Production Line Hockey

Calvert, DMac, and Artie

The Blue Jackets production line of hockey continues tonight with the arrival of the undefeated Chicago Blackhawks.  The CBJ are coming off of a pretty rough road trip, where they didn't perform real well.  And the 'Hawks will be bringing a lot of speed, something that the CBJ have often had trouble with.    It should be an entertaining game, and I will be intrigued to see if the CBJ can get back to their lunchpail, grinding ways, and dictate the pace of this game. If Chicago dictates the pace, it could be a long evening.

On Monday, Dallas comes to town.  On Tuesday they play at Minnesota.  On Thursday the Blues are in town.  To keep pace with the league, the Jackets have to try to find a couple of wins in this stretch.  Its probably another week or so before they really find their legs, so I think in this stretch it is up to the AHL guys who have been playing all along to step in and make a difference.  Matt Calvert and Cam Atkinson need to bury a couple of goals.  Ryan Johansen has looked stronger with each game, and he needs to start asserting himself against these teams if we are gonna get those wins.  John Moore needs to start snatching ice time from some of the other defensemen.

I'm looking forward to this grind.  We have seen the type of rough road trip the Jackets just experienced happen many a time in the past, and it does not necessarily define the team.  The road is a rough place to be in the Western Conference.  With 3 in 4 on home ice, the Jackets need to focus on holding serve in Nationwide Arena.  If they can do so with reasonable success over the next few weeks, they will remain in the mix.  At this time of an abbreviated season, that's all you need to do.

Across the league, even though there are a few teams doing well, a lot of teams are struggling, and turning in performances like the CBJ's last two.  So long as that doesn't remain a trend, they'll be okay over the short term.  We'll have a better feel for the group at about the 15 game mark.

So get your mojo going, and come down to Nationwide Arena tonight and try to help the Jackets dictate the pace of the game!

GO JACKETS!!

DBJ's six-pack for Game 4: Colorado

Colorado 4 - Columbus 0
1-2-1, 4th in Central Division, 8th in Western Conference

The Columbus Blue Jackets wrapped up their two-game, two-night road trip with a 4-0 shutout loss in regulation to the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.

I'm saving the entire six-pack for myself. In my opinion, no Blue Jacket deserved one. I'll probably also need it to forget what I just saw.

So let's go meta instead.  The Blue Jackets are winless since the opener in Nashville and have not yet won a game in regulation.  They were outscored 9-1 over this road trip, highlighting significant issues on both offense and defense.

Gallos' Six-Pack for Game 3: Phoenix Coyotes

The Columbus Blue Jackets took to the road to play the Phoenix Coyotes in the first of back to back games, and lost 5-1.  Steve Mason started in goal, and the first period ended scoreless.  Not a work of art, but a good road period.  As Craig Hartsburg said during his in game interview with Natalie, both teams are checking well and waiting for the other guy to make a mistake.  The CBJ scored first during the first half of the second period when Brassard cycled the puck out high and Tyutin blasted one home with Derek Dorsett cruising the slot and making traffic.  Phoenix countered with two goals, one off a turn over, the other when a seemingly bad pass bounces to the D-man and is hammered home by Ekman-Larsson.  Once the third period started, the Blue Jackets unraveled, became disjointed, and started giving up goals.

Stick tap to Light the Lamp

1.  This adult beverage goes to John Davidson, for his interview at the first intermission.  This is the type of thing that is a HUGE addition to the franchise.  You also have to remember that the other announcers are going to interview JD too, every time he's in their building.  And every time he does one of those interviews the credibility of the organization takes a jump.  I liked his perspective, that 'you have to improve, but you have to recognize that everyone else is trying to improve too".  Good stuff.

2. My second beer for the evening goes to Assistant Coach Keith Acton, for telling Natalie in an interview how bad our defensive zone breakouts were.  Unfortunately, it only got worse as the night went on.

3. My third beer of the evening goes to Steve Sullivan for his hat trick.  What can you say?

4. My fourth beer of the evening goes to Antoine Vermette who dominated in the face off circle.  Had you done some of that last year in a Blue Jackets uniform you might still be here.  Of course if you had the choice of being coached by Dave Tippett or Scott Arniel, you'd obviously take the former.

5. My fifth and sixth beers of the evening strangely had a hole in the bottom of them when I got them out of the fridge, probably stolen by an enterprising Coyotes fan.  It was that kind of night.  Plus I didn't want to give any more beers to Coyotes players, in spite of the fact that they earned them.

