Panic button...depressed

I have refrained from writing up my thoughts on most of the first 7 games. Life has taken time away from me, and I was frankly sitting back and letting things sink in. I have watched every game, some in person and some on TV. After tonight's game vs. Ottawa, I can't hold back anymore.

Hit the panic button. Gear up for trade rumors. Prepare for the "fire everybody" and "move the team" comments. This is ugly, to a level never seen by CBJ fans. That is saying something folks, cause we have seen ugly a lot over the last 10 years.

Not only is the team struggling, but now we are up to our ears in injuries. 3 regular defenseman out of the lineup (including Wiz) tonight, 2 rookies in on the back-end. Carter is out. Boll is out. This is ugly. Tonight was just unfathomable. 2 goals in 40 seconds? I literally don't have words to describe that. There is a mental darkness that this team can't get out from under right now.

So instead of dwelling on tonight, here is my breakdown of the good and bad, and what I think needs to happen to right the ship.

Good:

• Prospal has been a nice surprise.
• Aaron Johnson has provided a spark the last few games.
• Some will disagree, but I don't think Savard has looked that bad (take away the first game)
• ummm...

Bad:

• Defense - where do you begin. Take a look at the majority of goals that have been scored. Blown d coverage, bad turnovers, lost puck battles down low. This list goes on. Wiz is not going to fix this. This defense is terrible.
• Penalty kill has been awful
• Power play has been bad, mostly due to no ability to bring the puck into the zone
• Vermette has been terrible. Like ECHL terrible. Breathe heavy around him and he loses an edge.
• Russell is way too inconsistent, and when he is bad, he is real bad. It is hurting us.
• Clitsome has been...not good. He needs to find that magic he had last year.
• We spend way too much time in our zone. This all stems back to the D chasing the puck down low and not being able to get it out to the forwards.
• Forecheck? What is a this forecheck you speak of?
• Martinek has been a turnover machine.
• Passing has, once again, been bad.

I could go on an on. One thing I will not do at this point is to throw Mason under the bus like everyone else in this city wants to do. My reasoning is simple. All of us so-called experts made the following statement prior to the season: "Mason just needs to be average for the CBJ to be successful." Well, in my estimation, he has been average. The problem is that the defense in front of him might be the worst I have ever seen in the NHL. I have never seen so many people left unchecked in front of the net. Backside coverage is spotty at best. Mase hasn't been good, but I would submit he has been average on most nights.

Soooo...how do they turn this around? You really expecting to find that answer here? Okay, I will play armchair GM for a minute.

Trade Vermette. What is Vermette bringing to the table? What did he bring last year? It pains me to say that, because I really wanted him here and was very happy when he came in. He has been the epitome of suck since October of last year. Maybe move him with Dorsett in a package for some defensive help. Trade Russell along with them. Want a pick too? Okay. We must get some help on defense. Wiz will help a little, but now Methot is out. Martinek is out. We can't rely on two rookies on the back end, not with the lack of support around them. Even if they were going to be back soon I would find something else.

Should we fire Arniel? I am not sure what that would do at this point. What I am seeing is not really a coaching issue, but an execution issue. that is on the players. Ask me again in a month. If we don't starting winning with stunning regularity, it won't matter anyhow.

I do say that Howson needs to go at the end of the season. Firing him mid-season does nothing for us, so wait till after the season is over. He has us locked into a roster that is not working at all. Did not really address needs for major upgrades at D, took a big risk in goal. How this team is near the cap is beyond me. Carter was about the only good pickup he made, and he might have overpaid for him a little. Still don't understand sending Atkinson down, or bringing Moore up instead of Holden for this game. Not that it would have mattered much.

Tell Nash that it is put up or shut up time. He needs to motivate this team or pass on the C to someone who can. If Arniel has lost the room, Nash should be able to get it back.

Finally, give Dex a real shot at the starting job when he is back from injury. Make Mason hungry again. He is very fragile in the head right now. The team in front of him is leaving him out to dry on most occasions. Sitting a few games may help. I know we haven't seen much of Dex yet, but I just have a feeling that he is going to be a very steady presence in net. Not spectacular, just solid. Would you take solid right now?

I have moved from optimistic, to relaxed, to worried and finally depressed with this team. I will still go to the games, but I am not sure how long it will be before I break out the brown paper bag. This is getting embarrassing.

