Columbus vs. Ottawa Pre-Game

After one of the best wins of the season, the Blue Jackets are going to have to put the first half of the season behind them, and again fight to stay above the red bar tonight against Ottawa.  While the Senators do not have a great record, their play of late is far from comparable.  With a convincing win last night in St Louis, and consecutive wins prior to the All-Star break, it appears Ottawa has turned a corner in their development, and the Jackets had best be prepared.

All signs point to a strong game tonight.  I have the opportunity of attending, and so will quite a few of the followers of this blog!  I am looking forward to providing a full report of the experience, along with photos of hopefully Mason.  I would be awfully angry if Hitchcock waited this long to play Wade, but we all know the rookie deserves a night or two off sometime soon, and I am sure they are looking at Ottawa's record and assuming it is the ideal night.

One thing I want to point out is how unbelievably important this game is in regards to league standings.  If Columbus wins, they have the opportunity to be tied for 5th in the Western Conference.  If they lose, they could plummet to as low as 11th place.  Clearly, every point matters, none more than tonight.

So put all the conspiracy theories to bed for one night, let the competitive juices flow, and expect one of the loudest Columbus crowds of the year, as they battle for a spot in the big show!

Carry the Flag!

Conspiracy Theories Run Amok

As a fan new to this sport, I am sure I am not the first, nor the only, person, to be certain that there is some type of conspiracy against my team. In fact, as I sit in on game discussion threads (or GDT's as they are called) on the coolest fan forum for hockey fans anywhere (The NHL Arena, and if you aren't on there you need to go there right now!!), I witness constant discussions about fairness of calls or penalties to the point of conspiracy discussions. However, I truly think that this year, with our team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, there is something rotten in the state of Ontario (and don't even get me started on how they treat dogs!).
So let me cut to the chase: my theory is that there is a conspiracy to make it as difficult as possible for the Blue Jackets to get into the playoffs.
Let me lay it all out for you...
HOW:
Well, if you've been paying attention, and if you are a Jackets fan...I probably don't have to detail these out completely for you....the persistent kicking motions, the nets being pushed off, the epically bad calls or lack there of, the goals being allowed to stand against us, or taken away from us at any given turn. It's ridiculous.
Obviously there is no way in hockey to control all aspects of a game. I mean..it's hockey! It involves a frozen piece of rubber being chased around a pool of ice by strapping young men at blistering speeds! So the only aspects that can be controlled are those that are the most subjective and so the aspects controlled by the referees would be it. But not all of them...that would be too obvious. Nope. Just certain ones that need to be reviewed. By others. In another room. In another country.
Yes folks, for you not familiar with that process...the War Room that reviews these calls exists in Toronto. For real. Makes perfect sense, right?
Anyway....
WHY?
Ahhhh. Here is the beauty of my theory. It works even if it doesn't work!
You will note that the conspiracy is not to keep the Jackets out of the playoffs, just to make it as difficult as possible. We, as Jackets fans, know how hard it has been never having tasted the sweet flavor of post-season games. We feel the pain. So if they make it to those mid-April days, even after having face down all these awful calls and horrible injuries...OMG - WHAT A STORY!?!?! Can you see the PR dream? The NHL will have a Cinderella story packaged up and ready to go!! The heavens will part above Nationwide Arena and heavenly light will shine down from Toronto, pretty lady advertising executives will descend upon Columbus to sell tons of air time, folks will come from far and wide to cheer on the Jackets, and the Blue Line stores will run out of stuff to sell! Awesome, right??
And if they lose? Well, par for the course, meh, we did it last year, big whoop, see ya' next fall.
So yeah...I think this is real. I think there is nothing to lose and everything to gain by making it unbelievably hard for our boyz.
Again, as a new fan, it has been disappointing to see my faith in a system of checks (PUN!) and balances fail miserably. That being said, I will continue to put my faith where it really counts... into this team... who is putting their heart and soul, blood and guts into every game!

Carry the Flag!

addendum:
Being reported on Puck-rakers is that the Red Wings are appealing the one game sit out rule for Datsuk and Lindstrom. If they get their way, they will be able to play in the all-important first game back against us Tuesday night.

