BOWWWWWWWWWWwwww...

I look at the employee... "Really?"

"Oh, yeah... the snapbacks are huge now. Think it started with a rap song about them... now they're making them again."

Mind you, his body language seemed to indicate he didn't get the appeal either.

You know those things that you remember from your youth that you liked, right? Certain bands or musical genres... clothes you wore...

...McRib...

...Crystal Pepsi...?

Well, I don't know about you, but snapbacks... not on my list. And you can probably guess why.

You don't even have to abuse those hats at all, and the stitches that hold the plastic on start popping after a month or so. Then, the little pegs start peeling away from the strap, and heaven forbid you adjust the thing and the things separate and stay in the hole. So you resport to athletic tape to hold the darn thing together, and you know how quickly anything wrapped in athletic tape attracts dirt and crud. Then you get sick of it and just toss the damn thing.

That was a little less annoying when the hats cost 13, 14 bucks.

But these suckers cost thirty.

I don't even wear my favorite alumni hat from college (yes, it's that long ago) because I know that damn thing's going to break if I do.

"So, these are like some kind of industrial-strength plastic, then. right?"

"Nope... same old."

"When does some CBJ stuff come in again?"

"Couple weeks."

"Cool. Thank you."

Wow.

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Grow The F*** Up, Part II: Legislating Class

2011-10-04T11:12:00.003-04:00

Stand together… with Sean Avery.

Did those two phrases just make you throw up in your mouth a little bit? I am a bit taken aback myself, because the sound of those two phrases in the same sentence just sounds... out of place. Very out of place.

This is Sean Avery, who had his own NHL rule named after him in 2008. This is Mr. "Sloppy Seconds." The list goes on, but those are the two most incriminating hits on Avery's hockey resume.

But now, just for fun, lets see what the entire sentence in question looked like. Someone tweeted (and someone else retweeted) one day last week: "Stand up with equal marriage rights supporter Sean Avery and tell the NHL that homophobic slurs have to stop."

You'll recall… Sean Avery did something over the summer that actually seemed… human.

Avery spoke out this summer in support of equal marriage rights for homosexuals.

Regardless of how you may feel about the issue politically... you have to give some credit to the fact that Sean Avery -- yes, that Sean Avery -- actually stood up for something that wasn't completely about himself.

Now, does that make any of his previous irritating, unsportsmanlike, chauvinistic, allegedly racist actions/statements on and/or off the ice any more excusable, and does it make Sean Avery any less of an a**hole?

No.

However, it also doesn't make him a f****t.

Unless you ask Wayne Simmonds, of course (allegedly).

Last week, the NHL declined to punish Simmonds for his alleged homophobic slur on Avery, citing a lack of definitive evidence of what was said. Simmonds was vague about what happened, saying that "[Avery] said stuff I didn't like and maybe I said stuff he didn't like," but could not recall exactly what he said.

However, the next day, he was a much more committed in denying he used the slur, and shared that Avery had been running his mouth and threatening Simmonds' teammate Claude Giroux, a monologue that was apparently captured on-air.

Ummm... okay.

Since the Simmonds/Avery video seemed to have disappeared within 48 hours, we can't look at it anymore. What is interesting, however, is reading subsequent coverage. A couple players commented on the incident essentially said guys do stuff like that on the ice all the time out of habit, and you wouldn't expect guys to be "tattling" about it in most instances.

Aaaah, I see... this is the "schoolyard taunt" argument. With so many wonderful four-letter words to choose from that you can call a person or say to a person, "f****t" is the first thing that pops into a professional athlete's head?

Wow... that's makes me feel better, how about you? Anyone?

Yes, Sean Avery is an a**hole, and his threat against an opponent before the slur further proves it. However, Avery could have actually attacked Giroux, and that wouldn't justify calling him a f****t.

Wouldn't a simple "f*** you" suffice? Where's a good "your mother" joke when you need one? Better yet... just freakin' hit him. Sure, it's not much better, but you get the point.

Here's an unfortunate fact... because Colin Campbell did such an inconsistent job when he was in charge of discipline, that the fact that he did nothing while standing in for Shanahan (who is understandably busy) is not surprising. Sure, the "strong statement against racial and homophobic slurs" is admirable, but it's still after the fact, and it doesn't really resolve a damn thing. The video of Simmonds saying it seemed pretty damning... ESPN wouldn't blur his mouth for nothing, right?

The other unfortunate fact... it has become apparent this "gentlemanly" sport is no better than its counterparts in the "Big Four" sports. Instead of sending a message that this stuff will not be tolerated by actually taking action...

...the NHL sent a memo. A copout that says, "Meh... we can't really legislate class in pro sports."

Sad, but probably true. If pro sports could legislate class, maybe John Rocker's career might have been shorter. Maybe it wouldn't have taken a second accuser to make Ben Roethlisberger think to himself "Gee, maybe I should make a switch to a consensual relationship."

Despite the fact that I'm really looking forward to the season starting on Thursday and Friday, I am relieved that preseason is over and there are a few days this week in which someone isn't doing something to embarass themselves, the league and the sport. Slurs... targeting the head... mashing guys into the glass from behind... this all comes from a blatant lack of class in the game.

I'd bet money Brendan Shanahan never imagined he would be this busy in the preseason. You would have thought the public outcry over guys getting away with dirty hits in the Playoffs... or Aaron Rome's missing the rest of the Stanley Cup Final after his cheap shot on Nathan Horton... or having to re-clarify the rules on cheap shots and hits to the head would have made a difference.