Thoughts? What would you do if you were in charge?

Game 1 thoughts

Opening night at Nationwide Arena. Fans are piling into the building, the beer is flowing. The air is thick with excitement and anticipation of things to come. We fans have been looking forward to this day since early summer. So many new faces, so many questions to be answered. How would Carter play with Nash? How much will Wiz help on defense and the power play? Will Mason rebound this year, or will we be looking for a new goalie this season? How will the rookies perform? Bluejackets fans were looking for answers last night.

First thing is first. One thing I noticed throughout the game was an improved experience. I thought Game Ops got off to a good start last night, hopefully this is a sign of things to come. There wasn't one time where I shook my head at the music, videos or games that were played. Good job to the new crew over there. The opening video was great. I really liked the song they choose (Foo Fighters Walk) and the sequencing of the video. It rivaled some of Skraut's work, and got the crowd pumped up. One of the best opening night intros so far, maybe only bested by the McConnell tribute.

On to the game, which I thought was very entertaining. I have to give credit to the Evil Empire, Rinne and their D is magnificent. The will be a force to be reckoned with regardless of how much they score. Having said that, this was a winnable game for the CBJ. I firmly believe that if we take advantage of one of those early chances when Rinne was out of position, it would have been a different game. But it wasn't, and despite the late comeback attempt, we couldn't get another one past Rinne.

The Defense stood out, and not in a good way. Savard looked lost out there more than a few times. He was less noticeable as the game went on, but I am not sure if his ice time got cut or he just got a little more comfortable. Russell looked worse than Savard at times. It has been well known that he is under pressure to step or be passed by the rookies. It looks like he is buckling under the pressure. Clitsome and Methot looked average. I wasn't impressed by Martinek, too lackadaisical at times. Tyutin was Tyutin, good play intermixed with a boneheaded mistake at the wrong time. The D cost us two goals. I am not panicking yet, but this group has to play better. Nashville isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut, but our D seemed to struggle with their forecheck and speed at times.

Not much to say about the first line, they were awesome together. Carter was impressive and Prospal seemed to mesh real well with them. Jeff was a monster in the faceoff circle, setting a new CBJ record for wins. Real happy about the way they played against one of the best defenses in the league.

Vermette's line was not clicking. If it wasn't for his faceoff ability, I would advocate switching him and Brassard. I thought Atkinson was noticeable all night, even though he was a -2. The third and fourth lines just seemed out be there, nothing special out of anyone. Brassard stood out a little to me, he seems to be trying to bring a more physical edge to his game. I noticed it in preseason and again last night. Johansen was invisible, but it was a tough opponent for your first game. All the rookies get a pass for a couple of games to see how they fare. Dorsett has to stop taking dumb, ill-timed penalties if he wants to stay on this team. Our forward lines will eventually get into the groove, I am not really worried about that group.

Mason, in my opinion, played well. The first and third goals were on the defense, I didn't think Mase had much of a chance on those. On the second goal, it looked like Martinek skated right in front of Mason as the puck arrived, maybe screening or slightly deflecting it. Regardless, Mason should have squeezed that one and not let it trickle out. Not a bad goal, but one he has to save if we want to win. Overall he was solid, not spectacular. The one that went off the mask was impressive, just because he was able to stay with the play and cover the puck. Couple of things he can shore up, but overall I thought played well.

Last thought, the crowd was pretty good all night. However, I am going to have to call out the Arch City Army. Where were you guys last night? There was a group of Nashville fans in 201 I could hear louder than you, and I was across the rink. I would have expected you guys to jump in and try to drown them out. After the first period I didn't hear a peep from 227. Don't give up on the dream guys! Oh, and a shout out to the guy in 217 who yelled 'Shoot!!!' every time a Jackets player touched the puck. You do understand that shooting right into the defensive player will not result in a goal, right? I started yelling "Shut Up!" every time he yelled, then we started yelling 'Shoot!' at the wrong moments, like TV timeouts, when the goalie had the puck, etc., just to make him look like an ass. He may have been annoying, but at least he provided some entertainment for us.

Chance to get one back tonight in Minnesota. I am hoping Mayorov goes in for Johansen. Let's go Jackets!

