Hello, friends! Alison here. In a season where we are grasping for positive news, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring with a (dare I try) weekly bit talking about some good stuff going on in CBJ-land. Hopefully, this will cover things that are happening on the ice, but we'll talk other stuff too.
So without further ado, I bring you this week's "A-LIST", with a dose of holiday cheer.
1. The CBJ DJ. There has been a lot of "commentary" on past years' game ops, but much credit must be given to the positive changes made in the off season. (Did you SEE that "Any Given Sunday" video Saturday? Brilliant. If only it had worked.) Particularly high marks to Nick Johnson, who is the "CBJ DJ". Nick live tweets his playlist every night, engages with fans, and plays some pretty good tunes that have caught me tapping my feet or attempting bad 80's dance moves on more than one occasion. And seriously, the guy took us to heart and plays the "Sanford and Son" theme for Curtis Sanford. Gotta love it.
2. Lady Jackets. This year brought the return of the Lady Jackets' holiday fund-raiser of "player favorites" baskets for raffle and auction. Not only were the baskets fun, but the women put on a great event - they had ways to bid even if you couldn't be there, were friendly and welcoming to all who visited, and made sure you knew all the good stuff that was there. The goal was to beat their fund-raising total of $3000 from last year. Based on the prices I saw for Wiz's basket alone, I have no doubt these women succeeded. Kudos, Lady Jackets!
3. Return of Derek Dorsett. You knew it was coming. Let's gather some perspective, less than a week after all of CBJ land (except DD's mom, apparently) were convinced that Dorse had torn, broken, sprained or permanently injured something, DD was back at full practice and playing at game speed and then notched a goal last night. Call him what you wish - beast, awesome, made of rubber, or not human, the fact remains that the guy has the biggest heart on the team and is continuing to build his best CBJ year. This #DD banner-waving fan continues to be impressed. (and today is his birthday - so there's that! :) )
4. Jeff Carter. I'll just go on record - I like Jeff Carter. Quite frankly, I think he gets a bad rap by some fans too quick to remember a tumultuous trade that made Jeff justifiably emotional and too impatient to come to appreciate his style of play. Jeff has quietly become a consistent scorer - often our lone scorer in recent games! - and if you watch him during a shift, you'll see his disciple, ridiculously smooth skating style and speed. Now if only he could get some consistently good passes. I personally wanted him named a star in the Vancouver game and hope fans can see we should be welcoming this guy with open arms and positive energy.
5. CBJ Fans. After a brutal home stand with one shining victory, we all continue to fill Nationwide Arena (the last few games are 16K+ crowds), debate CBJ hockey like the meaning of life, and fight tooth and nail (get it? Nail?) about how we could ever become better. All of that points to the fact that we continue to care about this team...no matter what they're doing. Or not doing. To the many, who like me, have shelled out our hard earned money again and again this season for this team, I salute you.
So without further ado, I bring you this week's "A-LIST", with a dose of holiday cheer.
1. The CBJ DJ. There has been a lot of "commentary" on past years' game ops, but much credit must be given to the positive changes made in the off season. (Did you SEE that "Any Given Sunday" video Saturday? Brilliant. If only it had worked.) Particularly high marks to Nick Johnson, who is the "CBJ DJ". Nick live tweets his playlist every night, engages with fans, and plays some pretty good tunes that have caught me tapping my feet or attempting bad 80's dance moves on more than one occasion. And seriously, the guy took us to heart and plays the "Sanford and Son" theme for Curtis Sanford. Gotta love it.
2. Lady Jackets. This year brought the return of the Lady Jackets' holiday fund-raiser of "player favorites" baskets for raffle and auction. Not only were the baskets fun, but the women put on a great event - they had ways to bid even if you couldn't be there, were friendly and welcoming to all who visited, and made sure you knew all the good stuff that was there. The goal was to beat their fund-raising total of $3000 from last year. Based on the prices I saw for Wiz's basket alone, I have no doubt these women succeeded. Kudos, Lady Jackets!
3. Return of Derek Dorsett. You knew it was coming. Let's gather some perspective, less than a week after all of CBJ land (except DD's mom, apparently) were convinced that Dorse had torn, broken, sprained or permanently injured something, DD was back at full practice and playing at game speed and then notched a goal last night. Call him what you wish - beast, awesome, made of rubber, or not human, the fact remains that the guy has the biggest heart on the team and is continuing to build his best CBJ year. This #DD banner-waving fan continues to be impressed. (and today is his birthday - so there's that! :) )
4. Jeff Carter. I'll just go on record - I like Jeff Carter. Quite frankly, I think he gets a bad rap by some fans too quick to remember a tumultuous trade that made Jeff justifiably emotional and too impatient to come to appreciate his style of play. Jeff has quietly become a consistent scorer - often our lone scorer in recent games! - and if you watch him during a shift, you'll see his disciple, ridiculously smooth skating style and speed. Now if only he could get some consistently good passes. I personally wanted him named a star in the Vancouver game and hope fans can see we should be welcoming this guy with open arms and positive energy.
5. CBJ Fans. After a brutal home stand with one shining victory, we all continue to fill Nationwide Arena (the last few games are 16K+ crowds), debate CBJ hockey like the meaning of life, and fight tooth and nail (get it? Nail?) about how we could ever become better. All of that points to the fact that we continue to care about this team...no matter what they're doing. Or not doing. To the many, who like me, have shelled out our hard earned money again and again this season for this team, I salute you.
I appreciate you positive spin on things. We All knew you would have to say something on DD's birthday. But I have to admit he is the most positive surprise on the team. We all should wish him the best, he dodged a bullet and is back in his Go-go-go mode.
ReplyDeleteAlison, you've touched on the beauty of team sports. Despite the team's overall performance, there are individual bright signs that warrant at least a smile, if not applause. THANK YOU for bringing them to light!
ReplyDelete(And is that Derek Dorsett otherworldly or what?)
Look, if the Browns, Cubs et al can retain a strong fan base, so can the CBJ. This city has got to shed it's frontrunner/jump-on-the bandwagon OSU mentality.
ReplyDeleteBTW, a lot of those 16m tickets sold are $20 seats. Just sayin'.
Thanks for giving props to the DJ...The music at Nationwide was getting to annoy me. Bush's 'Machinehead'? Really?
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout Suicidal Tendencies 'Possessed to Skate' or Megadeth's 'Burnt Ice'?