It's a sad commentary on the game.

However, maybe by the weekend, players will have learned something from the past couple weeks.

The puck's dropping. Grow up, shut up, and play hockey.

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More Wiz Thoughts After "Cooling Off"

2011-09-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

Alrighty! Now that we've all had a little bit of a "cooling off period" after Brendan Shanahan's announcement of the Wisniewski suspension, let's take a look at the fallout.

Having taken part in a few Twitter discussions and grabbed a little sleep and contemplate the matter some more… I can safely say I pretty much agree with everybody that this whole thing sucks... because let's face it, it does.

I might even agree that the suspension is excessive… considering that Clutterbuck certainly displayed a flair for the dramatic at a rather convenient juncture. Hey, he got up, and he was out there on the power play, right? Apparently Shanahan was not Wisniewski's "he embellished" bit, nor did he seem to even consider the argument.

It is possible to argue that Wisniewski was not targeting clutter buck said we could argue this. We can argue that Wisniewski was in a defensive position. Unfortunately, it's still contact to the head, and that's a no-no.

Eight games is harsh. There is no question about that. However, my guess (and this is just a theory) is that Wisniewski's repeat offender status – and the fact that his last hit-related suspension was also for eight games – was the main determining factor for the length of the suspension. I'm thinking Shanahan figured the infraction was not necessarily more severe than the hit on Seabrook two seasons ago, but felt he couldn't go lower.

So, my theory is that the message to be gleaned from the Wisniewski ban is: If you are a repeat offender, don't bet on sitting out fewer games then you did on your previous suspension.

Again, this is just a theory. We'll have to see what happens when someone screws up again while Shanahan's in charge of player safety, and find out whether he's consistent. Hopefully, it is not Wisniewski and the Blue Jackets dealing with it again.

There are quite a few fans who feel the punishment is excessive, and that the Blue Jackets are getting screwed over (again) because they're the Blue Jackets.

To those fans, I offer this: The responsibility for this situation, when all is said and done, still lies with James Wisniewski. Amid our celebration at Scott Howson's bold move to secure the Jackets' long-awaited puck-moving defenseman, I'm struggling to recall any mention of Wisniewski's past – whether it be his hit on Seabrook, the two suspensions prior to that, or his suspension for demonstrating to Sean Avery what kind of items he might find at an adult bookstore.

I won't lie… I don't remember seeing any mention of his previous disciplinary... wanderings.

I will also tell you quite frankly, having worked in public relations for a while, that such transgressions are not likely to make it into a press release.

Now, is that the fault of the team? Of course not. Anyone can Google the not-so-pleasant aspects of hockey players.

So right now, it's tough being a Blue Jackets fan, when one of your new guys that came with so much hype is in trouble, and – as much as we rail against thugs like Matt Cooke, Danny Carcillo, and Todd Bertuzzi – now everybody else in the NHL is acting holier-than-thou when they talk about Wisniewski.

My favorite "holier-than-thou" read of the evening comes from the Octopus Thrower blog, which backed off from previous criticism of Red Wings general manager Ken Holland for losing out in the quest to get James Wisniewski in the off-season.

The author goes on to, predictably, bash the Blue Jackets organization for its prior history of futility, and essentially dismisses the club as a second rate franchise with a "slim to none chance of ever touching the Stanley Cup." The author also goes on to dismiss Wisniewski as a selfish guy who is "not a team player" and displays "volatile behavior."

This, coming from a fan of the team that has signed paychecks to such princes-among-men as Darren McCarty, Derian Hatcher and -- lest we forget -- Todd Bertuzzi.

Yeah, sure… don't forget your tissues, pal. You're going to get a nosebleed up there on that high-horse.

For once, a Columbus Blue Jacket has done something to make the team look bad. James Wisniewski is more than likely not a bad guy. However, he made a very bad decision, and he's paying for it.

Like I said yesterday, it sucks when it's one of your own. It sucks even worse when someone writing about the Detroit Red Wings starts bashing an "overpriced goon" -- and the assertion is clearly not to be interpreted as tongue-in-cheek.

Yet... we can't blame the Octopus Thrower. We can't blame the Red Wings. We can't blame Brendan Shanahan.

Well, technically, we can, but so far, that's not solving anything.

Sure, we'll gladly welcome Wiz back. We'll cheer for him as he takes the ice October 25, when the Wings are in town.

But make no mistake about it... the only person we can and should blame for all this... is James Wisniewski.
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Mario's Big Gamble on Matt Cooke

2011-09-27T18:44:00.001-04:00

There's a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey hanging in my closet. One of the last CCM away whites, after Mario Lemieux brought back the old logo. Absolutely loved that logo and design... and it only looked better with the gold.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a fan of Disney Crosby. I mean, I get why he's a big deal and everything... I just soured on him when he started getting that little prima donna, "Little Lord Fauntleroy" thing about him. But I always liked Mario, so I figured I'd get the jersey customized with the whole "Lemieux 66" eventually.

At this point, I might very well just burn the damn thing.

Why? Well, let's face it... I've pretty much lost respect for Mario Lemieux.

Don't get me wrong... Mario was a great player, a tough player... the dude battled cancer and won, and even came back and played some more. I'm sure he's a great and personable guy. And I will always respect him for that. Nothing can ever take those qualities away.

The problem is, it's hard to separate Mario Lemieux the legend... from Mario Lemieux the hockey executive (and hypocrite).