Preseason over, roster set

The Bluejackets today made their final moves before opening day, barring a waiver claim or trade in the next week. Here is what is looks like as of now (Courtesy of Puck Rakers):

Forwards (13): Cam Atkinson, Derick Brassard, Matt Calvert, Jeff Carter, Derek Dorsett, Ryan Johansen, Derek MacKenzie, Maksim Mayorov, Rick Nash, Sammy Pahlsson, Vinny Prospal, Ryan Russell, R.J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette.
Defensemen (8): Grant Clitsome, Aaron Johnson, Radek Martinek, Marc Methot, Kris Russell, David Savard, Fedor Tyutin, James Wisniewski.
Goaltenders (2): Steve Mason, Curtis Sanford
Injured reserve (4): Jared Boll, RW; Mark Dekanich, G; Kristian Huselius, LW; Ted Ruth, D.

The only big surprise for me was Atkinson over Kubalik. I thought for sure that they would let Cam get his feet wet in the AHL before putting the pressures of the NHL on him. Atkinson had a great camp and showed that he is going to be a player. Kubalik had a good camp but missed a portion with a concussion, so that may have been a factor. No knock on Cam here, I just thought it would have been better to let him get some experience in the AHL. I will trust the CBJ brass to know what they are doing here.

Glad to see Savard on the D, I thought he earned a spot. He still needs to improve his positioning but I thought he was ready to work his way into the lineup. I think Johnson is there until Wiz gets back, and then he is in Springfield unless there is another injury in the first two months. After that, I think Holden gets the first call up. Moore didn't look bad, but he still needs at least another year to work on his defensive game.

Goalies are what they are. I though Mason had an excellent preseason. I really wish we could have seen more of Dekanich for a better sample size. Hopefully he gets back soon so we don't have to ride Mason too hard. Sanford will have to suffice until he gets back. Then again, I did hear the Islanders might be willing to part with Nabakov...

The lines could be very interesting here. With three rookies among the forwards, I would thing Arniel would sprinkle them in with some vets to protect them. Here is what I think we might see on Oct. 7th:

F1: Nash-Carter-Prospal
F2: Brassard-Vermette-Atkinson
F3: Calvert-Johansen-Umberger
F4: Mayorov-Pahlsson-Dorsett

This is assuming DMac is still hurt. You could also switch the 3 and 4 lines if you want, the Pahlsson line will be the traditional checking or shutdown line. First thing that sticks out to me is that Scott decided to role with his 3 scoring lines. Johansen will not be asked to shut down top lines and will probably get 10-12 minutes a night. Umby will get more time on the PK and PP and at the end of games.

That is the most dangerous set of forwards I have ever seen in a CBJ uniform. They can score. The double-edged sword is that I don't feel too inspired by the defensive abilities of that group. The nice thing we have is flexibility. Umby, Vermette, and Prospal can really spot in anywhere in the lineup. It will be interesting to see what happens when Boll returns, not really sure who you send back out of that group. Just because of waivers I would think Atkinson, Mayorov, or Calvert might go to the A. Juice's return (if it happens) will make it an even tougher decision. Luckily we have some time to let things work themselves out.

For defense, a complete guess on my part:
D1: Tyutin-Martinek
D2: Methot-Clitsome
D3: Savard-Johnson

This is a little bit of a mess. I couldn't put a rookie on the top pair, so shift the right side D up a line and put Savard on the third pair. However, Russell-Savard has disaster written all over it, so you have slot Johnson in. I don't think you keep Savard up to have him sit in the pressbox, to me he has looked better than Russell. Once Wiz is back you drop the right side down a pair and Johnson or Savard goes to Springfield.

PP1: Nash-Carter-Prospal-Tyutin-Savard
PP2: Brassard-Umby-Johansen-Clitsome-Martinek

PK FW: Pahlsson-Dorsett-Umby-Vermette-Mayorov-Calvert(?)

Still think this is the best roster we have had. A little concerned about the defense. Mason is going to see a lot of shots this year, hopefully preseason was not an aberration for him. We will score more points and the power play will be better. Not sure about our PK, but I do think we are going to get quite a few SH goals with that group out there. Defense is still suspect, but should be better once Wiz is back. As many have already stated, our season may rest on Steve Mason's shoulders and his ability to keep the opposition under 3 goals a game.

