The Field of Schemes blog (I suppose that there had to be a blog for people who think that public-private stadium deals are bad news) offers its two cents on Mayor Coleman's hiring of John Rosenberger to bring the Arena District bailout home:
Leaving aside whether an NHL franchise really falls into the category of "too big to fail," the prospect of a Blue Jackets bailout raises some other familiar concerns. For one thing, is there a risk of moral hazard if sports teams can go into arena projects with unworkable finances, figuring, "Hey, if we're losing money once the place is built, we can always get the government to renegotiate our lease later"?
A bigger question now, though, might be: What, if anything, will Columbus get in exchange for any money it pours into the Blue Jackets' coffers? If the team doesn't have money to spare, the next most likely thing is equity — if the U.S. can become part-owner of AIG and General Motors, there's no reason Columbus can't demand a share of the Blue Jackets in exchange for any bailout money. And unlike the federal government, they already have plenty of experience in such things...
And whaddya know, the Franklin County Government OWNS the Columbus Clippers! I had no idea. This little gem missed me as I haven't been a Columbus-ite all of my life. It also changes the negotiating dynamic considerably in my mind. With Huntington Park (and the Clippers) so inextricably linked to the Arena District and, by extension, Nationwide Arena's success, Franklin County Government is pretty well trapped on this one. To protect their Clippers investment, the Commissioners will likely have to play ball with the Jackets. Otherwise, two teams (and stadiums) could be hurting. What an interesting, slippery slope the Commissioners put themselves on by moving the team downtown...
None of the front-runners made any spectacular jumps or drops this week, but the movement under the playoff qualifying bar (which rose from 29 to 34 this week) was very interesting.
BIGGEST GAIN OF THE WEEK: Don't look now, but Minnesota and Phoenix added 6 points each this week. Two wins over playoff-caliber Nashville helped a lot (gosh, that would be nice) for Minnesota, who has quietly put together a nice run over the last couple of weeks. Colorado, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Jose all added 5 points each this week, too. After being tied with Columbus at this time last week, the Red Wings pulled into 9th seed in the West with 33.
SMALLEST GAIN OF THE WEEK: Poor Anaheim only added 2 points this week. Worse yet, those 2 points came over a 4-game week. Yow! No wonder the stories about their coach on the hot seat and their roster getting shaken up are prevalent. Columbus, Dallas and Nashville added 3 points.
I saw this sequence of Twitter posts from CBJ4ever yesterday and wanted to post them in anticipation of yesterday's Jackets-Avalanche game. We didn't connect until today, but the quality of the posts was so high that I need to post it for posterity's sake. That, and the Avalanche come back to Nationwide on January 2nd...
So, with no further ado, here are the Top 10 Reasons to Boo Adam Foote from the home office, temporarily located in Adam Foote's empty house in Dublin:
10) He started it.
9) Told Fliatov “Just tell them you will be back next year like I did. They will believe anything!”
8) Foote is responsible for Jon and Kate’s divorce.
7) Recent medical studies indicate that booing actually builds immunity to the H1N1 virus.
6) Foote sold ABC on the idea of putting Kelsey Grammar in another sitcom.
5) The way things are going for the Jackets this might be the highlight of the season.
4) Foote taught Marc Denis how to play goal.
3) Booing is just as effective as Viagra and it’s free!
2) Remember this…”Bad captain, bad player, bad teammate”.
And the no 1 reason to boo Adam Foote tonight:
1) Doug MacLean isn’t likely to come to Columbus anytime soon so...
1. The Columbus Blue Jackets "welcomed" disgraced former team captain Adam Foote and the Colorado Avalanche back to Nationwide Arena and played about 30 minutes of hockey in losing, 3-2.
1a. Here are the highlights:
2. The Jackets made a late push in the 3rd period and almost tied it up with about 12 second left on a Jason Chimera shot. Upon further review, it was revealed that the puck went under the side bar and thus never crossed the goal line.
2a. The referees never told the Nationwide crowd that part - they just said that the puck never crossed the goal line. The crowd didn't accept that very well.
2b. The Twitter post of the week followed from SeppeSai: "You're forgetting that the common NHL referee feeds on human misery. Our sadness is his bread, our tears his wine."