I understood his problems with the league as a player in the 1990s, how he talked about the woes of the game as a star player... the non-calls on the clutching and grabbing that was taking away from the scoring and the speed of the game. I was all aboard with that, you know? Star players were getting harassed, and sometimes it even seemed like the more they talked to the refs about it, the more the refs seemed to blow them off.

Sure, it was a little whiny on Mario's part, but it was true. There's sound defense, and there's draping yourself on a guy like his last name is Kardashian (and happens to be a girl).

His stance on headshots? Totally respect that. Look at Crosby... out since, what... January, now, with post-concussion symptoms? I also totally respect Crosby's stance on headshots, as well. Duh... he would know, right?

Except... look at the Penguins roster.

Yep... Matt Cooke is still there.

I know that, as owner, Mario is technically Crosby's boss, but how can the kid look over at Cooke, think about what he's going through after a couple of headshots -- and not be thinking, "Ummmmmm... boss? Are we thinking clearly about the contradiction in this?"

Evgeni Malkin said earlier this summer he's glad Matt Cooke is on the team. Translation: "Hell, yeah, I don't want him hitting me next. I LOVE him."

I certainly don't blame him for that sentiment.

I believe Mario Lemieux really is thinking clearly about this situation. And while I'm sure he's feeling a little anxiety over Cooke, he thinks the guy can turn it around this year. Oh yeah... Mario also has a good chunk of money invested in Cooke for another couple years.

You see, Matt Cooke -- when he keeps his elbows closer to his own body -- is actually not a bad hockey player. That's why his repeat offenses last season -- two supplemental disciplinary hearings in six weeks -- even upset his teammates a bit. They were already without their captain and another huge scorer for the foreseeable future, but they lost a contributor for the remainder of the season, and likely failed to win their division because of it.

Greg Wyshynski from Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog had a really terrific piece on Cooke a few weeks ago. He discussed the good things Cooke does off the ice, and how his wife's health scare during last season is making him "a changed man." He's not defending Cooke, just telling a story, discussing Cooke's life off-ice and the whole HBO 24/7 thing.

I kind of called him on it, saying I'd believe Cooke is a changed man when I see it.

He replied that he didn't think there was any shame in "taking a wait-and-see attitude with Cooke."

And... he is 100% right.

However, I also believe there no shame in healthy skepticism. Matt Cooke could be the next Mother Theresa off the ice, but it wouldn't change the bastard he is on it. The only thing keeping Cooke off my "Should've-Had-A-Lifetime-Ban-from-the-NHL" list with Todd Bertuzzi is the fact that he wasn't the last guy to hit Marc Savard... because doctors (perhaps very foolishly) cleared Savard to play, and he took two more hits to the head.

Yet, it doesn't really make him any less responsible for the fact that Savard may never play again. It's a razor-thin line, friends.

Honestly, I hope Greg Wyshynski's right.

Can Matt Cooke change?

The burden of proof is on Matt Cooke, and only Matt Cooke. Lest we forget, he just boarded a guy over the weekend.

"Changed man." Yeah, right. Prove it.

The sad thing is... if/when he screws up... he could very well take Mario's good name (what's left of it) with him.

And then I'm down one nice-looking hockey sweater....

I'll do it, Mario....

I WILL freakin' do it.

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Wrandom Wrister - Dear Rangers & Flyers: Grow The F*** Up

2011-09-27T03:33:00.001-04:00

In an emergency move, NBC has restructured the canceled sitcom Outsourced as a reality show, to give Brendan Shanahan some extra hands to keep up with the stupid behavior of players wearing New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers uniforms...

... wait... Dan Carcillo's not even in Philly anymore?!?!?

Tom Sestito... the guy who could have capitalized on an opportunity to put Jody Shelley out of a job after his stupid hit last week... dished out his own suspension-worthy hit Monday night.

Oh, and there is no way in hell he'll be able to justify this, either. Andre Deveaux didn't have a chance to see what was coming as Sestito came at him full speed. Even Johnnie Cochran wouldn't have been able to get Sestito out of this one.

Way to work for an NHL job, you putz.

Quick aside... Jody Shelley and Tom Sestito were both in the CBJ system, and gritty as they were, they never played like this in Columbus. Inherent Flyers culture corrupting otherwise just "gritty" hockey players? Just figured I'd put it out there... decide for yourself.

But I digress....

Sean Avery crying about Wayne Simmonds (supposedly) using a homophobic slur toward him? Ummmmmm, first of all... you'd think Mr. "Sloppy Seconds" would have thicker skin.

Second... well, supposedly, Avery used... ummmm, "objectionable" language toward Simmonds as well. Obviously, there's no proof, and perhaps there never will be... though obviously, it wouldn't be the first time provocative language was spewed by Lady Byng's evil step-child.

Does that make a homophobic slur acceptable? Absolutely not. Of all people, you'd think a guy who was on the receiving end of racist behavior just a few nights ago would think twice before rattling off such a thing to an opponent.

Sure, it's Sean Avery, and he's more of a caricature of a hockey player than anything else, but this isn't Slap Shot, you idiots... in fact, most of the film is much tamer. This isn't high school, boys.

Hockey fans get it. There was a big media event earlier... the Winter Classic in Philadelphia in January, and you guys just happen to be meeting in a preseason game the same day. Yadda, yadda, etc.

Fine. You're in the same division. You don't like each other, and you absolutely don't have to. But you also don't have to go conducting yourself like morons. There's building anticipation and hype for a big hockey event... and there's acting just plain stupid.