Let's drop the puck already!

Preseason thoughts

Just getting caught up on the updates here. I was at the game on Tuesday against 'Peg, and watched some of Wednesday's game on the streaming feed. Not going to do a game recap from Tuesday, but I will say we got to use the Bluejackets suite for that one, and...well...the suite is pretty sweet. Definitely not the cheep seats!

So, random preseason thoughts:

• Dekanich looked good in the limited time he was in Tuesday. It really sucks that he hurt his ankle, I would have liked to see him perform against true NHL talent. We might never know his true abilities this season. That "high ankle sprain" is a nasty injury to come back from. I imagine the position he plays makes it worse. They are saying 4 weeks, I bet he is out longer.
• On the bright side, the other goalie that played Tuesday at home (Dainton?) made some spectacular saves. He looked pretty shaky at first, but had a pretty good effort overall. I would like to see more of this kid in the preseason, see what he can do.
• Mayorov continues to impress. Not just the scoring either, he is all over the place and is solid all the way around. I think this will be the year he realizes some of that potential.
• Boone Jenner, once again, is going to be a player in this league. Obviously not this year since they already released him to his junior team, but in 13/14 I would bet he comes in and makes an impact.
• Wiz made some nice passes out of the zone, seemed very fluid with the puck movement. We need that, big time.
• The new music selection sucked, it was all over the place. Let me state this clearly: THERE IS NO PLACE FOR COUNTRY MUSIC IN HOCKEY, EVEN IN NASHVILLE. Did not care for the goal song, but I guess I could live with it. You may get more crown participation with it than the old one.
• I liked Chaput as well, he played a pretty good game. Nothing flashy, but I seemed to notice him a lot.

Going to the Buffalo game on Sunday. This might be the one time I can go to a Buffalo game and not get severely annoyed by their douche bag fans (generalizing, obviously they are not all bad). Will try to do a more timely recap of that game.

Till next time...

Owners Tournament

Arrived at the owners tournament right before game one was starting. Good crowd again today, standing room only again.

Game recap
Game 1 - McConnell vs. Pizzuti
Sanford in goal for McConnell, Dekanich for Pizzuti. The first period was all team Pizzuti. Lukas Sedlak started off the scoring off a nice pass from Nash. Dalton Smith made it 2-0 with a roofer from in close. Mayorov got a deflection from a Kris Russell shot from the right circle to make it 3-0. Most of the time was spent in the McConnell end, as they could get nothing going offensively. The second period started with a little more offensive game shown from team Mac. Kubalik fed Carter with a nice pass to the front of the net where he was all alone, and he finished with a backhander past Dexshow to make it 3-1. Lots of end to end action in this period. Boll made a couple of real nice moves and fed Dalton Smith for a wide open shot to make it 4-1 for Team Pizzuti. Dekanich made a beautiful toe save and stopped the follow up shot as well to keep the score the same. Game to Team Pizzuti.

Game 2 - Wolfe vs. Crane
Didn't make my way over to this game until about 2/3 of the way through the first period. Score was already 2-1 for Team Wolfe. Steven Delisle put a hard shot through from the point to make it 3-1. It very well could have deflected off of someone else, couldn't tell from where we were sitting. Nothing else special from this game, a couple of good chances on a power play for Team Crane but no goals. Vermette put in an EN goal on a feed from Calvert, and the game goes to Team Wolfe 4-1.

Championship game - Pizzuti vs. Wolfe
This was a chippy game from the start, everybody seemed to be going hard and wanted to win. Nash rang a shot of of both posts about a minute in, but Mase was able to cover the puck up. Russell did his signature skate the length of the ice to create an opportunity, however this time he made something happen. Dish off to Brass in the middle, and a nice return from Brass has Russell opening up the scoring for Pizzuti. Boll is taking the body on everyone! Mason lets a rebound out off a Russell shot and Mayorov puts it in to make it 2-0. Wolfe gets on the board shortly after on a Chaput goal off a nice centering pass from Vermette. They even it up with a nasty point shot  from Austin Madaisky deflects right to Aaron Bogosian who puts it into the wide open net. The second period saw some great back and forth action, and some nifty work by both goaltenders. Team Wolfe go the advantage when Michael Chaput scored on a breakaway, beating Dex on the blocker side. With time running out a Dekanich on the bench, Derrick Dorsett scored the empty netter to seal the victory for Team Wolfe. And just for the icing on the cake, Boone Jenner scored another EN goal as time expired to make the final score 5-2 for Team Wolfe, your 2011 Owners Tournament champions.

