The Carter Conundrum.

There's hockey tonight kids! So once again, our attention turns away from the great All Star announcement back to the specifics of our team. It was announced loudly and clearly right before the break that management would be willing to make a trade involving Jeff Carter. To say Jeff has been a "lightening rod" of innuendo, rumor and negativity since day one of his CBJ tenure would be an understatement. Now, as those of you who know me are aware, I am by no means a "brilliant hockey mind", but as of right now, I'd say keep Jeff. If you come across a trade that is just insanely positive for CBJ, then trade him for as much as you can get - but don't just throw him away. Many are attributing the demand for trading him to be based in how "unhappy" he is, but I've yet to see a thorough analysis of his game on ice that demands he leave the roster. Its all off ice stuff.

If your curious in some of this analysis of game prowess, I'd point you to a post made over at Carry the Flag today that discussed Carter's possible value in staying in more detail (comments are good here too). But, as is my focus, I'd offer a bit of food for thought from a fan perspective.

Controversy sells. Why is everyone talking about Jeff Carter and how unhappy he is? Because its drama. And drama sells. We can talk all day about "what we heard" and "what so-and-so said" without necessarily having cold hard facts to prove it. Right now, right or wrong, we have to go on what's on record from Jeff Carter and Jeff Carter's agent. Everything else - well its hearsay. If Carter gets traded, and buys a billboard that says "thank goodness I'm gone from Columbus" look to me to be the first to say I was wrong, but until then - we can't say we know anything.

Glass Houses and All That. Oh I've heard the stories too. "Jeff Carter doesn't talk to the press", "Jeff Carter was mean to fans", "Jeff Carter didn't sign an autograph". Now don't get me wrong, I'd be crushed if all I wanted was Jeff's autograph and he shunned me. But, unfortunately, in many of these "Jeff's a jerk" stories that have been told to me, they involve equally embarrassing acts by fans. Taunting a player with obscenities and insults is probably not the right way to get him to like the hometown fans nor make him more welcome to participate with them in the future. For what its worth, at official engagements I've heard positive feedback (and yes, I know some of you have not), but, honestly, that's the only place we can truly know all the facts to evaluate Jeff off-ice when it comes to the Jackets.

Glass Bangers, 1/29/12

PROTESTS WORK (REVISITED) - We're right around 24 hours since the Columbus Blue Jackets fan protest got started.  Considering all the online sturm and drang over the event, let's revisit the question: Did it work?  To try to answer the question after such a short period of time is a tad tricky, but I think a review of my thoughts on why I am a solid supporter of the public protest might be in order:

Can you hear me now?

Protests change the dynamic of human dialogue.  They grab attention.  They make those in power uncomfortable.  They are factors in driving change.

Without question, the public dialogue shifted and the voice of at least 250 diehard fans was injected into the conversation.  "Big" media coverage has been strong and, from this vantage point, fair (Channels 4, 6 and 10; Columbus Dispatch's Hunter and Puck Rakers).  The protest sure grabbed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's attention, as he spoke to the "passion" of the Columbus fans yesterday, and Blue Jackets staff who were present were certainly standing at attention.  In fact, one could point to John P. McConnell's open letter to ticket buyers and fans as a preemptive response to the protest.

When the Blue Jackets finally start winning...

...make sure you thank these people for coming out on a cold day to the Columbus Blue Jackets fan protest as they made their voices heard loud and clear.

All-Stars, all.

2013 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus?

So says the Dispatch.

Very, very exciting news for the City of Columbus, the State of Ohio and its many hockey fans if true.

Also, let's keep in mind that the woeful on-ice performance of the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey club and the selection of the All-Star Game site are mutually exclusive matters.  That being said, can Mr. McConnell and his partners please focus their attention on fixing the host franchise? PLEASE?

(And can we also avoid a lockout year?)

Why I won't Protest; Culpability

Hitch mingles with the intelligentsia at Training Camp

Ok, culpability is a strong word.  Let's be clear, I am not legally responsible for the performance of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Let's just use 'responsibility' as a good synonym, but culpability reads better on a twitter feed.