Keep this crap up, and VH1 will get better ratings with a Rock Of Love marathon than the NHL will with the Winter Classic. And they haven't made Rock Of Love in years... yet the reruns will have more substance.

The Rock Of Love marathon might even have more hockey in it.

Shut up and play hockey.

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The Hammer Falls... Wiz Out Eight Games

2011-09-26T20:02:00.000-04:00

It is what it is.

James Wisniewski will sit for the first eight games of the regular season, after delivering an illegal check to the head of Cal Clutterbuck last Friday after time expired in regulation. The fact that time expired was a big factor in Brendan Shanahan's decision, along with his prior suspension history. His video explanation is on NHL.com now.

Obviously, fans and the league alike want a better game... a game were no one has to worry about someone getting an extended leave of absence (or worse) because another guy delivers an illegal check, or puts him face first into the boards, or the ice.

And obviously, there is a big part of us that wants the offenders to suffer the consequences when they do what they do.

It sucks when the offender is one of your own.

But, it is what it is.

The ice-level video (kudos to Matt Wagner and the guys at The Cannon for tracking that elusive footage down) didn't give us a whole lot to go on. Clutterbuck's hit on Tyutin wasn't exactly a blindside attack... a little high, maybe.

However, I think it's safe to say we can also call bull$#!+ on the Minnesota reporter who claimed Wisniewski chased Clutterbuck around for several seconds before the hit.

However, the hit happened. There's no denying it... and Shanahan had better video to work with, too. However one might feel about Clutterbuck, Wisniewski make a mistake, and he'll pay for it. His intentions may not have necessarily been malicious (obviously Shanny disagrees) but his actions were foolish, and they were reckless.

Like I said... it sucks when it's one of your guys.

But... it is what it is. The Jackets will hopefully have the full lineup of skaters on the ice by October 25, when he can rejoin the team to meet the Red Wings at Nationwide. That is sure as hell a good time to have him back, but losing him for most of October is very, very bad news nonetheless.

They have to move forward without Wiz until then.

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A Good Solid Effort On The Ice

2011-09-25T23:46:00.000-04:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets' game against the Buffalo Sabres (I know I've said it before, but yay, Jackets TV!) left some good things to be excited about.

For one, man, that was a beauty goal by Grant Clitsome in the first period.

Second, Dane Byers factoring into three goals (including one for himself) gives fans a lot to be excited about. Always good to see a guy who might be able to move up to Columbus during the season and contribute.

Overall, the Jackets looked solid in every area of the ice. Most importantly, the team (or rather, Steve Mason) looked solid in net. However the teams on either side look, roster-wise, Mason has needed to look good this preseason.

Hopefully that carries over into the regular season, because heaven knows the only people who seem to believe in this team live in Columbus. Outside of Columbus, everyone seems to think it will be more of the same, and all the fingers point to the guy in goal. But, whatever... let the doubters doubt.

We are now less than two weeks away from Opening Night against Nashville. True, the 3-1-1 preseason record means nothing in the big picture. We're seeing good things on the ice.. and it's hard not to like that.

Time to drop the puck already.
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Not Cool, New Guy...

2011-09-25T22:16:00.005-04:00

Well, with Mark Dekanich gone, the chances of the Blue Jackets lineup being intact on opening night were shot to hell, anyway, right?

I was going to reserve any statement on this until I saw video of it, but since there still seems to be none available, I'll just have to make do.

I think it's a safe bet that James Wisniewski will be watching Opening Night from the press box, after an illegal check to the head on Cal Clutterbuck after time expired in the third period. Clutterbuck had made a questionable hit on Fedor Tyutin moments before.

It's a bad move any way you slice it. Yes, he's defending himself and his partner... and I applaud that he's sticking up for his teammate, and apparently jelling with the team that well.

But cooler heads have to prevail. We've already seen Brendan Shanahan dish out a couple suspensions, and we're just halfway through the preseason.

The Jackets are paying a lot of money for this guy, and a suspension for an illegal hit is a lot different from a suspension for making an "ungentlemanly" gesture at Sean Avery. In fact, I'd even argue that Avery probably deserved it. This move costs Wisniewski money. It costs the Jackets a body for... well, we don't know how long yet.

Wisniewski will fall in the "repeat offender" category, thanks to a suspension for boarding Brent Seabrook a couple seasons back. That was also a retaliatory situation.

Love team unity. Team unity helps the team. Getting suspended doesn't.

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Not A Bad Message, Mr. Shanahan...

2011-09-22T18:21:00.003-04:00

When I first discussed the appointment of Brendan Shanahan as the NHL's chief disciplinarian several weeks ago, I was hesitant to commit to the belief that there was a "new sheriff in town," and that it was something to anticipate.

And I don't think anyone can really blame me, because no one knew what Shanahan would do in a given situation where the NHL has failed so many times in the last few years... essentially because he was appointed to the position toward the end of the season, and we weren't going to see what he could do until fall.

While Colin Campbell was referred to as the "the Sheriff" (inconsistent as he was), I guess a couple of nicknames have probably already been tossed around for Shanny. The one that got me laughing was from the "Fake NHL Network" Twitter account, which said something to the effect of "Prepare to meet the ShanaHammer!!!!!"

Pretty catchy, huh? I like it.

So, how did Shanahan deal on his essentially his first day on the job? You know, not bad.

Two guys with hearings for boarding -- Philly's Jody Shelley and Calgary's Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (wow... say that three times as fast as you can) -- resulted in two suspensions.

Shelley will miss the rest of the preseason, along with the first five games of the regular season.