Dorsett's Run In With Regehr

There are few times where I have truly been adamant about a suspension in the NHL, but I have added one to the list this week.  During what began as a harmless post-whistle badger between Derek Dorsett and Robyn Regehr turned nasty after Regeher took his stick in both hands and cross checked Dorsett in the temple.  Dorsey fell to the ice quickly, while teammates rushed in to go after Regehr, but all Jackets fans kept their eyes on Dorsett, who removed his hand from his head only to show frustration and a flow of blood coming from a nasty cut above his eye.  Angry at the ref, he sped off the ice to get medical attention, and later returned to finish the game.

Now, to some accounts, this is not a big deal.  To some, Regehr made a mistake, and hit him in a way he did not expect to.  To that, I say bogus.  This was a blatant and ugly play, and is currently being reviewed by the league to see if a suspension is necessary.  Regehr received a double minor for roughing, and Dorsett received a minor for roughing on the play, which only enhances how poorly the game was officiated.  How he could cross check someone in the face and not get ejected is beyond a 'missed' call.  This is a substantially unsafe play that should be well within the confines of the 5-10 game suspension range.

Fortunately, someone decided to throw it on youtube!



The hit reminded me of Jesse Boulerice when he used his stick in a comparable fashion after slashing a Vancouver player.  If memory serves me correctly, he was given a substantial suspension, and quickly released by the Flyers because of it.  That is the kind of reaction that this play deserves, especially in a game that already hosted a nasty check from behind (which resulted in an ejection) and a knife across the neck gesture, both of which will also be reviewed by the league.  These hits are categorized, along with the Chris Simon stick facial on Ryan Hollweg, and Marty McSorely baseball swing on Donald Brashear.  While this one may be the least disgusting of the bunch, it should still absolutely be dealt a hefty suspension.

Now, I do not expect the league to take a thoughtful stance on this, as they have shown their disinterest in the Jackets on multiple occasions this year already, but I do believe for the safety of the players, an example needs to be made.  Dorsett is extremely lucky this was only a cut to the forehead and not something worse (MRIs confirmed no fracturing), and is even more fortunate to be able to suit up again for the Jackets in their next game.  It could have easily resulted in something terrible, such a fractured skull or eye injury, which would case Dorsett to miss a serious amount of playing time.

Carry the Flag.

A Much Needed Rest

After a difficult road trip, the Blue Jackets are finally going to get a chance to rest their weary legs.  Beaten, battered, and riddled with injury, the boys will get the much deserved break they have sorely needed for weeks, while the all-stars meet in Montreal.

But I will not be settling for thoughtful digression here.  I am quite angry as a Jackets fan waiting for the team to float above the 'red bar' rather than below it, and frankly, I am not sure that my issues can be resolved by any one player or coach (or Injury Ninja).

Steve Mason made his fifteenth consecutive start yesterday, and showed clear signs of wear, comparable to what we saw in the Vancouver and Edmonton game.  You would think that seeing his stats flare above normal would be enough for Hitchcock to give their new (and very capable backup) a chance in at least one of the three games, but in a very non-hitchian way, we were forced to watch and feel sorry for the tired rookie.

Other notables on the trip were things like Modin and Tyutin on the powerplay, struggling to make the right play at the right time, and both forcing unnecessary shots on 5 on 3s that never saw pad or twine.  We saw Dorsett get hit with a stick to the face, in a move that in most cases warrants 5-10 games worth of suspension, but in this case, did not even merit a 5 minute major (and yes, I will be going more in depth later on this).  We saw RJ get hit from behind, and cut, only to come back and score the first two goals of the game, which will go down as one of his best games as a Jacket.

A finally, we saw a player take control when control was what we needed.  Kris Russell played his heart out in a game that needed a player to step up.  His constantly strong defense and great ability to move the puck into the offensive zone were tremendous help in netting four goals on Kipper.

It was a strange trip, and a lesson for the Jackets.  The playoffs are NOT going to be on a silver platter this year.

Carry the Flag!

Full House Friday Night

Anna here, recapping the game from Friday night that caused Columbus Nationwide Arena to reverberate with boos heard 'round Ohio. By now, you have probably heard about the controversial call made during the 3rd period to give the visiting New Jersey Devils the go ahead lead in an otherwise rather uneventful game. By now, you may have heard about the debut of Jason Williams in the powerplay (meh~ But it was his first game and otherwise he looked great!).