Observations

• I was impressed by how smooth and sound Dekanich was in goal. Seemed very fundamentally sound and not panicked at all. I can see why Howson liked him. Just solid.
• Boll was a wrecking ball out there, hitting anything in sight. He also showed some offensive prowess.
• Mayorov was impressive. Nice all around game from him, couple of goals, hard board play.
• Russell must be hearing the criticism, because he made himself very visible (in a good way). Goal and 3 or 4 assists, solid defensive play that I could see. Hope he keeps it up.
• I was really impressed with Steven Delisle. Big guy at 6'-6", but he skated well and seemed very mobile for someone his size. He had 2 excellent defensive plays on a two different breakaways in the championship game. Showed a decent shot from the point as well.
• Mason didn't look bad. He gave up the one rebound that I thought he should have had that resulted in Mayorov's goal, but other than that he made a few nice saves, even a high glove side save for the naysayers out there.
• Nothing special out of Carter, Wiz, Martinik, Prospal.
• Matty Calvert had several good attempts. As usual his motor was in overdrive the entire time.
• Didn't notice much from Atkinson.
• Boone Jenner is going to be a player in this league at some point. Solid all around game. The crowd couldn't wait to holler "Boooooone"!

This tournament was a lot of fun for the fans, and the players seemed to be into it as well. Team Wolfe went to center ice after the victory and were all smiles for the crowd. Wiz especially seemed to be wearing a big grin, raising his stick to the fans several times. Kudos to the Bluejackets for making this tournament a fun time for all the fans and the players as well.

CBJ Training Camp - Day 1

Went down for the first day of training camp this morning, and was joined by several hundred friends and fellow Bluejackets fans. The Ice Haus was packed, standing room only, by the time I walked in right at 9:00. As I was walking in, and the crowd gave a nice little roar/applause, so of course I waved and took a bow. Then I realized that the players were starting practice and the applause wasn't for me. Honest mistake, right?

Anyways, I was only able to stick around for the first session due to other commitments. The first group included Nash, Carter, Wiz, Calvert, Methot, Vermette, and Dex, among many others. Not too much stood out (it was the first practice after all), but here are some random thoughts.

• Oh the hair! Mike Thomas (83) had the power mullet going. Should make the first cut on the hair alone.
• Calvert had a couple of nice shots.
• Bloomqvist looks huge on the ice. However, I didn't see him out on the ice for very long. Looks like he was in for the first drill and I didn't see him afterwards. Anybody know if he got hurt?
• Carter and Nash were just average together. Figure they need a couple of weeks and some games to get it together, so no worries there.
• Methot got dumped a couple of times, but looked real good in the defensive drill when they had to push people out of the crease area.
• Dex took a shot right off the dome. Looks a little shook up at first but quickly recovered.
• Good on the fans for showing up this morning. I would estimate 600-700 people funneled in and out of the stands and around the glass while I was there. Expect the owners tourney to be packed tomorrow.

Really looking forward to the tournament on Sunday, should be a great time and I am really looking forward to seeing what Atkinson and Johannsen do. And no injuries.

CBJ lease proposal announced

By now several news outlets have put out the initial details of a proposal announced by the City, County, State, Nationwide and the Bluejackets today, but here are the highlights:

• Franklin County will own the arena, purchased from nationwide for $42 million
• The City of Columbus and Franklin County will kick in up to 1/3 of the tax revenue from the casino until 2039 or until the mortgage is paid off, whichever comes first. Roughly $4 million for the county and $6 million for the City
• The joint venture between OSU and the CBJ to manage the arena will continue for another 15 years
• Nationwide will invest another $52 million into the team and assume a 30% ownership stake
• Nationwide also will purchase the naming rights for 10 years for the Nat for an additional $28.5 million
• Penalties for the CBJ if they leave before 2039, and incentives to spend on payroll (not sure what these are yet).
• The State of Ohio is kicking in as well in the form of a $10 million loan, half of which could be forgiven.

