Passing the puck

In reading different blog analyses of the past couple of games, I've seen a couple mentions of the Columbus Blue Jackets' questionable passing during games, especially the long transition passes from the defensemen to the forwards to ignite fast breaks.  I'm gathering that some commenters think that the inconsistent-to-poor passing is a big contributor to the CBJ's - ummm - inconsistent performance.

I'm not sure if this should be taken as a positive sign, but perhaps the most time in the off-day practice that DBT and I attended was spent on just this topic...long passes by defensemen.  In fact the whole practice was basically passing drills - and special teams work.

So is it good that Scott Arniel and his staff recognize this as an issue that demands attention, or is it not good that the team isn't picking up what the coaches are teaching in practice?

Game 10/Colorado: My Take

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost, 5-1, in apparently convincing style to the Colorado Avalanche last night.

I was out of town and missed the game.  Strangely, I couldn't find it on XM satellite radio, either.  Thus, I was limited to periodic text message score updates from Google.

By the sounds of it, it appears that my life may be better for not having watched that particular game.  Hey, it's an 82-game season...and the CBJ are still above the playoff-qualifying line.

It also appears that Scott Arniel is trying to get to the heart of the matter in recognizing that the Blue Jackets may not have sufficient will to overcome adverse circumstances.  Now would be a great time for the $7.8 Million Man to step up and start kicking a little tail, both on and off the ice (and help us in the fanbase appreciate why he's captain instead of the likes of R.J. Umberger).

Game 9/Edmonton: My take

The Columbus Blue Jackets fended off the Edmonton Oilers and a handful of squirrelly referees to take the game, 3-2, in an overtime shootout.

Rick Nash and Nikita Filatov scored on the only two shots needed in the shootout (Steve Mason turned aside the first Edmonton shot, and the second shot pinged off the side-bar.)  Nash coming up big in the shootout is something that CBJ fans are accustomed to, but the Filatov game-winner is special.

Nikita Filatov must be able to feel like he can smile again -
for the first time in a while.  (Flickr photo by OhioFamily)

Just yesterday, DBT and I watched Filatov cleaning up pucks after practice.  It seemed humiliating, watching him schlepping a five-gallon bucket around the ice.  He was not looking chipper.  Surely, it was not the highlight of his time in professional hockey.  So to see him put in a position to win the game, and then win it - you could see the stress melt away for just a moment.  Good for him.  It's a needed confidence boost for a talented young player.  Let's hope he keeps building momentum, both on the ice and in his head.

Best. Birthday. Ever. (Courtesy of the Blue Jackets)

The Dark Blue Toddler and I took the trek down to Nationwide Arena for one of the off-day open practices, and I was pleased to see roughly 20 Columbus Blue Jackets fans in the stands.  One who stood out was the "Birthday Boy" - sporting his white CBJ sweater and a birthday hat - who was in attendance with his dad and step-mom.

Mase's stick from a CBJ practice = Best. Birthday. Ever.

The young man was well-positioned to catch the action (and there was a lot of action, as the team was working on breakout passes for much of the practice), and the team sure noticed him.  Steve Mason flipped his practice stick over the glass, Chris Clark tossed him a puck and another puck popped over the ice in the course of practice.  From a "fan at practice" perspective, he totally lit up the stat sheet.

His father, Woody, recognized yours truly and my wandering soul of a son.    He introduced DBT and me to his son, Tyler, who was sporting an ear-to-ear smile since Mase literally dropped his birthday present in his lap.  Without question, Tyler was celebrating his tenth birthday in grand style.  As his father offered in an email after practice:

My 10 year old birthday boy, Tyler, told us on the way back to school that today was the best day of his life! What a blessing it is to have this franchise in town and to have players who genuinely seem to care about the fans. Tyler is a CBJ lifer—he was less than six weeks old at his first game, the Sanderson OT winner against Boston in year one.

From one father to another, that is Living The Dream.  Woody had more to share, however, in his email.  Here are his eloquent thoughts on how his boy, born in the CBJ's inaugural year, has grown with the team.

Perhaps the strangest marketing effort ever

I received my weekly "Flag Bearer" email from the Columbus Blue Jackets today, and among its reminders of upcoming games and unique ticket packages was a solicitation for the new CBJ third jersey, the actual content of the section reprinted to the left.

This totally baffles me.

I appreciate the CBJ wanting to keep the element of surprise and congratulate them on locking this jersey design down tighter than any team in the NHL has done.  Not a single leak.  When that jersey is worn on the ice, it'll be a total surprise for fans inside and outside of the arena.  If that's what the Jackets management wanted, they got it.

At the same time, I had the exact same reaction to this solicitation as I had to the flyer soliciting third jersey orders with my ticket package mailing.  Considering that we're talking about a purchase that will likely run north of $100, there is no way in hell that I'm going to pre-order it without having an inkling of what the jersey looks like.  I don't know any colors, logos, anything.  All I know is that it's going to use the same Reebok Edge jersey that the rest of the NHL uses, and that it will have a cannon motif as the main logo.  That's nowhere near enough for me to make a pre-release purchase.

