Get the Puck Outta Here!!!!

Since my last blog, the Blue Jackets have gone on to an eight game losing streak. We have only gotten one point, which was this past Friday night as we tied Carolina in regulation. We have lost players such as Bob, Wiz, Johnson (to a questionable suspension), Murray (again), Letstu, et al. We got back Jenner, and Bob is slated to be back on Friday. Dubi is still out, and last I saw, no timetable to return, although he has been skating. Horton, in my opinion, is going to be forced to retire. Sad, but I think for him, it's for the best. Not to say there haven't been bright spots so far this season. First off, there is the new guy, Scott Hartnell. He has definitely shown his veteran abilities and kept the team moving. He has scored 6 goals in the past three games. He has been physical and making his presence known on the ice. This was a great pickup for the Blue Jackets. He has stepped up in this early season chaos, and I hope it maintains and he stays healthy. Nick Foligno. N...

With some of the reports that say W Nathan Horton may have to retire due to a degenerative back problem, I thought that I would give a few thoughts on this. I've only seen Nathan Horton play live a few times. I've seen him when he was with the Bruins a couple times during the Bruins run at the Stanley Cup in 2011 on TV. My impression of him was a go getter who played his heart out. He was a team first player that never thought of himself. That made him a great fit with the Blue Jackets. When he was signed before last season, I got excited. I loved the signing and was hopeful. While his first season with the CBJ wasn't as good as he wanted, we were hopeful for his second season. He would be healthy, and go back to the Horton that played for Boston. Sadly, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. As a fan, it sucks. When healthy, he was great. As a person, I feel for the guy. This is something he loves and it's about to be taken away. It would not surprise m...

For the CBJ, the first two games are in the books. Both of them wins over the Buffalo Sabres and the New Yawk Rangers. I got to watch the CBJ-Sabres game at R Bar downtown. The atmosphere at R Bar was electric. Everyone one excited and jacked up for the game. I have to admit it surprised even me how people were excited for the game. It was really good to see that. Got to hang out with some great people, including Kevin Valentin, Alex Sawyer among others. 97.1 was there, and just a great time to be had. Saturday. The home opener, I got downtown around 2 or so, and you could already feel how excited the fans were for the game to start. I didn't get to see the red carpet as I decided to hang out with Teressa and the rest of the Arch City Army (Brian, Jerod, Zach, et al). I'm glad I did. It was a great time with fellow fans and just plan great folk. Got to see Dancing Kevin again, who, as I've said before, is a GREAT guy and very approachable. I love the fact that his video...

March of the Union Army. Let’s Go Jackets!!!! Let’s Go Jackets!!! 1 st Line (Sounded by lead group) C (Sounded by Lead Group) Ryan (Front group) Johansen (Back Group) RW (Sounded by Lead Group) Cam(Front group)  Atkinson(Back Group) LW (Sounded by Lead Group) Nick (Front group) Folingo (Back Group) D (Sounded by Lead Group) Jack (Front group) Johnson (Back Group) D (Sounded by Lead Group) David (Front group) Savard(Back Group) G (Sounded by Lead Group) Sergei (Front group) BOBROVSKY (Back Group) 2nd Line (Sounded by lead group) C (Sounded by Lead Group) Artem (Front group) Anisimov (Back Group) RW (Sounded by Lead Group) Alexander (Front group) Wennberg(Back Group) LW (Sounded by Lead Group) Scott(Front group) Hartnell (Back Group) D (Sounded by Lead Group) James (Front group) Wisniewski (Back Group) D (Sounded by Lead Group) Tim (Front group) Erixon (Back Group) G (Sounded by ...

The nightmare is over. The Ryan Johansen ordeal is over with. He has been signed to a three year contract. The terms are all over Twitter and Facebook, so I'm not going to re-hash it here.  Bottom line is that it's a fair contract that is backloaded. I like it, and he's back with us. I'm happy, and with the addition of Skille, I think we've improved our team. In other news, Kerby Rychel has been assigned to Springfield. I'm a little surprised by that, as I felt he played better then Wennberg, as much as I was pulling for Wennberg. I'm sure Richards saw something that I obviously missed. I'm glad Wennberg made it, but was also pulling Rychel. I hope to see them both, as I mentioned that to both of them at the Zoo event last week. Brian Gibbons is on the IR, which would be why I didn't see him the last two games. I hope he comes back soon, as I think he's a GREAT addition to the team. Get well soon, Brian. With the last pre-season game in the...

Here is a rough draft of the Sounding off for the March of the Union Army on October 11th. March of the Union Army. Let’s Go Jackets!!!! Let’s Go Jackets!!! 1 st Line (Sounded by lead group) C (Sounded by Lead Group) Player First Name (Front group) Player Last Name (Back Group) RW (Sounded by Lead Group) Player First Name (Front group) Player Last Name (Back Group) LW (Sounded by Lead Group) Player First Name (Front group) Player Last Name (Back Group) D (Sounded by Lead Group) Player First Name (Front group) Player Last Name (Back Group) D (Sounded by Lead Group) Player First Name (Front group) Player Last Name (Back Group) G (Sounded by Lead Group) Player First Name (Front group) Player Last Name (Back Group) Repeated for each line. In between the lines, alternate CBJ and Let’s go Jacket Chants After the 4 th line is sounded off, All groups go We Are the 5 th Line!!!! Also thinking about adding in the coac...