The CBJ came out hustling in the first period, but couldn't get anything past Mike Smith, the starting 'Yotes goal tender.  He was injured, and replaced by Jason LaBarbera, who stoned the CBJ after giving up the one goal in the second.  Steve Mason's fragile confidence shattered in the second period, and by the latter part of the third period he couldn't stop pucks that he had good looks at.  The only good thing you can view out of this game is that Curtis McElhinney is returning to play in Springfield, and if I had to take a chance on passing  Mason or CMac through waivers, I'd definitely take that chance on Mason.  We don't have a 1 and a 1A goal tender situation.  We have a 1 and a distant 3.  The good news is that we got CMac from the Yotes in the Vermette trade, so we got something out of that.  Perhaps he would make a reliable 2.

Did the BlueJackets get out worked tonight?  You betcha.  It was bone ugly.  Best forget it as soon as possible.  We'll find out what that means tomorrow night.

GO JACKETS!!

Morgan's Six Pack for Game 2: The Detroit Red Wings

Columbus 3 - Detroit 4 (SO)
3rd in Central Division,  5th in Western Conference

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the rival Detroit Red Wings in their 2012-2013 season home opener.  Announced attendance at Nationwide Arena for the game was 19,206.  The Jackets rallied back from a two goal deficit to tie the game at two goals a piece on goals from Atkinson and Wisniewski.  The Jackets went on top in the 3rd from a well positioned Prospal power play goal.  The lead was spoiled by, who else, Pavel Datsyuk who tied the game at three late in the third period.  After a conservative overtime period, the teams headed for a shootout which, after further review, ended in a Red Wings victory.

1. It should be no surprise to anyone who watched this game that my first beer goes to none other than Sergei Bobrovsky.  I'd give him the whole six-pack and go to bed if this wasn't my first write-up. Bob kept the game from getting out of hand in the first period when the Red Wings were afforded one scoring opportunity after another.  42 shots reached the net, the Jackets blocked another dozen or so in front of him.  Bobrovsky continued to make key saves in the second and third period to keep the game close.  It is easy to wonder how this game would have ended up if another goaltender was in net for the ol' CBJ, but Bobrovsky kept it simple and was the sole reason the Blue Jackets weren't down by two touchdowns after the first period.

2. The second beer goes to Ryan Johansen.  Why?  The kid was clutch on face-offs all night.  He had won 9 out of his 11 draws at the start of the third period.  Coach Richards used Johansen on key offensive zone face-offs late in the third period.  This was a pleasant surprise and good on Johansen.  It's not often you see a young kid getting tasked with key face-offs in close games against teams like the Red Wings.

3.  Cam Atkinson, this one is for you.  The Red Wings made a mistake, Johansen got you the puck, and you split the Red Wings defense for a doozy of a goal.  It feels good that the Blue Jackets have a player who can capitalize on the opponents mistakes - something I feel the Blue Jackets haven't had for a while.  Maybe ever...

4.  I will take a liberty with this fourth beer, and give it to the Fans. I'll sprinkle it around as I was in attendance for tonight's game. With the Red Wings in town, there was absolutely no mistaking who was the home team.  There was no 50/50 smattering of Red and White jerseys in the stands.  There was no "let's go Red Wings" cheers to be heard in Nationwide Arena and only a few isolated cheers when the Wings did get on the board.  This was a loud and proud Columbus Blue Jackets home game as it should have been.

5. I hate to do it, but Pavel Datsyuk gets a beer.  Again he shows us why you don't give him time and space with the puck late in games.  He got behind the defense late in the third and tied the game at 3.  He quietly got 2 points and first star.  Yuck.  Dats Yuck, get it?.

6. CBJ Special Teams - The Blue Jackets played a simple, and for the most part fundamental, special teams strategy on both sides of the puck.  The PK was a passive box that set up on the perimeter of the Red Zone.  They let Detroit dangle the puck on the outside as long as they wanted and clogged access to the key scoring areas of the offensive zone, the "Red Zone."  Detroit tried attacking this PK two different ways with no luck, Bobrovsky being the best penalty killer.  The CBJ Power Play started a little wonky for my tastes with the point men criss-crossing at the blue line to pull aggressive Red Wings penalty killers out of position.  It got back to meat-and-potatoes fundamentals by creating 3-on-2 opportunities on one half of the ice.  Special teams looked good tonight.  They have to continue to stay that way as the Power Play and Penalty Kill will be crucial to this team's success.