ShanaHammer, indeed.

The move could be more costly for Shelley, because this happened when it did. You see... Travis Hughes from Broad Street Hockey (and that's a link to his piece... check it out) bought up an interesting point in his reaction to the report: With Shelley missing the rest of this preseason, he has legitimate shot at losing his job in Philadelphia for the next guy to come along. In a strange coincidence, Hughes notes that next guy could be former CBJ Prospect Tom Sestito.

So, for anyone who might be calling for a lifetime ban from the league for Shelley… hey, who knows? You just might get your wish. If the Flyers wind up dropping, are there other teams that would be willing to pick Shelley up? Three suspensions in less than a year. That's a potential PR problem (unless you're Mario Lemieux and don't care, that is). Not many teams will go into that voluntarily.

Considering that such a level of venom and unprovoked malice never seemed to be part of Shelley's game prior to his tenure in Philadelphia, it makes me sad to see him potentially go out like this.

However, I find it sadder that the inconsistent enforcement of rules designed to protect players on the ice allowed the state of the NHL to get to the point where it is now.

It's sad that this decision was necessary at all. But it is necessary.

Time will tell if Shanahan's hardline stance today will continue consistently as the situations arise. However, this is a move in the right direction.

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Say It Isn't So...

2011-09-22T04:24:00.000-04:00

Dear Jody:

Good lord, man... what have you become?

Remember when you were the enforcer in Columbus? Fans loved you... the last thing opponents wanted to do was mess with you... and the #45 was one of the most popular sweaters in town.

Man, those were good times.

Now, you're like this completely different guy on the ice. Two suspensions last year, and now... more than likely looking at a third in less than a year. Boarding a guy... again?!?!? In a freakin' preseason game?!?!?

Dude, Greg Wyshynski had the video of that gutless cheap-shot on the 'net before the game was even over... plus a nice refresher of that boarding you pulled on Adam McQuaid last year.

Backing up a teammate? Nope. Just a cheap shot.

Not the Jody Shelley we knew in Columbus, that's for sure. That hit was bull$#!+, and you know it. Of all the people whom I'd suspect would wind up being the first test of Brendan Shanahan's enforcement of headshot and boarding rules... you were not high on the list.

Matt Cooke. Dan Carcillo. Those were my top two.

No-brainers, really. Because that kind of crap is their game... not yours.

Or at least it wasn't.

At least you'll get to sit and think about it.

Sad. Disgusting.

And more than anything... disappointing.

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Well, That Was A Little Troubling...

2011-09-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

It's just a preseason game.... It's just a preseason game.... It's just a preseason game....

Half the roster is made up of prospects.

Everything will be okay. This isn't indicative of what the team will do.

These were all things that went through my head in the span of about 10 seconds as the Washington Capitals tied Wednesday night's game with the Columbus Blue Jackets, with 1:03 remaining.

The Jackets had led 3-1 at the 2:30 mark. Steve Mason had played the entire game, and the Jackets were suddenly looking at OT.

It's easy to forget that it's a game that essentially doesn't count, when the idea of a third-period collapse sounds so familiar. However, it was apparently a night for prospects to shine on an NHL stage. Like fellow prospects Cam Atkinson, Maksim Mayorov and David Savard before him, Alexandre Giroux took a pass from Fedor Tyutin and slapped it past Philipp Grubauer on the power play to give the Jackets a win in OT.

I'm so glad the Jackets have put the home games up live on the website. Such a treat to be able to see this stuff on a night when I can't get down to the District.

It'll be "radio only" on Friday, I guess, as the Jackets hit the road to Minnesota. 'Tis the preseason.

Good win, guys. Go Jackets!

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"I Would Like To Buy An Um-ber-ger..."

2011-09-21T14:27:00.000-04:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets locked up another core player to a long-term deal this morning, inking R.J. Umberger to a five-year, $23 million contract extension.

Really... what can one say about Umberger that hasn't already been said? The guy shows up to every game, he's a leader on the ice. He can skate, he can block, he can flip a guy over with a clean hit....

The dude can score while lying on his freakin' stomach!

As a person, the fact that he's a former Buckeye probably goes a long way toward making locals forget that he's a Steelers fan. Then again, you can't really bash a guy from Pittsburgh for loving the Steelers... it's not like he's one of those inescapable, embarassing bandwagon fans that seem to pile into every bar on an NFL Sunday.

And the dude went back to OSU and finished school this year. That's character, people. He's a hard worker, and he's a finisher.

Five more years (well... six, counting this one).

Five more years of wince-inducing hits. Five more years of hardcore hockey. Five more years of 110 percent.

Five more years of Mrs. Martini yelling out "AAAAHM-BEHRRR-GEHRRR!" (in her best Inspector Clouseau accent) from the stands when he scores a goal.

I'll apologize in advance for anyone sitting near us at games. Not for her... I do it, too.

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A "Pre-Welcome Back"...

2011-09-21T00:14:00.000-04:00

It was a long wait for two cities this evening... but considerably longer for one of them.

The good news is, the home team in Columbus won to open the preseason.

The bad news... so did the home team in Winnipeg.

Does it mean anything? Perhaps not a whole in the so-called "grand scheme of things." They're technically just preseason games, after all.

What is important, however, is that those who braved the rain to get to Nationwide Arena Tuesday evening got their first hockey fix in Columbus in five months. They saw a nice win, too, to the tune of 5-1. I caught some of it online, and a chunk of both on the radio. Good to hear George Matthews screaming "SCOOOOORES!" so often after a long break, that's for sure.