3. The Jackets scored on two ugly little garbage goals - which warmed my heart. Both Jason Chimera and Jake Voracek did the tough work in/around the crease to get the puck past the line. And Chimera almost got another in the same manner. Gotta like that.
4. Thanks to my sister-in-law and the rest of my big brother's (Blue-Grey Jacket?) family for inviting the Dark Blue Jacket family to join them in the loge for tonight's game. Dark Blue Onesie won't be attending a Jackets game this year, but you can bet that he'll be there in the years ahead.
4a. If you EVER get a chance to see a game from loge seats, jump at the opportunity. Really. It's a great way to watch a game.
4b. I snagged a couple souvenir schedule cups for home use. If you read this blog, you know that's important.
5. I'm not sure what I expected from the crowd in the return of Adam Foote, but the booing every time he stepped on the ice seemed....underwhelming.
5a. The pregame signs facing Foote as he warmed up were cute. None particularly innovative ("Foote still sucks" for example), but it's the thought that counts.
5b. I think we had more (weak) hits on Foote than shots on goal in the 1st period (4).
5c. Why didn't we have some big guys on Foote? It seemed like he was being bodyguarded by Huselius and Brassard. Those guys don't lay hard checks...
5d. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the loss is that Foote got the win.
6. Turnovers again were a problem. Not a problem on the level of the Toronto game, but a problem nonetheless.
7. In his postgame presser, Hitch suggested that the team lacked the sense of desperation - the feeling of loathing losing. See for yourself:
I'd agree. There is a definite lack of urgency. Perhaps, as Hitch suggests, the return of Dorsett (and maybe Modin?) will light a fire under some of the players.
7a. Hitch also said that, because of the rough game schedule, they haven't had a real practice in three weeks. If you were wondering why the Jackets have pretty much looked the same - night after night - that might be the reason.
8. If you really don't bother showing up until halfway through the 2nd period, you shouldn't expect to win. And Columbus didn't.
9. I again didn't miss listening to the Fox Sports Ohio announcing team.
9a. I did listen to the CBJ radio guys on the postgame show on XM Home Ice on the way home. They took calls from listeners and, in a refreshing display of candor, agreed with a lot of what the irritated masses had to say. When they disagreed, they took the time to explain why. I like George and Bob.
10. Just another couple of games, and the CBJ will be a .500 team. It'll happen before we know it!
NEXT UP: The (not-so) feared Florida Panthers invade Nationwide on Wednesday night. It's a game that we should probably win, which means we'd best bring our A-game lest we get ambushed again.
Two news items popped up that don't warrant detailed analysis, but they do deserve mentions.
Columbus Dispatch: "Point person named on Blue Jackets' financial situation"
Rather than peel paint off the walls of Teh Internets, I'll just say that I'm underwhelmed at the (in)action since the Columbus Chamber released their report on the Blue Jackets and the Arena District almost a month ago. I hope that this move is a meaningful display of intent by the Powers That Be. Even moreso, I hope that the CBJ ownership can continue to be patient with the Powers That Be.
Yahoo! Puck Daddy: "Filatov: 'I realized Hitchcock does not plan on trusting me'"
So Nikky's a prima donna. Tell me something I didn't know. Perhaps this article will inject a little reality into the Pollyanna-ish discussion about him playing for the Jackets again as long as Hitchcock is coach. It won't happen.
Both articles only continue the indigestion that started last night against Toronto. Anyone got a tums?
The sun rose this morning, and that's about the only good thing I can think of for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The excitement/emotion of the visceral experience of watching the game in person probably makes last night's Toronto loss hurt even worse. I was so excited to FINALLY get to see the boys live! And while I've always "liked" (in a casual, positive-neutral kind of way) the Leafs, I was satisfied that they hadn't improved that much since adding Phil Kessel, that the Jackets were going to have too much trouble with them. Especially considering that the Jackets really did look pretty good in Chicago only two nights earlier. The adrenalin was pumping.
But no, this was bad. This was "one step forward, four steps backward" bad. This was Detroit (9-1) or New York Rangers (7-4) bad. The team looked disorganized and lost out there. At one point, I asked one of my friends who knows hockey much better than I, "Is it possible that they're thinking too much out there?" The Jackets seemed to have to take a standing 3-count every time they had an open shot on the power play. They looked indecisive in nearly every game situation.