The question everybody wants to know: Did the Blue Jackets get outworked?  Looking at the game as a whole, I say YES - but it wasn't for a lack of effort. Some might say they came back from being two goals down so how could they be outworked?  Well, the Red Wings played the first period against the Blue Jackets like I imagined: send two guys at the puck on the fore check and have their way with the Jackets.  The CBJ are a high energy team who aren't gifted with oodles of offensive skill.  The Wings put two guys on the puck the entire first period forcing the Jackets to make quick 'thread the needle' passes which were never made or intercepted.  However, the Jackets adjusted in the second period by quickly getting the puck into open areas and open forwards with shorter passes.  As the Jackets adjusted, and got their two goals, the Wings resorted to slowing the play down and spreading out the ice.  At no point in this game did it appear the Jackets were out of it, even down two goals. However, the Jackets were overwhelmed in the first 25-30 minutes of the game, and it's fair to say they dug themselves into the two goal hole (ha, rhyme) by being outworked.  Bobrovsky kept this from getting much, much worse early on.

Despite the 1st period, the Jackets never gave up.  I don't know how last year's team reacts to being down by two goals to the Red Wings, but I saw how this team reacted and I liked it.  The Atkinson goal had a great level of satisfaction to it. Wisniewski's power play goal had blue-collar artistry to it.  Prospal's goal is one that every youth hockey player should watch: it's always good to keep a third guy high.  I saw enough tonight to keep on watching.

The Jackets next game is Wednesday night in Phoenix against the 0-2 Coyotes.  The Coyotes still maintain a few ex-CBJ player with the likes of Antoine Vermette and Rusty Klesla.  Whitney has moved on and Torres will be watching this one from the press box via his suspension.  My money says we see Steve Mason in net for that game, but one can never tell.

Introducing "Did the CBJ get outworked last night?"

In his introductory comments back in October, new Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson said of his new team, "We'll never be outworked."

J.D. threw down the gauntlet to his team in October.

Those words are exactly what this blogger wants to hear.

Look, I'm realistic about this team.  I'm not convinced that the Blue Jackets will end the season in the Central Division cellar.  I'm equally not convinced that the Blue Jackets are a playoff team (although the unpredictable nature of a six-day training camp and a condensed, 48-game season make it more likely).  I believe that both abject failure and exhilarating success are largely due to factors far beyond the Blue Jackets' control.

The "compete level" - the amount of effort expended in a game - is well within the team's control, however.  If a team works hard, they are more likely to win games.  They won't automatically win because they play harder than the other team, but I'd suggest that they probably are more likely to lose because they don't play as hard.  I think the tail-end of the Hitchcock and Arniel eras in Columbus can serve as reference points for us.  The team gave up, and they lost... waytoo many times.

In my opinion, that question, "Did the CBJ get outworked?" - that will determine whether this team is competitive in 2013.  On paper, this team is not elite.  Effort, however, can be the great equalizer.  A hard-working team of lesser skill will have a much better chance against a lackadaisical group of All-Stars.  So that's where I'm focusing my attention this season.

DBJ's six-pack for Game 1: Nashville

Columbus 3  - Nashville 2 (SO)
1-0-0, T-1st in Central Division, T-1st in Eastern Conference

The Columbus Blue Jackets kicked off their abbreviated 2013 season with a nail-biter of a win over the Nashville Predators, 3-2, after a six-round shootout in front of 17,113 fans at Bridgestone Arena.

The past season or two has used the 5 Thoughts format as a means to organize our post-game thoughts here at DBJ, but - as you may remember - we've humbly adopted the "6-pack" motif of our retired colleague, Light The Lamp.  So let's crack one open and see how it works.

1. In a move that probably surprised someone...somewhere...the game-ready Sergei Bobrovsky - fresh off an 18-3-2 opening act for the Kontinental Hockey League's SKA St. Petersburg (1.94 GAA, .932 save percentage) before coming back to Columbus after the lockout ended - got the start over incumbent starter Steve Mason.  After a stumble out of the gate with a first-minute gimme to Martin Erat (and to Bob's credit, the team defense never set up on the goal), Bob locked down and gave up only one more goal the entire game.  32 saves, 1.85 GAA, .941 save percentage...Give us a season like that and we'll be one happy bunch of campers in Columbus.

