Vinning a Fan Base Game

Was this the turn of the tide for the Redwings?

Word broke this week that Vinny Prospal has offically retired.  We have shown us some Vinny love over the years here on this space, and there is no reason for it not to continue.  Check out this post by Porty over on Puck Rakers about Prospal.  Especially read the last quote.  If you are having trouble with the Puck Rakers display, you have to scroll down past all the historical posts to find the actual text.  What up Dispatch?  It's been like that for a week!  But I digress.  This is about Vinny.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be for a player of Vinny's caliber to finally make the decision to retire.  I am pleased to know that he is at peace with the decision.  Many have written about the gentlemen's agreement that Scott Howson made with Vinny, a series of one year contracts, and finally a place in the organization.  I always liked that, but there are two real problems with that agreement.  The first is that it is only good as long as both gentlemen are with the organization.  Obviously, Scott Howson has moved on.  The second problem with it is that it ensures that Vinny plays until he is a completely non-competitive and that he plays well past when he should have really retired.  In that regard, Jarmo Kekalainen did a Vinny a favor by not offering him a contract, ensuring that he went out as our leading scorer in his last year.  While Vinny probably doesn't appreciate that now, it won't be long until he does.  When you are able to look back and know that you finished a long career on top, in time, Vinny will feel good about that.

I would like to see the organization honor the commitment to Vinny to find a place for him.  It doesn't have to be now.  He's down in Tampa, coaching up his son.  Sometime in the off season, make sure he knows he's wanted.  It may be that the Tampa organization will beat us to him.  It's his home town, they should have that opportunity.  But Vinny also needs time to decide what role to pursue going forward.  This type of thing can be done with deliberation, yet still honor our commitment.

So best of luck to you going forward Vinny Prospal.  You helped institute a sea change in our organization, and as a fan I will always be grateful for what you brought to the table.

A Fan Base Game
Tonight the CBJ play the Florida Panthers in an important Eastern Conference tilt.  The CBJ slid out of playoff position by a point today by virtue of their off day.  The two points are critical, as you want to be up in playoff contention before you head west to Death Valley, the 3 game road swing through the Ducks, the Kings, and the Sharks.  All three teams are playoff contenders in the Western Conference, and capable of putting a dent in any aspirations of glory.  So tonight's game takes on exaggerated importance.

One of the reasons I feel it has exaggerated importance, is that in front of a full barn last Saturday, the boys in Union Blue laid an egg.  It is going to be a pretty big house tonight I believe.  It is important for the team to understand how important it is for their fan base that they win this game.  And that means treating the opposition with respect, and bringing your 'A' game to the table tonight.  Pack your lunch pail boys, throw on your hard hat, and come prepared to exceed their work ethic.  And that means everyone on the team.  No 'passengers' tonight.  You cannot let Florida out work you, and you cannot let Tim Thomas be the best goal tender tonight.  And that will take focus and effort.

Last weekend, the home town fans were locked toe to toe in the corners of the arena with boisterous Buffalo fans.  The lifeless effort and loss laid bare old scars in the fan base.  Tonight it should be our barn.  If things go sideways for awhile, it is time for the fans to chime in to try to change the momentum.  Tonight we will likely have a fair number of 'casual fans' in the building, if you can call someone dropping good money on tickets 'casual'.  We want to get those folks engaged for the stretch run in March.

It will be a month until the next home game.  Let your hair down, get your game face on, and come out tonight to try to make a difference.  It should be a good time.

GO JACKETS!!!

Dark Blue Jacket's 5 Thoughts on Game 22: Buffalo

It was Vinny Prospal's night!

Congratulations to Vinny Prospal for playing his 1000th NHL game.  To put that in perspective, our franchise has not yet had 1000 games.  A significant achievement for Vinny, and I am proud that he accomplished this milestone as a Columbus Blue Jacket.

And now, on to the five thoughts on the game:

1. Vinny's Night - It was fitting that Prospal's 1000th game would come on game 22, his number, and that his teammates would respond with a very solid effort.  During the bad times of our horrible start, it was often that Vinny's play was the only bright spot, and it seemed like he was an important catalyst to turning this thing around. What a consummate professional, and it was a stroke of luck that allowed us Jackets fans to truly experience Vinny.

The team will present him with the traditional silver hockey stick for 1000 games prior to the December 17 game against the Tampa Bay Lightening, an organization where Vinny played nearly 500 games.  It is fitting that Vinny's old mates would be in the barn for this celebration.

2. Consistent, Solid Play - The CBJ have been turning in some very solid efforts, on a very consistent basis.  Home/Road, with lead/playing behind, they seem to have found their groove.  The whole lineup is contributing, and the effort is tangible across the board.  Very nice to see.  This was especially evident last night at the beginning of the second period.  Even though they had a two goal lead, they clearly still had their foot on the gas.  What is fueling that ......?

3. The Sand Man - Curtis Sanford continues his very strong play in goal.  He really shut things down, and was especially solid in a couple of Buffalo flurries of shots early on in the game.  He has a 1.27 GAA and a save percentage of .950 according to NHL.com.   These are sparkling numbers.

Committed to #Vinning

No wins yet, but Vinny is doing his part.

The Jackets arguably had the best offseason of any team in the league. Columbus filled two of it's biggest holes in the lineup by acquiring Wisniewski and Carter. They also upgraded the wing by signing Vinny Prospal who is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the team. Vinny loves to score and you can never go wrong there. Finally, the Blue Jackets and the City of Columbus made significant progress towards fixing the arena-lease issue. Combine all of these things with the surprising surge of young players making the team from training camp and you will have a fan base that is [!!!] ready to start the season. Unfortunately for Jackets and us fans, none of the offseason changes alone are worth points points in the season standings. 

The Opener - Nashville 3, CBJ 2

Hopes for an Undefeated Season Crushed

Radek Martinek on the opening drape

What's that you say? No team has ever gone undefeated in the modern NHL?  Not even the Redwings, or the Penguins?  Oh.  Well that's not so bad then.

Ok, on a more serious note, on the the re-cap.  The Nashville Predators rolled into town with a solid team that went deep in the playoffs last year.  The Preds are built on solid defense and outstanding goal tending, and we saw a healthy dose of that last night as the Predators beat the Blue Jackets 3-2.

The game was really pretty equal in many respects.  The new look CBJ has really upgraded the forward position, but our defense without Wiz remains a work in progress.  The contrast between the teams was pretty stark.  The CBJ are still adjusting to all the new faces, which is normal.  The Preds looked like a team that was used to playing with one another.  On paper our forwards are better than theirs, but their defense is better than ours.  At the end of the day, the winning goal was scored on a defensive gaffe that allowed a Nashville shooter, Matt Halischuk fire an unchecked shot from the top of Steve Mason's crease with 39 seconds gone in the third period.  That ended up being the deciding goal.

"Act like you've been there before"

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One of the lines I so hate to hear out of an announcer - or a fan, for that matter - is "Act like you've been there before."  This line, of course, comes immediately following a score by a player.