And then the morning newspaper. Look, I'm not hating the Dispatch for reporting what they saw. I saw it, too. It still doesn't hurt any less, though, when you see the following teaser above the front-page masthead:
"Now in goal for the Jackets..."Mathieu Garon, left, replaces Steve Mason in 6-3 loss, [page] C1
(It's arguable that pulling the goalie AGAIN was the main thrust of the game, however. I'd suggest that Light The Lamp's Twitter post reference to the keystone cops was.)
Then, horror of horrors, the inside article from the Dispatch. Tom Reed reminds us that after demolishing the Eastern Conference with a 13-3-2 record last year, the Jackets are currently 3-4-1 against what was the weaker brethren. Damn, this hurts. If we can't beat up on the run 'n' gun patsies of the East, where are the Jackets' treasure trove of playoff-qualifying points going to come from?
Fedor Tyutin said it best last night: "We have to get this fixed before it's too late." Fine, we're all agreed that it needs to get fixed. I think everyone in the locker room has been quoted in saying the same thing to some extent. But over a quarter of the season is gone. The clock is ticking.
When are you guys going to start fixing it?
The Avalanche, led by disgraced former CBJ captain Adam Foote, are coming to town tomorrow night. I only shudder at what the Jackets will look like then. It should be a monumental beat-down against the franchise's Judas, their Benedict Arnold. But do the Jackets have it in them when they can't put away the worst team in the Northeast Division?
[Photos from Yahoo NHL - and that wasn't stock footage, all shots were taken last night.]
1. The Columbus Blue Jackets welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to Nationwide Arena for only the third time ever. This obviously was a huge honor, as the Jackets rolled out the red carpet right to the CBJ goal. The Leafs took advantage of this generosity to thump the Jackets, 6-3.
1a. Here are the highlights:
1c. I can't even call this a performance of the "40 Minute Men." They didn't come close to competing for that much time.
2. As forgettable as this game was to most Blue Jackets fans, it was big for yours truly as it represented my first pilgrimage to Nationwide of the season. (The arrival of the Dark Blue Onesie has curtailed my social schedule...) I enjoyed the company of a couple friends from my old work, and together we endured one really lousy game - from the perspective of a CBJ fan.
3. Seeing the game live reinforces a couple things that you don't pick up on television...things that make seeing an NHL game in person a truly enjoyable experience regardless of the score.
3a. The NHL is one FAST game. Transitions are split-second, rushes fly down the ice.
3b. When players get checked into the boards, there's some force behind those hits.
3c. The speed of pucks on slapshots is just incredible.
4. The Jackets turnovers were at epidemic levels tonight. It was as if there was a rule that the CBJ was only allowed to carry 1 of every 2 or 3 pucks into the offensive zone. There were a couple moments where the Jackets simply left the puck at the offensive blue line. What's up with that?
5. The Jackets defense, especially in front of the goal, was mystifying and might warrant another "Object Lesson in Poor Defensive Strategy". I've noticed a number of teams this year who play simple, solid defense that collapses to the crease and supports the goaltender. The Jackets don't do that. I'm not sure what they are doing out there, but they sure as heck don't do that.
5a. Steve Mason doesn't appear to be the Steve Mason of last year, but he's not getting anything close to the level of help that he got last year. The problem, my friends, does not lie in goal.
6. The undeniable highlight of the night was the 3rd period's Kris Russell-Phil Kessel fight, which I will refer to as the "smurf battle":
7. About the Leafs:
7a. Phil Kessel. He's really good. Not so good as a pugilist, but a really good hockey player.
7b. Mike Komisarek is one large hombre.
7c. The Leafs' 3rd string goaltender was made to look like an all-star by the Jackets. I doubt he's that good.
7d. The Leafs Nation travels well. Lots of Leafs fans throughout the arena. They're a boisterous bunch, too...with good reason tonight.
8. With about 7:30 left in the 3rd, I and a few hundred people around Section 106 saw Rick Nash take a shot that appeared to fly in and out of the goal so fast that no goal was called. We all celebrated, the Leafs fans shook their heads in disbelief....and nothing. They just kept playing. Were we all blind?