Join the Battle: 2012-13 Season Starts!

At last it's here, and I am pretty excited about finally seeing some NHL hockey played.  Tomorrow night the Columbus Blue Jackets take on a Central Division nemesis at the Nashville Predators.  We will find out a lot about the team in this match.

This is a Blue Jackets squad with perhaps the deepest defense in franchise history.  It seems unlikely that anyone will unseat Jaroslav Spacek as the all time leader in defensive assists in this shortened season.  But Jack Johnson, James Wisniewski, Nikita Nikitin and Fedor Tyutin have it in them to be collectively in the top 5 in the league in defensive assists if they play to the level they have shown before.  They are backed up by veteran Adrian Aucoin and youngster John Moore who played well in the role of 'last man standing' last year before fading late (not uncommon for a young player).

There are a couple of things I want to say about this group.  Tyutin and Nikitin are probably the shut down pair.  How well they perform in that role is yet to be seen, but they have a significant offensive upside, with the bonus of knee high heat from Niki 6 (see DKM hockey).  One thing I can get my arms around with this group is that we will definitely lose at least one game when Johnson gets burned on jumping up on the play, and someone like Toews goes in on a break away to score a late goal.   And we as fans will howl, and the Twitterverse will explode with criticism of JJ's defense.  But there will also be games where we are trying to protect a lead, and he will skate it out of the defensive zone and attack the opposing goal when everyone on the other team is trying to crash our net, thus taking the heat off and preserving the win.  I think our power play will finally be something to be scared of, instead of wanting to decline the penalty, we are going to want to watch it.  With an abundance of forwards who will crash the net, Wiz's slap shot is going to get a few tips into the net.  JJ has a perfect skill set to set up Wiz's slap shot, which we did not see used to full effect until late last year.  With Tyutin and Niki 6 on the second unit, we have good point men there as well.  The power play should develop into something solid as the season progresses.

Artem Anisimov

The forwards are intriguing.  The line I think I like the most is Prospal - Johansen - Foligno.  I think Vinny Prospal and Nick Foligno are kindred spirits.  I think their veteran presence will help the youngster Johansen.  If Ryan is not going to play center, then he should be sent down to Springfield to play big minutes at center.  That's where he is going to end up eventually.  This line is not too bad defensively, and while it is listed as a third line, has a deceiving amount of offensive pop.  Foligno has really soft hands, and his shots seem to always find the net.  In the right circumstances, those will be goals.

I think we are going to like the Anisimov line with Dubinsky and Dorsett.  I know a lot of people wonder about putting Dorsett on that line.  Some are downright critical of it, and I understand that as well.  But Dorsett has very good 'hockey sense' and will put himself in a position where he can score, and where he is available for the puck at the right time.  Unfortunately, he has some unquestionably Duran like qualities (as in Roberto Duran and 'hands of stone').  He has also worked hard to overcome those tendencies, and had a career scoring year last year.  Great potential for this line to surprise people as well, but  the line is also very defensively responsible.

The 'top' line of Umberger - Brassard - Atkinson ought to be able to have some good chemistry early.  Hopefully Brass is ready to emerge from the role of  'the guy that sets up Nash' and uses his very good shot more often.  This line has good balance as well.

Finally, there is the goal tending.  I think Detective Bobrovsky is going to unseat Mason (aahhhh, I can't get these numbers out of my head!!!) as the number one goal tender.  Hopefully he can flash the kind of numbers he showed over in the KHL.  In this shortened NHL season, any team is a hot goal tender away from being in the mix for the playoffs.  Mason (Viktor Resnov was my friend!!) is fighting for his NHL life.  He seems to be resolved to go down swinging.  Very good goal tending could become the price for keeping the net.  Or, if they both ring up numbers like they had last year, its gonna be a long, short year, but we have 3 first round picks in the draft.

We will find out a lot about these lines tomorrow night at Nashville.  I'm excited to see what they can do.   If this team can maintain a .500 pace through the early going, to allow the new comers to gel into the team, they have a chance to cause people some real problems.  However, tomorrow is only round 1 of the 18 round slugging match that is the Central Division.  We'll check in again after the first round bell.

GO JACKETS!!!