What I am here to talk about is what you might not have heard about. Folks, the Arena was jumping and completely packed to the rafters!! It was rockin'...and to change the phrase..."come on in!!" The theme was White Out night. T-shirts were handed out at the door. We were present at this same promotion last year. Not only was the attendance lower but the participation was, in a word, pitiful! This year they had the right idea. Not only did they embarrass non-participants on the jumbo-tron, but midway into the first period there was an announcement that the section with the most people in the t-shirts would get free beverages! Woot! I never saw so many people do the "omg, I must put this t-shirt over whatever I am wearing for carbonated syrup" dance before!!

Watching Mase doing his job...well, a-maseing as always!! A ref went down and out with an arm injury early in the first leaving one less ref on the ice (an 8 year old girl behind us stated that "he got checked!!"). But otherwise it was a rather slow start in the first period. So when the Jackets came out and Manny Malhotra scored in the second period, the place went nuts!! And anyone NOT wearing their shirt either donned it out of love or started waving it joyously!

I will touch briefly on the "call" and that is only to say that after Toronto had reviewed it, and when it was announced that the goal would stand, that the entire Arena erupted in a loud roar of protest boos the likes of which I have never heard. These boos continued long into the next minutes whenever a Devil touched the puck, and as Hitch continued to, um, talk about the incident. As the final minutes ticked away, and the Jackets battled for some kind of control, and some kind of scoring opportunity (our seats were at a perfect angle to the right of the Devil net), the entire crowd was on their feet, screaming, yelling chanting, shouting, jumping up and down and trying to lift practically their team to victory. . . .

Unfortunately, as you also know by know, this was not to be. But I dare anyone to say the team didn't try. I dare anyone to say that the fans were not into the game. And I dare anyone to say it was not a rockin' way to spend a Friday night.

Oh, and Future Jackets? Toooooo cute for words and one reason to stay in your seat during intermission!

On to Canada boyz!!!
Carry the Flag!!

Jason Williams Acquired From Atlanta

The Blue Jackets have acquired Jason Williams from the Atlanta Thrashers for defensemen Clay Wilson, and a 6th rounder.  This is a solid step for the Blue Jackets in regards to the depleted offense, and mediocre powerplay.

Williams is a right handed shot, and will be useful on the point in the powerplay.  Considering the Jackets have not had a good right handed shot yet this year while up a man, this should give them a better opportunity to get quick shots to the net.

Consider this a positive move for the Jackets, who are in desperate need of offensive help, and warm bodies will definitely be welcomed.

Carry the Flag!

Jackets Move to 8th Spot!

Tonight was a turning point in the season. Once again faced with a game where the winner moves up in the standings, the Blue Jackets squared off against the fo*teless (name modified for hate) Avalanche at Nationwide Arena.

Not only was the first period reasonably cautious for both teams, it paved the way for an even more cautious second, and a breakout third period. Both teams playing defense was not a surprise for a Blue Jackets fan post Injury era, but what was surprising, was the play of Steve Mason, so seemed more than penetrable this evening.

A weak goal by Svatos in the first that should have been covered by Mason had the fans not only confused, but somewhat demoralized of their hopes of seeing a Jackets victory. That was the story for almost another whole period of hockey, until Jakub Voracek took the Jackets back to a tie with a shot that seemed to come from behind the net and beat a sprawling and confused Raycroft.

As the second intermission passed, Jackets fans slowly mustered back their excitement, and made themselves heard in the third period, screaming and chanting, and for good reason. A fantastic pass from Russell allowed Umberger to pot his 15th goal of the season to take the Jackets to 2-1. Not only did this excite the crowd, it held them in there for the rest of the game, though a horrifically poor miss by Mason's glove tying the game at 2, and another two goals by the Jackets veterans.

The satisfaction was clear on Coach Hitchcock's face in the press conference after the game, citing the fans and players connecting as being a major factor, as well as excusing Mason for his 'human'esque performance, one because of being under the weather, and two because it was about time the Jackets bailed out their netminder to win a game.

CARRY THE FLAG!