9. Note to CBJ management: If you know that you're not going to sell the arena out, don't tape hot pink flyers to the backs of every seat in the arena. It really shows how many seats are empty. (And there were a LOT of empty seats, sadly.)
10. I didn't miss the Fox Sports Ohio guys. Not one bit.
NEXT UP: S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y ... NIGHT against the Avalanche at Nationwide. As I type, disgraced former CBJ captain Adam Foote has not been able to trump up either injury or illness, so it looks like he'll make his first appearance on the ice in Columbus since engineering his escape from the Blue Jackets. Can't wait! (And it looks like I'll be there for that game, too!! w00t!)
I'm no expert on things hockey. This blog should have made that abundantly clear to readers by now! Regardless, I'm doing my best to keep abreast of the big picture issues in the NHL and can perhaps offer an outside perspective for everyone's consideration. Hey, it's something to do on an off-night for the Jackets...
Today, I'd like to tackle the Alexander Ovechkin suspension situation. There was all sorts of hue and cry over whether Ovi would get suspended, and - if he did - how long would the league REALLY sit the reining league MVP? As we all know, there's a star system in professional sports. The premise is simple: If you put butts in seats and sell tons of merchandise with your picture/name/number on it, you get kid glove treatment from the Powers That Be.
When you get to the NHL, however, the issue is a little more complex. These guys are like licensed weapons on the ice, hurtling around with their sticks and blades, chucking a puck at 100+ mph. People REALLY get hurt out there. Hoops is a sissy sport (He hand-checked me! Wah!), and there really aren't any dangerous stars in the NFL outside of Ray Lewis (and look at how hard of a time the NFL has had keeping him and his thuggish Baltimore defense in line). But hockey is a sport where you can be damned good and a public menace at the same time.
(Why, yes, Mr. Ovechkin, we were discussing you...)
So Ovi plays a game that tends toward the thuggish side, and he's been able to get away with it because he's such an incredible shot against everyone except Steve Mason. But he bumped up against the NHL disciplinary system when he had one too many game misconducts after another knee-to-knee hit. So the league (probably reluctantly) had to do something. They suspended him for 2 games. (I know that he sustained a knee injury to himself in the hit, but I won't address the logic of a 2-game suspension when you know he's going to be out for a couple of games just to get well. That's another issue altogether.)
Two games to Ovi apparently is worth roughly $100,000 in lost salary. It also is a significant penalty to the NHL as a league, who loses a marquee name for 2 games and has that much less exposure at a time where it needs all of the exposure it can get (cough-cough-VERSUS-cough-cough). So there has to be a better solution.
Try this on. Using the exact same circumstances of Ovechkin's suspension as a model, I would suggest that the NHL take a two-pronged approach to player discipline from the league office. The player can pick his poison.
1. The first option is the two-game suspension. Sit and sulk, and we'll see you next week.
2. Another option would be a fine in lieu of a suspension. Not a small fine, but rather a multiple of the salary value of the suspension. In this case, if 2 games is worth $100,000 to Ovechkin, then levy the fine around 2.5 times the value of the suspension, or $250,000. Maybe even a slightly higher multiple. That's enough to get his attention, perhaps cause some remorse and still keep him on the ice. If the player pays the fine, it simply comes out of his pocket. If the team picks up the fine (as they often do), the fine would count against the team's salary cap as de facto new salary paid. If he goes to the round of discipline and gets the 5-game suspension, Ovechkin's alternate fine would jump to something like $625,000.
Just a thought, one that can potentially keep star players on the ice while ensuring that the NHL's somewhat bizarre disciplinary system keeps a shred of integrity. Opinions?
1. The Columbus Blue Jackets, on the back end of back-to-back nights of hockey, skated into the United Center in Chicago and took the Central Division-leading Blackhawks to the limit and beyond. After 11 rounds of overtime-induced shootouts, Chicago's Brent Seabrook put one past Columbus' Steve Mason for the Chicago win, 4-3.
1a. Here are your highlights:
1b. With 1 point taken from the game, the Jackets slipped back into the 8th place in the West with 31 points, making them playoff-eligible if the Stanley Cup playoffs were held today. They aren't, of course, but readers of this blog know that I tend to keep a pretty close eye on the standings...