And fans in Winnipeg piled into the MTS Centre to get their first NHL hockey fix in 15 years. They also saw a win, a rather nasty 6-1 blowout.

Tuesday night was an oddity, in that it featured a pair of split-squad games. But hey... why not? How many people get to listen to their team play twice in the same night? If you think about it, it's a pretty cool way to open your hockey season. And that's just in Columbus.

Imagine how stoked they are in Winnipeg.

Sure, it would have been nice for Columbus to take both games, but hey... it's preseason. Our guys get another shot at them in the regular season, on November 12 at Nationwide. And that one's for points.

It has been a long wait, Winnipeg. Welcome back.

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Columbus "On The Clock" For Realignment?

2011-09-20T22:26:00.003-04:00

The buzz over NHL realignment next year – and the possibility of Columbus Blue Jackets moving to the Eastern Conference – has been more like a dull roar since Atlanta-to-Winnipeg became official.

Expect it to get a little louder.

Today the NHL board of governors took the important first step of discussing that possibility of realignment for the 2012-13 season.

The conclusion they drew today was that there has to be a decision by December, so the NHL scheduling process can begin on time.

This is all well and good. It's a good thing to have goals. But will Phoenix's seemingly endlessly fluid situation mess up that deadline, or at least the NHL's ability to meet it?

Obviously, my goal here is not to rain on the parade for Blue Jackets fans. Anybody reading this space knows that I'm among the loudest supporters of moving East. But in all honesty, unless the ownership situation in Phoenix gets straightened out and secured in the next couple months, there's no certainty as to where they'll go.

Coyotes fans have been in limbo for the better part two years now. I've also said before I'd rather have the Coyotes stay in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, there are some cities absolutely stoked up the possibility of getting a team. I know Québec City has been one of the loudest lately. Kansas City has had an NHL-ready arena for a few years now. Some digging on my part produced a Bleacher Report piece discussing the pros and cons of some other potential markets -- including Portland, Seattle, Milwaukee, Houston, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. No need to go into any details beyond that, since we just don't know. If things go well the next few weeks in Columbus, new markets don't even have to be in our vocabulary.

The Coyotes' limbo status doesn't have to mess up the entire realignment process if they wind up moving. The NHL could essentially go to a similar plan as this year's: Should the Coyotes move east after the alignment is determined, maybe they just have to suck up a long commute for a year, then take it from there.

I think we can safely operate under the assumption that the powers that be already have something in mind, in case the Coyotes wind up moving somewhere.

But as far as Columbus is concerned, we now have a definitive idea when we'll get some news on realignment. So, I guess for now, we keep our fingers crossed. Good or bad... we should know something by the holidays.

Maybe our team will get the best present ever? (nudge nudge, wink wink)

Let the roar for realignment commence....

Go Jackets!

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A Wonderful, Chilly September Morning...

2011-09-18T03:43:00.000-04:00

It was a morning like any other, really. I turned off the alarm clock, looked at the time, and realized I hit the snooz-bar about three or four times.

Yep. That sounded about right.

Oh wait... it was Saturday. Why the hell am I even setting an alarm on Saturday?!?!?

Oh yeah... it's the first day of Training Camp at the Ice Haus.

Out of bed, slap on a shirt, walk the dogs, wake Mrs. Martini, and get our hockey-loving selves down to The District.

Love the smell of fresh ice in the morning...

Sure enough, just in time for training camp, the Tim Horton's that took over the Cotter's space is open. As much as I hate to lose a watering hole in the Arena District... nothing hits the spot like a coffee and one of these.

The Stinger Donut from Tim Horton's.. the Breakfast of (Fans of) Champions

Sure enough, Mrs. Martini and I walked into a nice, crowded Haus, got our free Training Camp shirts, checked out some of the new CBJ swag (and made a mental checklist for later), and hit the rink. It was nice and chilly inside... the very environment we as fans have been waiting to experience again since April...

... a wait that was far to long to see our team on the ice.

Familiar guys. Nash. Boll. Clitsome. New guys. Carter. Dekanich. Guys looking to make good impressions. Prout. York.

Guys ready to get out there and play some hockey. And fans who are ready to watch.

It has been a long wait... and it's almost over. Time to bust out the hockey sweaters and wear them regardless of whether people think we're crazy. Time to go watch practices. Time to buy tickets.

It's time for hockey again, people.

Game on. Go Jackets!

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The NHL Social Media Policy: A Little Stringent, But Not Bad

2011-09-17T01:48:00.001-04:00

With just hours to go before training camp, it looks it's time to wrap up the

I got wind of the NHL instituting a Social Media Policy a couple days ago, and meant to discuss it here then, but... well, I didn't get a chance to really look at it in-depth until today. The discussion of the preservation of our arena and hockey team here in Columbus took precedent. You understand.

Still, the Social Media landscape among the Columbus Blue Jackets' fanbase is impressive, and still growing a bit. A lot of us like to "live-tweet" during games, those of us in the CBJ Blogging Community use it a lot during games, discussing hot topics in the sport, promoting our blogs and so forth.

Obviously, it's not unique to Columbus -- although it has made Forbes' "Most Wired Cities" list each year, and has a very vibrant and social-media-savvy community.

It's everywhere in the NHL. Follow the Twitter hashtags for every NHL team, and you're going to find a lot of people in the league's virtual living room. As I noted back in April during the Playoffs, social media really does make us one big, happy, dysfunctional family. We hype good plays, we yell at the refs, trash-talk one another's teams... and, of, course, we love to compliment our guys after their hard-earned efforts on the ice.