Your annual FOX Sports Ohio TV schedule post

It's an annual tradition like no other...better than the azaleas at Augusta, better than the inevitable Michigan State football October swoon, better than Tebow and A-Rod coverage: The annual Dark Blue Jacket reproduction of the FOX Sports Ohio broadcast schedule press release for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Remember when I used to rant about not having enough games on TV?  Or in high-definition?  Folks, those days are long gone.  

FOX Sports Ohio has gone "all in" for the Blue Jackets, giving us ("us" being those in Columbus...can't speak for those living out of the metro area) every single Blue Jackets game that they can get their hands on.  That means 47 out of 48 games this year, with the other game (Monday's home opener against the Red Wings) exclusively on NBC Sports Network.  I confirmed with Kate Zelasko at FSO that FOX will be broadcasting the two games that will also be shown on NHL Network (February 21 at Detroit, March 1 at Chicago).

You know the worm has turned when the annual press release spends more talking about the broadcast team than about the games that the network will (or won't) be broadcasting.

And wait a minute, who's that DBJ guy that gets a mention?  :-)

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P   R   E   S   S      R   E   L   E   A   S   E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2013

FOX SPORTS OHIO & COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS ANNOUNCE 2012-2013 TELECAST SCHEDULE

Dan Kamal joins Blue Jackets broadcast team.

COLUMBUS, OHIO – FOX Sports Ohio and the Columbus Blue Jackets announced today the 2012-2013 telecast schedule.

Camp Day 3, Special Teams

Nick Foligno - Number 71

I got a chance to attend the public practice in the Ice Haus today, to watch the Blue Jackets continue their abbreviated training camp.  Earlier in the morning, the CBJ had scrimmaged over on the big ice in Nationwide Arena, however, that part of practice was not open to the public.  According to Shawn Mitchell over on Puck Rakers no goals were scored, which is okay as they were emphasizing their defense.  If you go over to the Blue Jackets web site Bob McElligott has done a great job of getting a lot of good video content up on the site.  I'll come back to the points about coaching that Bob touches on in a later post.

The public camp session was mostly spent on special teams, the power play and the penalty kill.  I felt the players weren't really flying, but they already had a scrimmage behind them.  One thing I really like about Todd Richards is that he is willing to stop a drill and make sure it gets done right.  He's very vocal and involved in the practices, and I think that is a good thing.  Ian Clark got to borrow Vinny Prospal, Derick Brassard and Jared Boll to do some work with the goal tenders.  At that stage of the practice, the rest of the players were working on the penalty kill.

The two power play units were the Brassard line with Cam Atkinson and RJ Umberger as forwards and with Johnson and Wisniewski as the defensive pair.  The second unit had Vinny Prospal, Ryan Johansen, and Nick Foligno with Tyutin and Nikitin as the defensive pair, though this unit got a lot of looks, and possessed the puck really well.  While I wasn't real impressed with Johansen on the first day of camp, he showed some very good stuff in the power play work.  He did some nifty puck possession skating right up the slot (and still got a shot away) and scored on a beauty of a one-timer.  The other guy I was really impressed with was Nick Foligno.  Dude has real soft hands, and seems everywhere on the ice.  I have a feeling that we are going to like watching him play.  At a down time at the last stages of the practice, Foligno was balancing a puck on his stick and trying to flip it to John Moore for him to catch on his stick.  It was fun to watch them.

One thing that I observed, is that the new guys seem to have melded right into the team fabric.  It was easy to see instances where they showed that they liked playing together, and though they were working hard, they were also enjoying themselves.  There wasn't a lot of 'stiffness' to the practice, they seemed relaxed and happy to be there.  The worked hard, and were very attentive to the coaches, but there was just a good spirit to the whole thing.  That will serve them well in the inevitable times of duress in this year.

I really can't wait for Saturday, and I am really looking forward to the home opener.  It will be highly entertaining to watch these guys play.  All they really have to do at the start of the season is play .500 hockey to give themselves a chance to gel.  Then we'll see.

GO JACKETS!!

Robert Frost, the CBJ Fan

One of my favorite classes I ever took in college was an elective poetry class. It wasn’t a creative writing. This poetry class was about reading a poem in context to discover the author’s message or the poem’s purpose. We were not trying to delve into the mind of the tormented poet to ease their pain. We were learning how to listen to what the poet was saying. Through this, I discovered Robert Frost, who I have come to believe was a long suffering Blue Jackets fan. How do I know this? Quite easily, he left us the poem "Acquainted with the Night."