Facts derived from the Dispatch article here.

To me this is a great deal for not only the team, but the entire area as well. Let look at some numbers. According to Forward Together, the Arena district generates $30 million annually in tax revenue, split between the State of Ohio, City of Columbus, Franklin County, and various local school districts. Columbus gets $7.5 million of that. The out of town spending was estimated at $160 million a year by the Glenn report as of 2006, money that doesn't come directly from Central Ohioans pockets. By my math, Columbus actually comes out ahead on this deal by at least $1.5 million, and definitely more when faced with loosing $7 million a year in tax revenue. Let's assume that if the team left and Nationwide Arena was shuttered, not all business would leave and head to the suburbs. So let's call this a break even for Columbus. I would say this is probably close to the same for Franklin County in terms of investment versus revenue, but to be conservative let's say they take a small loss (less than $1 million). For this year, Columbus will make $1.5 million from income tax just on the hockey players.

Now here is a wild card. With the new hotel the city is building right around the block, we suddenly have 2 major hotels within walking distance of our prime attraction to the city. Anybody care to guess what this means? More hotels, plus a large venue for big events, plus a thriving convention area equals more visitors and bigger events in Columbus. Conventions do huge business around the country, and Columbus has been outside looking in for years. Hotels have been the biggest deficit. This includes events like an NHL All Star game. Does anybody think for one second that without the Arena and surrounding district properties we would be getting this opportunity to bring in these larger (and more profitable) events? Hotel tax is huge, plus sales tax on spending, plus new business generation opportunities, it all equals up to a great opportunity for revenue for the area.

Last comment before a rant: the Arena District is a model for other cities in how to revitalize their downtown area. It is something for Columbus citizens to be very proud of, and we should not take for granted what we have here.

I have heard several comments from the local radio hacks about taking money away from schools. Several comments on the Dispatch's web site also mention this. Ohio has a gross gaming revenue tax of 33 percent, divided up as follows (per gamblingcompliance.com):

• 51 Percent, estimated at $306m per year, to the state's 88 counties.
• 34 Percent, estimated at $204m per year, to public school districts – funds would be distributed by county to all public school districts based on student population.
• 5 Percent, estimated at $30m per year, to the casino host cities.
• 3 Percent, estimated at $18m per year, to the Ohio State Racing Commission to revitalize the state's horse racing industry.
• 3 Percent, estimated at $18m per year, to fund the operations of the Ohio Casino Control Commission. 
• 2 Percent, estimated at $12m per year, to training opportunities for the Ohio law enforcement community.
• 2 Percent, estimated at $12m per year, toward treatment of problem gambling and substance abuse, as well as research related to problem gambling.

As you can see, school districts are still getting all of the money promised to them. The contributed amounts will come from the cuts the city and county are due, not money otherwise allocated. I cannot find anything on the net about any commitment from the City of Columbus or Franklin County to funnel more money to schools from their cut. I think these comments are a knee-jerk reaction from people that are dead set against public spending, not based on any fact I can find.

It should be pointed out that the arena is being sold to Franklin County at 28% of what it cost Nationwide to build. Yes, they have made their money off of other investments, but that is still a great deal for the county, no matter how you look at it. They will not even have to run it for the next 15 years. Compare that to $56 million spent on building Huntington Park, and it is an even bigger steal.

And the bottom line is, taxes are not being raised for this. Yes, the money could be spent on other things. Where would you like to spend it? Oh, by the way, before you allocate that money, make up the difference in losses that will occur when the team leaves. You might not be left with as much as you think.

Personal rant: I have lived in this city all my life and I cannot imagine living somewhere else. However, I get disgusted by the small town attitude of some, and the short-sighted outlook these people have. Let me type in all caps so maybe those people can understand: THIS IS NOT ABOUT HOCKEY OR THE BLUEJACKETS! THIS IS ABOUT COLUMBUS AND A THRIVING AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN THAT WAS AN ABANDONED LOT 15 YEARS AGO. People in this town are so afraid of growing past a college town that they take any stance to stop it. It can still be a great place to live and a big city. It already is a big city, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, 15th largest in the country. I can't understand people who won't admit that the Arena District and the CBJ have contributed to this town and our economy, it just doesn't make sense. They want to focus on the franchise and lack of winning, WTF does that have to do with anything?!? Take a lesson from Cleveland, they have lost for decades but the town supports them no matter what. With public money (direct tax increases I believe). I truly believe that if the Buckeyes had a difficult ten years some people would want them to move to Dayton because "they sux and we pay for them". You don't want public money going to the CBJ, fine. Come with a different solution, complain to your representative, but don't pretend that the franchise is worthless and should just leave. It would be a huge blow to this city and it's reputation if that happened, and the naysayers would be begging for them to come back within 10 years. /rant