The responsibility part is kind of hard for me.  The only move that Scott Howson made that I disagreed with at the time it was made was the firing of Coach Ken Hitchcock.  I didn't agree with it at the time, and I thought the reasons proffered (the game has passed him by) were weak.  I feel even more strongly about it in retrospect.  Essentially Hitch was fired because he didn't develop Filatov.  That's a heck of a note.

Other than that, I have generally pretty much agreed with Howson's moves (except Glencross for Tarnstrom, though Glencross wanted to be in western Canada). In hind sight, I disagree with a lot of Howson's moves.  The problem is that Howson never has hindsight to use as a tool when decision making.  He has it as a learning tool, which is something that JPM intimated in his letter today. We knew Howson was relatively inexperienced. What is his capacity for learning?

Because I generally agreed with Howson on most of his moves, I won't be protesting tomorrow.  (Disclosure, I don't have a lot going on, so I'll be down there because I care,  and I'll be in the role of staff photographer for this blog.  I also know and respect many of those who will be protesting, so I reserve the right to talk with them like they were regular folks.  But I won't be protesting).

Which brings me to the Cleveland Browns.

Deeds, not words...

...but the words are a good start.

I, like apparently every other Columbus Blue Jackets ticket package holder, received this in my email box this morning.

January 27, 2012 Dear [DBJ], My father held a longstanding belief that a major league sports franchise would prove an important catalyst in the growth and development of Columbus. After more than 30 years of effort, the opportunity to make his belief reality presented itself with the NHL awarding a franchise to Columbus in 1997. To my mind, it is clear he was right in his vision. With the Blue Jackets and the Arena as the anchor, Nationwide Insurance has brought vibrancy to our downtown in the Arena District that simply wouldn't have happened without the team. That said, there is no question our on-ice performance is nowhere near what it needs to be. All of you are disappointed and many are angry. I and the entire Blue Jackets organization share these feelings. I thought as we approached mid-season at the All-Star break, it would be a good time to reflect on where we've been and offer some thoughts about how we go forward. We have taken actions and will continue our push to improve. Toward the end of last season, we did a thorough evaluation of our team's strengths and weaknesses. From there, a plan was developed balancing our needs against our tradable assets. During the summer, we believed we executed the plan well and took a good step forward. Most people seemed to agree and we were excited for the season to start. Unfortunately and surprisingly, we opened the season terribly and have struggled ever since. Disappointing is not a strong enough word. We began looking at why our team was not performing at an acceptable level very early this season and assessing where we are and where we want to go. We added Craig Patrick, an experienced and highly respected figure in the hockey community, as a senior advisor to assist in this endeavor. While this process is not complete, we have clearly defined our options and are finalizing our plans. I understand you want to know what we're going to do to fix this, but it is important for us to maintain a degree of discretion to prevent putting ourselves at a competitive disadvantage. I can tell you action will be taken in the coming weeks and months, be it around the trade deadline, the entry draft and/or free agency that will be indicative of our direction. Our goal as an organization is to build a team that wins consistently and competes for the Stanley Cup. Anything less is unacceptable! Everything we do in the coming weeks, months and years will be done to that end and everyone in our organization - myself, management, staff, coaches and players - will be held to that standard. I am very thankful and appreciative of the dedication and passion you have shown as a Blue Jackets fan and I am committed to giving you a team of which you can be proud. Sincerely, John P. McConnell

Good for him...he's caught on.  Now, what is he going to do?

Why I'll be protesting on Saturday

About halfway through writing my Big Question post, it hit me: I'm pushing myself toward participation in Saturday's Columbus Blue Jackets fan protest.  So it only makes sense that I take a blog post to discuss the matter from my perspective.

I write all this not to sway anyone's opinion one way or another.  If you agree with me and want to join in, I'll see you on Saturday.  If you disagree, I hope that this post helps you understand my actions.

Do public protests work?  Ask the Tea Party, who fueled
a Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives.