As we get closer to the start of the season, teams are starting to make cuts to get their rosters down. The Columbus Blue Jackets made their roster moves this weekend. I have to say, nothing surprising about the moves so far. Most have been or are expected to go to Springfield, with one going back to their Junior club. From what I've seen and read about in regards to the pre-season games so far, all I can say is that I'm excited. Excited for the future of CBJ hockey. As it stands right now, (barring a signing of Ryan Johansen, which I would welcome), I see Wennberg getting the call to come to Columbus over Rychel, although it would be very close call. I got to see Kirby thrown down at the Penguins game, and I must say I was impressed. I like Wennberg, and his style of play, which seems to fit well with how it's done in Blue Jacket land. But, that said, I wouldn't be disappointed if Rychel got the call either. With the status of Nathan Horton up in the air, it's ...

Over the past few days, book ending my OSU game I attended, I've been able to listen to a couple of podcasts. The first one I listened to was called Blue Jacket Racket. You can find that podcast here . It is on the air on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 5pm, although that is subject to change come the start of the regular season. The gentleman who runs that is Kevin J VanManen. You can find him on Twitter @k_vanmanen. His guests that day were the guys who run the twitter account @boones_goones. They were on to talk about the CBJ, and announce their 2014-15 World Tour. They are visiting various towns in Ohio during the Columbus Blue Jacket Season. They are bringing some giveaways to each stop on their World Tour. I enjoyed listening to Blue Jacket Racket. The passion that Kevin has is undeniable. But he is also honest. I'll definitely catch his podcast when I can. He will have the creator of the March of the Union Army Kevin Valentin on his pod cast this week on Friday at 5p...

So, I just got back from my second of two pre-season games this week. Let me tell you, it's getting me even more pumped up for the season. Being there for both games, the smell of the ice (yes, it has a smell I can get all the way up in Sec 209), the fans....gives me goose bumps. After watching the first two pre-season games, one thing that stood out to me was the puck control. It seemed like the CBJ just couldn't keep the puck in control. I'm not as concerned so much as many of the lines that played the last two nights haven't played together, so they may be a bit off. It also seemed like the ice was playing a major factor, as it was scrapped several times each period. Players that stood out to me: Alex Wennberg. Scored a goal in the first game. He seemed aggressive the first game, and seemed to fit in well with his line mates. I think he'll get the call if (player name deleted) isn't available, especially if Jenner slides to Center. Boone Jenner (shout...

I do want to thank Greg May for including my blog yesterday on his CBJ Daily  on Ryan Johansen. Three posts in, and I'm linked. Thanks. I just learned that Johnasen's camp made an offer. What it was, is up for ALOT of speculation. My take from this is, that the door is still open. I'm not caring at this point what the offer was, or why it was rejected (although I think hurt feelings may have played into it). What do I want, as a fan? A fair deal, that also allows us to sign our Top Cop Sergei Bobrovosky, and maybe some room for another free agent next year. I don't think that is asking much. I hope Joey is of the same mindset. Everyone one know Joey wants to be here. The Blue Jackets want him here. Something will give, and Joey will be here. I have faith in Jarmo, Davidson, and the Management team. On to happier news, the first preseason game is this Sunday. It is against the St. Louis Blues (Columbus is doing a split squad in Carolina as well). This will be my fi...

See what I did there in the title? HEE HEE In the past twenty four hours (give or take a couple), there has been SOOOOOOO much discussion about one Ryan Johansen, a center for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He wears #19. He was the one of the top scorers last year for the CBJ. He is a physical presence on the ice. He made some exciting plays during the course of the year. He fed Dubinski the tying goal in Game 4 of the playoffs against that team in PA, a shot that beat THREE different flightless birds. That was last season. It seems so far away. Since then, it's been nothing but "When is Joey going to sign?" or "Let's get this done, Joey". I was part of that questioning as well. I really want him to sign and be in camp tomorrow. I think he would be a great presence to build around in the coming years. But, he won't be in camp. According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, he has cleaned out his locker and has flown to Vancouver (his home). He ...

I just "watched" the last period and the overtime of the Traverse City prospects final, and the Blue Jackets prospects have emerged the winners, beating the Dallas Stars prospects 3-2. I say "watched" as the play by play was done by Rob Mixer and Alison on Twitter, and then I followed the last minute or two on DRW training's website. It got me more excited about the upcoming season. Being a first time Season Ticket Holder (STH), watching a home team do well, and being part of a growing, but close knit family, just gets the blood pumping more for the upcoming season. Watching the CBJ prospects win this tournament gives me chills. We have some great prospects that are just chomping at the bit to come to Columbus. They want to come up to Columbus. Which brings me to Joey. Ryan Johansen. Let me start by saying that I love Joey. I think he is a great talent and has TONS of potential to be the new face of the CBJ and being as recognized as a Blue Jacket as much as...

I'm excited to be a Columbus Blue Jacket fan. I've been a fan off and on since about 2009. It really b egan to take hold of me last season, when I attended several games, one of which I got to high five the team as they went out on the ice with my son. Last season, we got bit hardcore by Stinger, and my girlfriend and I decided to get full season tickets, so we would be able to go to any game we want. We got to watch Game 4 of the first playoff round at Nationwide from one of the suites at Nationwide. This was an amazing experience for us, and just left us wanting more. We got to go to the draft party at Nationwide Arena in June. Got a few pictures with Prout and Letestu, both of whom are completely awesome. We've been to Cannonfest, which was a great time. We got to go to a Meet and Greet, and got to meet Boone Jenner, get his autograph and a picture with him. I've meet some great people via the Blue Jackets as well. I'm hoping to meet many more throughou...