Now, I'd perhaps think differently if the CBJ put a significant discount on the pre-sale jersey orders.  (Like 25-50%)  But they're not.  As best I recall, they're charging full freight for these sweaters.  Sight unseen.

Nah, I'll wait for Thanksgiving and see what they come out wearing.  I'm a fan, not a lemming.

Game 8/Philadelphia: My Take

In front of just under 12,000 boisterous Nationwide Arena fans on a Monday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets took it to the Stanley Cup finalist Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, in regulation.

With 8 games under their belts, the CBJ have 10 points and are sitting in 8th place in the Western Conference standings.  That's right, if the playoffs started today, the Blue Jackets would be dancing.  Not that you care, but the first round matchup if the playoffs started today would be against the first-place Nashville Predators.  Imagine that: CBJ-Preds in best 4 of 7.  Talk about epic.  (And just watch heads explode across the entire National Hockey League.)

Game 7/Chicago: My take

The Columbus Blue Jackets, coming off a stinging defeat at home against Calgary on Friday night, regrouped and beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at the United Center, 3-2.

Let's start off with perhaps one of the most gratifying parts of the evening - two-thirds of the "kid line," Jake Voracek and Derick Brassard, hooking up for a goal in the second period:




The third part of that line, Nikita Filatov, wasn't a part of that action - it was captain Rick Nash instead.  As part of the shakeout from Scott Arniel's measured postgame statement of discontent, every one of the four forward lines were shaken up in order to simultaneously generate offense and smack some sense into the complacent.

For one night, at least, Arniel's gambit seemed to have worked.

Picking up the pieces

Not seeing the game live, let's start this blog post discussing the outcome of the Columbus Blue Jackets - Calgary Flames game from last night with some expert analysis:




Again, I'll let coach Arniel speak to the specifics of the Calgary matchup as the game won't be available on GameCenter Live for another 24 hours.  When he says this in response to a question from The Fan's uber-reporter Lori Schmidt, though, watch out:

“I try not to put too much into last year and year’s past,” Arniel said. “I wasn’t here so I don’t 100 percent know what happened. But I’m learnin’ here. I’m seeing things. I’m starting to learn some things about this team, and some of them I really don’t like.”

After seeing the press conference video, reviewing the boxscore and reflecting on the above comment, I do feel like I can comment intelligently in this area.  The larger themes that Arniel addresses are those that Blue Jackets fans have been discussing for some time.  It's not just Calgary...it's Chicago...it's last season's epic slide...it's so much more.

Welcome to Columbus, Scott Arniel.

"Must Win" v. "Should Win" - DBJ's perspective

For those who have been actively following the Twitter activity of the Columbus Blue Jackets fan base and bloggers (not to mention the blogs themselves), you've probably noticed a little dialogue on the matter of whether the Blue Jackets are facing "must win" games at this point of the season.  Some, like Lee Auer of The JacketsBlog suggest that a game like tonight against Calgary is a "must win":

People who read this blog or follow the Jackets in general will think I’m crazy after this statement… This is ANOTHER must-win game. The Flames are a team that the Blue Jackets need to assert themselves on, especially at home, and that’s not even considering that the Flames have a goaltender making his NHL debut.

Our resident CBJ blogger/attorney, Jeff Little of The Hockey Writers, takes issue with the term (to be clear, this dialogue was extracted from the prior game):

...maybe semantics, but "must" means mandatory -- cannot succeed without it. This is a "should" win, no doubt.

It's a small thing, the question of "must win" games as opposed to "should win" games. However, it opens the door to discuss what really constitutes a "must win" within the context of an 82-game season. So permit me to take a shot at the question.

Game 6/Calgary: MIA

The non-hockey life of the blogger living in an 82-game season crashes home tonight on The Dark Blue Jacket blog.

I'll have to pass on tonight's Columbus Blue Jackets game - which is an intriguing one, seeing as the Flames are doing their darndest to avoid an early-season tailspin and probably aren't the happiest bunch after losing in Detroit last night.

As for the Blue Jackets, our boys are are still trying to find themselves while simultaneously working through a rough patch of injuries to Ethan Moreau, Kris Russell, Anton Stralman and Mike Commodore.  And then there are the Scott Arniel media mind games, not ruling out putting replacement Kyle Wilson in on the second line in place of Derick Brassard.  Don't forget that Steve Mason is really playing pretty well. (And I hope he holds up as his blue line is crumbling around him!)

As for me, I'll be at the Schott on a Date Night with Mrs. DBJ to see Roger Waters and his Bleeding Heart Band perform "The Wall" live. Anyone even close to my age will recognize that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...I never thought he was going to tour the show again.  And to have it in Columbus - wow.  How cool is that?

So carry on, everyone, and let me know how the game went in the comments.

(Actually, this post also recognizes that I completed my DBJ Wish List of NHL jerseys this week with a 1998-2006 Flames "flaming horse" jersey from eBay.  Another win!)