I am a firm and unwavering believer in the power of public protest.  The fact of the matter is that protests often work.  Protests change the dynamic of human dialogue.  They grab attention.  They make those in power uncomfortable.  They are factors in driving change.  Let's look at some examples:

• Tea Party protests fueled a change in control of Congress and helped heal a fractured political party.  
• The "Occupy" movement of protests helped reshape the public dialogue on the discussion of class in America.  
• In the world of professional sports, the "Millen Man March" was a contributing factor in focusing public pressure on the inept management of the Detroit Lions by Matt Millen.
• Closer to the NHL, Montreal fans are raising cain over the lack of their beloved French language by Les Habitants.  

A public protest may not be a form of behavior that is to everyone's liking - especially in a society that has been conditioned to be passive and conflict-averse - but it does work.

What I would do: The roster

Now that I've decided that Craig Patrick should replace Scott Howson ASAP, it's time to tackle the roster.

We'll start with the coach.  It's established that Todd Richards is the interim head coach through the end of the season.  To date, I've seen nothing to suggest that his performance should preempt a full coaching search.  Not sure much more needs to be said on that front.  I'm not married to a playing philosophy...I just want a guy that knows how to coach NHL players and knows how to win with them.  Period. So let's move on.

Candidly, individual players are not my strong suit.  I mean, any lunkhead can look at goals, assists, time on ice, penalty minutes, plus/minus or even the advanced stats like Corsi et al.  You can even try to develop a formula that considers the productivity value that you find against the amount (and length of time) that you're paying the player.

Problem is, I feel that this is precisely what Scott Howson has done with his roster.  What's missing, and is clearly so desperately needed, is an addressing of the culture of the team and its roster.  This is where Howson has fallen completely flat on his face.  As evidence:

• Trying to shore up the lack of leadership by bringing in other team's ex-captains - and shipping out high character players in the process.  
• Trading for a player (Carter) who clearly didn't want to be traded - and I won't even suggest whether he wants to play here or not.
• Letting the team collapse for three straight seasons now with no change in its core.

The last point is perhaps the most damning, and it's the one that I'm going to suggest gets addressed with a blunt force object.

What I would do: The management

Judging from the Puck Rakers post on the current state of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the unanimous (or nearly unanimous) positive response from even the most unlikely of corners, it appears that the proposition that I proposed yesterday - that the team's dismal 2011-12 campaign is not an aberration but rather symptomatic of much deeper problems within the club that will inhibit their ability to win  - is one that has some legs.

While I'm not one to bow to the will of the chorus reflexively, I'm inspired by what I've seen and figure it's time to lay all my cards out on the table.  I've been biting my electronic tongue for most of this season, and the Blue Jackets' .008 percent chance of making the playoffs tells me that it's time to open up.

Addressing the big question of how to attack these deep-rooted problems is a two-part issue in my head.  First, you have to tackle the management question.  Note that my earliest "This isn't working!" posts involved discussions of management and not personnel.  Point being, you need the right people to be stewards of the ship before you add the crew.

So let's talk management.

The big question

Being away from the scene for a couple weeks forces me into a little catch-up, so bear with me.  I promise, this has direct bearing on the issue of the day (the forthcoming Columbus Blue Jackets fan protest, not the blog's 1000th post!).

Scott Howson and Mike Priest listen to former Blue Jackets head coach
Ken Hitchcock in happier days. (Photo from The Hockey Writers)

As I understand, the newly-reconstituted Blue Jackets ownership group met on January 16th.  The group now includes 30 percent shareholder Nationwide Corporation, however I learned today from the Puck Rakers chat that John P. McConnell still retains 50.1 percent of the team.  Thus, the Blue Jackets are still McConnell's toy to play with despite the new injection of ownership capital by our insurance friends downtown - when you own more than 50 percent, you win every vote.  So it's still McConnell...and everyone else.

Anyhoo, the Dispatch tells us that the meeting apparently included a presentation on the current state of Blue Jackets affairs from team executive management - meaning team president Mike Priest and general manager Scott Howson.  There could have been others, I don't know.  But the Dispatch is suggesting that those two had significant input.

Which brings me to the one question that needs to be answered, decisively, before anything else can be decided:  Is the Columbus Blue Jackets' terrible 2011-12 an aberration, or is it symptomatic of deeper problems on the club?