I am extremely happy with the deal. Nationwide kicked in, the governments kicked in, and we have a team for the foreseeable future. What are your thoughts?

Cannonfest

I am officially in, going to Cannonfest this Sunday. Should be fun to talk to other hockey-starved fanatics like me! Oh, there are wings and beer too. What else can you ask for?

Let's go Jackets!!

Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap...Us CBJ fans have doubtlessly done this numerous time over the last few years. What I am about to say may seem a little blasphemous, but hear me out:

I am sick and tired of hearing it.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the team and will be following along as we go through another season. And I will be screaming it out with other Jackets fans during the highs and lows. But let's be honest...this chant is tired and stale. We are a one-trick pony. This is all we have to cheer our team on. One chant that, for some reason, each section of the arena feels the need to all do at different intervals, so it ends up feeling like some half-assed kindergarten sing-along.

For me, this contributes to the downfall of the arena atmosphere. Not a large part mind you, but still a contributor. Fans get bored with the same old thing. It is all about "what have you done for me lately", and well, that ain't doin' it no mo.

The ACA (Arch City Army for you newbies) has tried gallantly to breath some life in the crowd and our participation. I commend you fine men and women for the effort, but so far it hasn't had the desired effect. The rest of the arena has not picked up on the effort yet. Maybe with some more opportunities this season, they can make a dent and get something new to catch on. It needs to be hockey oriented though, I don't think soccer chants will work for our crowd. I have to admit, I am a fan of the 'Get some Clit-some" chant, although that has very limited use. We need something bigger, more team oriented.

So the conclusion to my blabbering is that I believe we need a new chant, something that will carry this team into the playoffs. That's right, it is our support, and more specifically the creation of a new chant, that will put our Bluejackets into the playoffs. Forget the team on the ice, this is about us!

This is going to take some creativity on our part, and some coordination. Two guys in section 217 can't do it by themselves. That is unless Rimer hears us from the booth and starts doing the chant over the air repeatedly instead of doing the play by play! That would be epic, but alas, unlikely. No, I say we recruit everybody. The ACA, the RBar regulars, the ushers, everyone. Hell, have the ticket scalpers hand out chant sheets with the half-price tickets. We could even reach out to game-ops if we come up with something good enough.

But we have to come up with something first. This is the hard part. I throw out these suggestions as a conversation starter, but don't think they would stick. I am not smart enough to come up with something on my own. I prefer something short that can be chanted without the clapping, so in that spirit:

1. Let's go Blue (non-starter due to OSU factor)
2. Let's go Jacks (kind of lame)
3. March on Blue (Civil war theme)
4. Go Jackets (like Go-Jack-ets)
5. C-B-J! (this is too easily fodder for opposing fans, as in "Are they chanting Free BJ?". Would be cool if we could get each side of the arena to do one letter, ala O-H-I-O)
6. Dammit Brass shoot the f---ing puck! (Too long?)

Your turn. Suggestions?

Your 2011-2012 Columbus Bluejackets

So now that the dust seems to have settled, I figured I would throw my projected lines out for critique, or since no one is reading this, for my own critique.