2. Let's start first at the end of the game. The shootout, lasting ELEVEN rounds, was crazy. According to Puck-Rakers, only 5 shootouts have ever gone longer...EVER. This made for some terrific excitement.
2a. I'll be man enough to admit it (and my trail of Twitterings will betray me as a liar if I don't), I dreaded the idea of another shootout. Steve Mason was 0-4 in shootouts going into the game.
2b. Mase, as opposed to prior shootouts, stepped up tremendously. He's clearly been working on this in practice. Fox Sports Ohio's Ray Crawford perhaps had the most insightful comment on the changes in Mason's approach in Tweeting, "looks like mason has taken some lessons from garon.. coming way out of the net to meet the skater and gauge speed." Mase was way out of the net to start the shootouts, slowly drawing back into the crease to minimize the shooting lanes. Let's face it, stopping 9 of 11 (Marian Hossa got one through, too) is NOTHING to be ashamed of.
2c. The shooters, on the other hand, hopefully were gassed from a long, tough game against the Blackhawks. Otherwise, they have not rational excuse for the pathetic showing on the shooting end of the skills competition. Only Jake Voracek scored for Columbus, meaning that Huselius, Nash, Brassard, Vemette, Tyutin, Umberger, Torres, Pahlsson, Russell and Chimera all were turned away by that brick wall known as Cristobol Huet. (Huet, in case you didn't know, is not a good starting goalie.) That 10 of 11 of our shooters couldn't put it past that joker in a 1 on 1 situation speaks volumes to our lack of killer instinct. I'd suggest it was more about our ability to score goals, but the CBJ seem to be able to do that this year when they want to.
2d. Mase blew his top after the Seabrook shootout winner:
And why shouldn't he? He just turned away 9 penalty shots from arguably the second or third best team in the NHL and wasn't given the offensive support to bring the win home. Personally, I like to see a goalie get frustrated when stuff like this happens. Goalies are an odd lot, and the competitive fire is what keeps them sharp. When Mase starts to hang his head and get depressed, then I'll be worried. Until then, break all of the sticks you want. Maybe your teammates will get the message.
3. The rest of the game was a classic CBJ road game. Hit hard, hit harder, grab a goal if you can, hit some more and hope to be in the mix at the end. Actually, the Jackets held the lead for a fair bit of the game, but Toews' power play goal in the third period tied it up with 15-plus minutes left. At that point, the Jackets seemed to be playing for the overtime and the standings point.
3b. I see no shame in leaving the United Center with 1 point. Frustration at going so deep into overtime and a shootout without the second point, sure. But Chicago is one tough band of hombres, made even tougher with the addition of Hossa to the lineup. They're physical, they can score when they need it, and they have enough talent to cover up for the fact that their goalie - well - stinks. It must be nice to be a salary cap team and not a budget team...
3c. I maintained last night that the Jackets won't be able to keep up with the Blackhawks (in the standings) this year, and I'll stick by that. They're Stanley Cup contenders of the highest order. We're Stanley Cup playoff caliber - this year. As the young Jackets mature over the next year or two, we'll be legit finals contenders. But not now.
4. So Rick Nash gets 23 minutes of ice time and is a +2 on the night but only has 3 shots, no goals and no assists? A lousy shootout shot? On one of only two national TV appearances for the CBJ this year? There goes my theory that Nash rises to the occasion in big games. Seriously, where was he when it counted? ARGH!
5. In the "Thank God they stepped up" department, how Antoine Vermette, R.J. Umberger and Kris Russell? Those three, together, comprised the goal and assist combinations for 2 of the 3 regulation goals. It's an unusual scoring trio, especially when you note that Russell had one of the goals as opposed to passing it up from the back end to facilitate a goal, but who am I to complain?
6. Kristian Huselius, a part-time whipping boy on this blog, had an assist last night but also threw his body into the mix on a couple of occasions with the Chicago tough guys. His performance wasn't out-of-this-world outstanding, but it was good...and what we need from him every night.
7. The fact that I have DirecTV and hence no Versus for the national broadcast of the game made for an adventure in viewing. Luckily, CBJ-fan Twitterer DamonChristen forwarded me a link that let me watch the game on Fox Sports 1, a cable/satellite channel from Australia.
