Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Help Is On The Way: Blue Jackets Hire Craig Patrick as Advisor

Fix arena lease. Check. Reduce west coast travel through realignment. Check. Find somebody who knows a lot about hockey to help build team into a winner. Check.
Craig Patrick: Photo of white horse
not available at time of press.

The Blue Jackets continued their Extreme Makeover today, but not in the manner that many have been expecting. Instead of replacing anyone in the front office, the Blue Jackets added to it today in a big way, announcing that Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup champion Craig Patrick has been hired as a Senior Advisor for hockey operations.

According to the announcement:
"Patrick, 65, will be responsible for advising the general manager on trades, free agent signings, as well as evaluating Blue Jackets prospects playing for the club's minor pro affiliates - Springfield Falcons (American Hockey League) and Chicago Express (ECHL) - and the collegiate and major junior levels."
In making the announcement, GM Scott Howson was at his understated best:
"I am very pleased to add Craig to our organizationn making the announcement," said Howson. "He possesses a wealth of experience, having won two Stanley Cups and two Olympic medals, including gold with Team USA in 1980. His insight and knowledge will be invaluable to the Blue Jackets."
This is clearly a big move by the Jackets and one that should help the team immensely. There will be more thoughts to come, but for now here is the link to the announcement.

2 comments:

  1. Very interesting, Greg.

    Gallos reminded me that the hire comes mere days before Scott Howson faces the season ticket holders once again on Saturday morning. Howson doesn't seem like one to let such events drive his decision-making, but it still seems like one heck of a coincidence. If Patrick is on the dais when Howson does Q&A...well, I won't be surprised.

    ReplyDelete
  2. According to today's Dispatch, Patrick is already on his way to Springfield to check out the Falcons. Doesn't mean he can't get back for the meeting, though.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.