And the teams get in on it, too. Teams' official accounts have been publishing and refreshing lists of official Twitter handles of players on their rosters. It's a cool way for fans to see a little more of their favorite players' personalities, and a great way for teams to have some outreach to fans. Heck, CBJ fans on Twitter were having a ball a few weeks back, when new Jackets goaltender Mark Dekanich did an entirely Twitter-based Q&A online. Fan interaction at its best, people.

So it wasn't without a little trepidation that I looked up what was going in the NHL's new Social Media Policy, especially when I caught the headline this morning from one of the daily public relations newsletters I get (though, due to the topic, it was forwarded to me by Mrs. Martini first), which described it as a "PR miss."

Oh, boy, I thought. The NHL's going to go nuts like the NFL and NBA have, and spoil the fun and fan interaction that puckheads have come to expect from their teams.

Let us not forget, the Columbus Blue Jackets -- as a third-year (if I recall correctly) expansion team -- was the #1 Fan Experience among all of the "Big Four" sports, on ESPN The Magazine's first list of Best Sports Franchises. And the NHL is going to take that fan-friendly element away from us?

Well, not exactly.

The policy essentially establishes a blackout period, during which players cannot use social media. That blackout falls from two hours before puck drop, and extends until all players' media obligations after the game are fulfilled.

A similar blackout period also applies to game operations and other NHL personnel, but that blackout begins at 11 AM.

The gist of the rest of the policy mostly deals with content, and making sure that players are not saying anything disparaging about their teams, or the league, etc. It also seems to cover the bases of keeping in mind that players represent their teams and the NHL at all times, and should conduct themselves appropriately.

So, for example, the NHL might have fined Mike Commodore couple weeks ago, after he cussed out a guy that made a snide remark about Wade Belak (the offending person apparently did not realize yet that Belak had died). Essentially, chewing out fans would be a problem. However, Commodore showing off how much money he won at the track on a given day (only saw him do it once, but he's apparently quite the horse guy) would probably not be a violation… so long as it does not fall within that blackout period.

Maybe that's a weird example. Sorry... first thing that came to mind.

Player-wise, it does seem a little silly on the surface. It's not like you see hockey players tweet during games – come on, it's virtually impossible to do with those gloves. I don't think even Alex Ovechkin would be so idiotic as to pull a BlackBerry out of his pads and tweet after a goal, like players in the NFL might have done in the end zone.

On second thought, Ovie's probably the type who would find a way. But, I digress….

So, even though the NHL is somewhat more "gentlemanly" than the NBA or the NFL, there is still in need for the league to have a social media policy. Any company in which social media has any sort of presence should consider having a policy that helps clarify its use. In this sense, the NHL is not much different from any other business. The league, like any other business, has to protect its interests, and avoid liability for information from personnel that may go out over social media (check out some of the stuff to consider on Mashable). In fact, the NHL is actually overdue in establishing such a policy, as the NFL and NBA have had policies in place for a couple years.

My one question on this policy? How broad is that "hockey operations staff" part they mention? Does this mean that even @BlueJacketsNHL (the team's official Twitter account) can't tweet things like goal scorers/assists or interesting stats during games? Sure, the media stay on top of that stuff, too, but a gag order on teams' official accounts seems a bit... much.
I did shoot that question to the team on Twitter, so I'm looking forward to finding out the answer. We'll see.

Still, that's a pretty minor concern in the big scheme of things. I doubt this policy is really going to deprive us of anything we can't live without as fans. I'm not sure there were that many guys -- if any -- who tweeted within two hours of puck-drop, anyway.

This policy is a precaution... nothing else.

It's probably no accident, however, that this policy is coming out as the NHL and NHLPA begin thinking about negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It's a good bet that any discussions of CBA during that period could count as an "offense." It's a good way to help the sides control their respective messages during negotiations. We all know how quickly hockey rumors, speculation and leaks can spread out of control.

It's a good policy to have. How the NHL deals with and enforces it... only time will tell. However, I don't anticipate that this will become some sort of Draconian system to censor anybody. I wouldn't be surprised if we never see a player or staff member face discipline.

We'll probably wind up wondering why the league bothered creating a policy at all. However, having a Social Media Policy before there is a problem is preferable to having to create one later after someone has said something that makes his team or the league look bad. Just because you don't seem to need it, doesn't make it less of a good idea.

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Hockey Lives In Columbus, Part II: Home...? Future...?

2011-09-15T11:05:00.006-04:00

The Columbus Blue Jackets just might be having the closest thing to a perfect summer.

Oop... wait. Yep, there it is... that looming cloud of negativity coming to spoil the party. Damn, that thing never moves, does it...?

I have to say, I was even a little giddy to see the news this arena proposal. I mean, come on… it's good for the team (obviously), it's good for the fans (obviously), and no matter what the naysayers may tell you, it is good for the city of Columbus.

However, within that previous sentence lies the problem: the naysayers.

You can't miss them, they have voiced their objections ad nauseam on the Dispatch article's page.

And, yes, as much as I hate to say it, they do have a point.

For pretty much as far back as I can remember, Columbus taxpayers have opposed publicly funding the construction of a downtown arena.

Before I was even a hockey fan, as a grade school lad I remember riding to school and listening to news reports about the supporters and opponents of building that downtown arena. No matter what, the idea was only always shot down. I don't recall whether any of those discussions revolved around sports teams.