7a. Mrs. DBJ offered a salient comment about the state of technology today when she reminded me that the feed from Chicago was sent by satellite to New York, then by satellite to Australia, where it was streamed through the internet back through God-knows-how-many nodes and web waystations until it hit my desk. Pretty freaking amazing.
7b. The picture quality pretty much stunk (Mrs. DBJ said it was like watching a recording of an NHL game from the 1970's), but at least I could watch the game.
7c. The connection cut out on about half a dozen occasions. Of course, half of those had to be during the shootout. I panicked.
7d. Aussie ad commentary: Who knew that Cricket was so fierce? (And in a tournament sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken, no less?) That rugby was so big? And that I don't recall seeing a single beer ad? Shame that apparently the Aussie Rules Football season was over...
7e. I underestimate the cultural impact of the NFL (a uniquely American game) until I see foreign tv. Then it's hard to miss. And that's a shame, as the world must think we're a bunch of conservative nitwits from the commentary offered by the FOX announcers.
7f. With the late start, I caught the beginning of the Leafs-Canadiens game at the Bell Centre and was lucky enough to catch this pre-game introduction of the Canadian Football League Grey Cup (their Super Bowl) champions, the Montreal Alouettes. And what a reception they received! (Sorry for the crappy quality of the video - it's all I could find...)
7g. For all I gripe about Fox Sports Ohio's broadcasts, they are light years better than Versus. Those announcers clearly hadn't done any homework on the Blue Jackets beyond "Rick Nash is good" - and they even got that wrong when they classified Nash as an Olympic "hopeful." Sorry, gents, Nasher is a stone cold, lead pipe lock. Probably will be on the 1st line, for that matter. I know the Jackets don't get a lot of national coverage, but give them a little respect..
8. I love Anton Stralman's shot from the point, but I don't love the fact that he was sent to the sin bin for a combined 6 minutes. If I had to guess, he was a little overwhelmed out there with the rough and tumble Chicago/Central Division style. Better get used to it, Anton...
9. Mike Commodore still isn't "right" after his illness/injury-plagued start. Jan Hejda's rounding into form, though, which is a positive.
9a. At least we have the youngsters, Russell and Roy (and sometimes Methot, though he's a lot more inconsistent than last year), to help carry the load on defense.
10. There are no moral victories. Mase demonstrated that with his reaction to losing in the shootout. (In the NHL's standings formula, however, there are half-victories...) But let's take the long view. Since the Detroit debacle, the Jackets have played progressively better and better. They don't look like Stanley Cup contenders, but they weren't projected as such from the outset. No fooling. But they've played at a level which makes them look less and less like pretenders for a playoff seed. If I see a little more of this, and if the first line can get it in gear, I think that it will be a fun spring in Columbus for reasons other than spring football in Buckeye-land.
NEXT UP: The Toronto Maple Leafs make a rare appearance in town on Thursday night. After a crap-bag start, the arrival of Phil Kessel as a scoring threat/playmaker and the emergence of Jonas "The Monster" Gustafson as a netminder has made the Leafs a team to be reckoned with (but not exactly feared just yet). Gustafson left last night's shutout of Montreal with an elevated heartbeat; who knows if he'll start or not.
On a personal note, it'll be my first CBJ game of the year in person. Lord, how I've waited for this day!
1. The Columbus Blue Jackets got off the schneid with an inspired start to the game that was matched by an equally inspirational end to the game against the St. Louis Blues, winning 5-3.
1a. Here are your highlights:
2. First and foremost, let's focus on the extremely positive. R.J. Umberger, a lunchpail guy for Ken Hitchcock if there ever was one ("R.J., we need you to play center. R.J., we need you to play wing. R.J., we need you to tutor the young'uns. R.J., go sit in the crease and get pounded on."), got a hat trick with seconds remaining in the game. And the hats rained down on a guy who deserves the party like few others:
2a. The Dispatch jumped in with this great montage of interviews and still photos to commemorate the hat trick:
3. Kris Russell, our diminutive, speedy defenseman who signed a 3-year extension and then camped out in the press box for 5 of the last 6 games as a healthy scratch, returned in glorious style. A shot, a goal, an assist, a +3 rating, and 23:06 time on ice while pushing the puck out of the defensive zone time after time after time. If that's not a "I deserve to be on the ice" performance, I don't know what is. And the timing was great, seeing as...