Prospal-Carter-Nash
Umberger-Brassard-Calvert
Kubalik-Johanson-Vermette
Boll-Paulson-Dorsett
Mackenzie
Mayorov

Tyutin-Wiz
Methot-Martinik
Holden-Clitsome
Russell

Mason
Dekanich

PP:
Umberger-Carter-Nash
Tyutin-Wiz

Calvert-Johansen-Prospal
Brassard-Clitsome

PK:
Paulson-Mayorov
Umberger-Vermette
Nash-Carter

Methot-Martinik
Holden-Tyutin


This is about as close to 3 scoring lines as we can get without giving up too much on the defensive side. I was tempted to put Cam Atkinson on the roster, but I think they will let him get a little more experience in the AHL. If he does impress enough to make the team out of camp, I see it being at Calvert's expense, and slotting onto that second line as the finisher. He will see time this season. If Johanson makes the team (I believe he will), they would be smart to put him on a line with either Umberger or Vermette to cover for him. Those two would be interchangeable since both are playing wing. I would think you might see Dorsett spot up into that third scoring line as well. When Juice returns I think you see Kubalik sent back to Springfield. Even if Cam makes the team, Mayorov may make it anyways because of the need to have more gritty PK-type forwards.

On the bright side, this is the first year I could ever say that we have too many centers. Good problem to have, we are stacked with people who can play the pivot. We should score a lot more this year, or at least finish on more opportunities. Probably the best offensive group we have ever had.

On defense, I think this is the way they start out. However, they will juggle within about 10 games, moving Methot to the top line and Tyutin paired with Martinik when he has his inevitable early season brain fart. Goloubef and Savard are the first call-ups from Springfield. Moore is given another full season to improve his game.

The D is still a critical player away from being a good group. We need some of our internal players to step up. Meth has to keep building on last year. Tyutin has to be "mid-season Tyutin" more than he is "turnover-machine" Tyutin. This is Russell's last chance, if he doesn't show more this year I think he is dealt sometime during the season. Lots of potential, but he just never seems to break out. I am looking for one of the prospects to really push for time this season (probably Savard), and eventually take over a low pairing spot. If everyone improves, and Wiz and Martinik earn their money, this could be a decent group. Not a Cup-contending group, but decent. Lots of growth potential from within as well.

As many have already said, the key to this season is Mason. The defense in front of him is not going to lead the league in GAA, so he is going to get more consistent. He doesn't have to lead the league in shutouts or save percentage, just be a decent, middle tier goalie. 2.5 GAA and around a .910 SVG would be enough. I am in wait and see mode with Dekanich. I like what I have heard, but we will have to see how he does with the big boys. Goal tending is probably the biggest question mark heading into the season.

I think this is a playoff team. If the goal tending is good I think they are a team that can make some noise in the playoffs. The defense isn't championship caliber yet. I see us finishing in the lower half of the playoff brackets (5-8). Injuries could change that, especially on the defensive side. I just don't see the NHL depth to cover for any extended absences from our D core.

I could keep going, but I have to pace myself. Still have about 7 weeks until training camp opens!

Who is ready for September?

I will admit. I can't wait for September to get here. This has nothing to do with the heat right now, although that will be a welcome side effect of getting to the fall season. And yes, the kids will be back in school, but that is an afterthought. No, there is one big reason I am looking forward to September, and maybe one more that is close behind. CBJ hockey will be upon us, and we will finally have a chance to put all the Buckeye drama away and let the battle on the field commence.

This off season has been different from many others for the CBJ faithful. The moves made by GM Scott Howson have been monumental for the franchise. Whether you agree or disagree with who was picked up, you cannot deny that this team will be much different in its makeup next season. Casual fans I have talked to are even somewhat excited, and I have heard many say they were going to invest in 6-game packs just because of the acquisitions. There is a buzz around the Bluejackets right now, and I for one am looking forward to Nationwide being more like the early seasons, or more specifically, like 2009 when we were racing to the playoffs. Let's hope the coaching staff and players can fulfill the potential. Game Ops for that matter as well. I am amped for this season, more so than I have ever been.

The OSU chronicles are well established. It appears with the report released on Friday that we may have seen the worse of the NCAA punishment. Or at least some light at the end of the tunnel. My belief is once these boys hit the field for that first game, a lot will be forgotten. Sportscasters will keep bringing it up, especially when the 4 suspended players come back for the sixth game. But by game eight or nine, I firmly believe the Buckeyes will be in the middle of a battle for the Big Ten title, and the spotlight will shift. And I thoroughly hope so for Luke Fickell's sake. One of my favorite all time Buckeyes, I feel bad for him that his tenure starts out clouded by the situation we are in. But I think he is going to prove a lot of people wrong, and carry this team to a successful season. Can't wait for that first game on September 3rd.

So, are you ready to trade your summer to be cut short for hockey and football in the capital city?