I was eight. You'll have to forgive me.

But in a nutshell, the recurring theme has always been "Screw you guys, my taxpayer dollars are not paying for your arena."

Now, this deal being discussed sounds like it would bypass the process of a public vote. This is probably the biggest reason why people are pissed. They don't get a say, and so... after so many votes to not put in arena downtown with public money… well, the purchase and operation of Nationwide Arena would essentially come from public money.

Now, add to that the fact that even the small percentage of people in Columbus who actually voted for the casinos a couple years back (residents in Central Ohio overwhelmingly voted against the proposal) now realize in hindsight that they voted for a total trainwreck that hosed the State of Ohio out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The rest who opposed realize that just about everyone else in Ohio bought in on the B.S. that Penn National and Dan Gilbert selling. So, naturally, they are determined to not let it happen again. They are probably looking at this agreement and think that this is another grand swindle.

Just read the comments on the article in the Dispatch (and try to ignore the irony of people who can't spell or use passable grammar that are spouting off about funding education): "No public money for a failed private sector deal." Corrupt mayor is at it again." "...Third-rate sports franchise...."

And voters won't get a choice.

I sympathize. I really do. And while I would fully support the public's right to have a referendum to be able to vote on something like this... I'm going to pass this time.

Why? Because I'm a hockey fan.

However, beyond that... this is about more than just hockey team. There is a bigger picture. Not one opponent who so readily bashes the Columbus Blue Jackets in this case seems to give any regard to the surrounding businesses, and what they bring to the table. The Arena District is a vibrant area. It's jumping on a hockey night, and a great destination even on non-hockey nights. It's not as busy, but still good. Those businesses... those payrolls... those income taxes... are all there because of this "third-rate hockey team." Take away that team, there go the businesses, payrolls and income taxes.

Remember the 2004-05 Lockout? The news stories on Arena District businesses cutting people and barely hanging on? Think of what that would look like permanently. No more "barely hanging on"... just gone.

To the opponents, I offer this:

Technically, yeah… it is public money. But, again... unlike previous "public-money-for-arena" issues, you are not paying anything more. Gamblers are. See? Even sin and vice have silver linings once in awhile.

Yes, the hockey team has been mismanaged. Yes, the hockey team has underperformed. Yes, the hockey team is losing money. The Blue Jackets organization has taken a look at itself from top to bottom. I know only time will tell... but there is a lot of reason to believe this team will turn it around.

Most of the opponents won't care anyway. I accept that. Buckeye Football is king in Columbus -- cars, tattoos, "culture of noncompliance" and all.

Fine. You don't have to come to the Stanley Cup parade that is coming sometime in the next six years. It's great if you can make it, and we'll certainly welcome you with open arms when you get around to jumping on the bandwagon -- and point and laugh at you when you jump off. But... hey, your prerogative.

I'm sorry you don't get a choice.

I'm also glad... because if you did, you'd stick on that whole "public funding" issue -- even though you're not paying any additional taxes -- and ignore the big picture of the surrounding businesses and people that benefit from this hockey team. I just don't trust a public vote. Sorry. That's just realism.

This deal is not ideal for everybody. But it works.

Long live the Blue Jackets. Long live the Arena District.

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Poll: A Little Drew Doughty Math...

2011-09-08T22:26:00.001-04:00

Drew Doughty scored 16 goals and 43 assists (59 points, for those playing at home), and was a plus-20 in 2009-10, en route to becoming a Norris Trophy finalist.

He followed up that performance with 11 goals and 29 assists (40 total), and a plus-13 last season. That's a 30-percent drop (or more) in each category.

Doughty reportedly turned down a nine-year deal worth $6.8 million per year today. At age 21. Dean Lombardi committed almost seven million in cap space to a 21-year-old kid who couldn't even come close to following up a stellar season.

Now, supposedly this isn't about money, because the prevailing theory is that Doughty is supposedly looking for a shorter-term deal, e.g., five years, so he can be a UFA at 26, and really cash in then. The Kings likely don't want that, because they already have Anze Kopitar under a contract that would end at the same time. That, of course, is a potential problem.

Plus, let's face it... what if Doughty peaked in 2009-10? Do you even want to commit to this overrated little holdout for five years?

Or... the Kings can think about trading away his rights.

Soooooo... I'm going to play a little "Armchair Arbitrator" here. Here's my proposal:

Option #1: You want a short-term deal? Here you go: One-year... at half what the Kings offered in the long-term... so, $3.4 million. You don't even have to hit your Norris Trophy finalist benchmark. Hit 53 points, and we'll negotiate something further.

Option #2: We'll send your overrated butt whatever hot-mess team we damn well please, for anything ranging from a third-round draft pick all the way down to a Rick DiPietro-autographed mini-stick.

This, of course, is why I'm not a sports agent.

That aside, I don't want to have all the fun here, so I'm going to put up a poll. Should Doughty:

A) Sign a 1-year, $3.4M, and hit 53 points (A "put up or shut up" deal).

B) Get traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a Round 3-7 draft pick.

C) Get traded to the Ottawa Senators for a Round 3-7 draft pick.

D) Get traded to the Florida Panthers for a Round 3-7 draft pick.

E) Get traded to the Islanders for a Rick DiPietro-autographed stick.

F) Sit and rot.

Please cast your vote on the poll to the right. Tell your friends, and let's get a nice turnout going.

And, hey, if you want to write in a vote in the comments, go for it!

Thanks for reading.

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