4. Rusty Klesla took what appeared to be a tough but reasonable hit on the ice, apparently heard something pop, screamed loud enough that the tv cameras picked it up, and had to be carried from the ice. Word is that he has a torn groin muscle and will be out a minimum 4-6 weeks if he doesn't choose to take the surgical repair option - which I presume would require an even longer recovery.
4a. I hate seeing the good guys go down in such excruciating pain. Rusty's given his all to the Blue Jackets, retooling his game on at least one occasion (the arrival of Ken Hitchcock) for the good of the team. And the team recognizes his contribution, giving him a contract extension on Day 1 of this season. He'll get better, for sure, but it still makes you wince when you see one of your true warriors go down so hard.
4b. The Blue Jackets defense is in a tizzy. Hejda and Commodore are still getting back into game shape after injuries and illness. Fedor Tyutin has been worked harder than the average plowhorse. Anton Stralman's picking up Hitch-hockey on the fly, but he's really a sniper as opposed to a stay-at-home type. Marc Methot is...ummm...trying hard. And Kris Russell can't stick in the starting lineup for whatever reason. Klesla, along with Tyutin, were the healthy warhorses this year, and now Klesla is down. Word is that Matthieu Roy is coming back to Columbus (it was a crying shame that he was sent down in the first place), and it's even possible that Scott Howson may have to make a trade for another d-man. Let's hope the defensemen can continue to hang tough in this tough season.
5. Derick Brassard might, just might, be picking up this NHL game after all. Check out this assist on R.J.'s second goal:
5a. By the way, the line of R.J. Umberger, Brassard and Jake Voracek is kicking butt. And R.J. is on record saying that he's having a great time playing with the two young'uns. A reincarnation of the Chimera-Brassard, Voracek "goat line" of last season (1 old goat and 2 kids)?
6. Steve Mason did not play a bad game, turning aside 25 of 27 shots. He wasn't "stand on your head" spectacular, either, which is OK as long as he plays smartly...and good enough for the team to win.
6a. Mase did step his game up when St. Louis pulled their (Chris the mountain man) Mason for an extra shooter at the end of the game. I don't want to make light of our Mason's performance in that stretch...there were a couple clutch saves there.
6b. Mason won, Mason lost. (Sorry, I had to!)
7. I'm somewhat numb to the Fox Sports Ohio game broadcasts but need to note that both blog articles and Puck Rakers comments seem to have an uptick in criticism of the broadcast coverage. To me, Rimer is Rimer, Davidge is Davidge. John Michael will always be looking up to every interview he has (except Li'l Russ). It's not the best broadcast team I've seen thus far (by far, especially having had a chance to sample that which other teams enjoy via NHL Center Ice). It is what it is for this season, however. Let's hope that FSO and the CBJ make plans for an upgrade next season.
8. Gosh, it was nice to see Ken Hitchcock get through a postgame press conference without swallowing half of his words.
9. Keith Tkachuck, the noted Jacket-killer? How'd he do against the Boys in Union Blue? Nothing other than 11 minutes of ice time and a -1 rating. No shots, no assists, no goals. As we like it.
9a. While nobody smacked T.J. Oshie around (and that is indeed regrettable), the Jackets did limit him to 1 shot, 1 assist and a -1 rating as well during his 20 minutes on the ice. Ah well, there's always next game.
10. Let's close out these 10 Thoughts by savoring the team's plus-minus ratings...something we haven't been able to do too often recently:
Stralman -1
Hejda +2
Russell +3
Blunden 0
Torres +1
Brassard +1
Umberger +4
Huselius -1
Commodore +4 (WOW!!)
MacKenzie +1
Chimera 0
Pahlsson 0
Boll +1
Vermette +2
Tyutin 0
Nash +2
Vorace +1
Klesla 0
NEXT UP: Tonight, in Chicago for the Blackhawks home debut of Marian Hossa and the debut of the 'hawks' "Gosh, they look a lot like the Winter Classic sweaters" 3rd jerseys. Their head coach is going for something like 500 wins. And, wouldn't you know, it's on Versus - which means that I can't watch the game on TV as I have DirecTV. I guess it's Matthews and McElligott on CD101, or maybe I can find a feed online...