This is like looking a picture of a girl you used to love
with all your heart who dumped you for a pretty boy
named Todd Slawson.

Acquainted with the Night is a five stanza poem written in the under-utilized ‘Terza Rima’ meter and rhyme scheme. If we break the poem down stanza by stanza, and read each line grammatically, we can see the trials and tribulations of a Blue Jackets fan. Robert Frost had feelings of being alone in his love for the CBJ and wasn't sure whether or not to give up on the Blue Jackets after the 2011-2012 season. It was was season of hope that turned out to be the season of doubt. Carter was a bust, Nash wanted out, Arniel was canned, and fans were left with nothing. Robert Frost spend a considerable amount of time being emotionally conflicted over the team, searching for something that could silence his doubt and give him sincere hope.  The unknowing chasm of the lockout mixed with the sting of 2011-2012 and the muted optimism of off-season acquisitions tormented every Blue Jackets fan's heart since last April.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
Immediately we see the doubt and sense of hopelessness of Frost’s love for the Blue Jackets. Robert Frost knows darkness of the night. He feels alone being a fan of the Blue Jackets he searches aimlessly for a reason to believe. Frost’s taking long walks at night in the rain, long walks that that make the shiny beacon of light beaming from Nationwide Arena disappear over the horizon - Long walks of metaphoric doubt finding ways to justify another year of season tickets in section 102.  Frost has wandered, and wandered far. He’s wandered so far that he’s found himself right back from where he first began wandering from. The dreaded circular logic, last season offered so much hope and ended poorly. Hope is rekindled this offseason with new faces, but how is that any different. What is Frost searching for? What we all are:  am I all alone, is there nothing greater for a Blue Jackets fan? Conflicted, he loves something that doesn’t seem to love him back.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

Frost has spent a long time searching for something to make him believe again. He’s even searched for it in Toronto as described by "looked down the saddest city lane." He thought if he could look at the opitomy of misery, he would know how to escape it. But Toronto offered no such answers, they had their own advisors, their own miserable drafts, and mailed off their own beloved talent. Still, the fans paid a premium and packed the arena while mercilessly taunting Blue Jackets fans. As Frost continued his walk, he passed the judgemental fans of other teams, who looked at him and offered their pity seeing him in that rain soaked Blue Jackets jersey of self-doubt. He averted their glances, for a response they could understand could not be given. He knew he loved the team, but didn't know if he could continue.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

Frost had walked so long and searched so deeply that he stopped for a moment, ready to give up on the team. He had stood by them loyal for 10 years and was nearing the end of what he could give. And it was when he stopped walking, and had a chance to listen, that he heard something speak to him. Something near he did not expect to hear.

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
A luminary clock against the sky

Frost found himself in the arena district, staring up at the luminous clock that stands tall above the corner of Nationwide Blvd and Front Street. The time on the face of the clock was unimportant, but what was important - where the clock was, where it stood against the sky, that spoke to him.  It wasn't up to the Blue Jackets if Frost should continue to care.  Win or lose, the Blue Jackets were Columbus' team.  He was in the arena district, and no matter what Frost did, the Arena district was there because of the Blue Jackets.  The one place a person could go to know they are not alone in their love for the Columbus Blue Jackets was the arena district.

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

That luminous LED clock shining brilliant against the night sky offered Frost comfort. As long as the arena district was there to support the team, as longs as fans like him came to the arena district and showed their pride, Frost knew he would never be alone, there would never be a reason to doubt. As alone as he felt as a Blue Jackets fan, that clock in the arena district reminded him he was not alone.   He would never have to explain his love for the team to anyone in the Arena District - they would already know simply by him being there. Being a Columbus Blue Jackets fan is so much more than the team’s place in the standings. It’s about sharing the experience of being a fan with other Blue Jackets fans. It’s about being part of a fan base that beyond the losing encourages everyone to come out and support something that is truly unique to Columbus. Frost has been acquainted with the night, but with the lockout over, and he’s had a chance to see training camp, all that is behind him now. No more doubt when you witness the crowd at training camp - hosted by the Arena District.

 

Yeah, that line looks pretty good.

 

Acquainted with the Night

By Robert Frost

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchman on his beat

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet

When far away an interrupted cry

Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;

And further still at an unearthly height,

One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right. 

I have been one acquainted with the night.