Time for a Change

At the end of July, 2006, the Blue Jackets and the Syracuse Crunch extended their affiliation agreement for a minimum of four years (starting in 2006-’07). In the joint statement announcing the deal, issued by Crunch owner Howard Dolgon and former CBJ Executive Vice-President Jim Clark, both spoke highly of each other and of a mutually beneficial relationship moving forward.

As we prepare to enter the second month of the young ’09-’10 season, four years since the big announcement between the CBJ and the Crunch, we have come to the point where the agreement must be reexamined. Much has changed in the status of the relationship between the two organizations. In that light, it may be time for a change.

First, let’s look at the status of the relationship before the ’06-’07 agreement. Between 2000, when the Crunch disassociated with the Canucks and joined up with Columbus, and 2006, the Crunch had a .545 winning percentage (220-177-43-33-7 record in 480 games). The six seasons prior to the affiliation with Columbus saw Syracuse putting up a .444 winning percentage (180-234-53-13 record).

Meanwhile, we all know the turmoil that encompassed the Columbus Blue Jackets during this time. The on ice produce was somewhere between terrible and abominable, and the franchise was often run like a fantasy team owner on crazy pills. Frankly, the best thing the franchise had going was a strong relationship with its AHL affiliate and its beautiful arena . . . and a young kid named Nash.

The 2006-’07 season stands as the crossroads of the franchise in Columbus. Gerard Gallant was fired on November 13, 2006 and Ken Hitchcock was hired by the late, great John H. McConnell on November 22 of the same year. At the conclusion of the season, Doug MacLean was canned, Mike Priest was brought on as the Jackets’ President, and Scott Howson was chosen to serve as the team’s General Manager. Jim Clark was phased out and eventually not retained, and Chris MacFarland became the Assistant General Manager in 2008.

It is somewhere during this transition that the apparent relationship between the Crunch and Blue Jackets changed. It has become apparent that the Blue Jackets organization, from Scott Howson through Chris MacFarland, has a much different (better) feel for how to internally develop players. The problem is, this development has often seemed to be at the expense of the Crunch (especially in the eyes of their fans and one particular Syracuse newspaper columnist).

To be frank, I understand the frustration of many of the Crunch fans. Syracuse is an excellent hockey market. The city has a deep history in the sport. War Memorial is a special place to watch the game of hockey, and the city itself has roots in the AHL and around the Calder Cup dating back to the Syracuse Stars in the ‘30s. As a matter of fact, Syracuse was the first Calder Cup champion in 1937. How frustrating must it be, in the eyes of Crunch fans, to have a historically inept franchise dictate how the Crunch players must be coached and used only to then see these very same guys removed from the roster without equal replacement (see Nikita Filatov, Dan Smith, Steve Mason, and most recently, Stefan Legein)?

With that being said, I find little to no fault in the inner workings of the Blue Jackets (with the exception of the Filatov situation), and am gracious to actually have a front office that knows what the heck they are doing when developing talent. There have been more up-and-coming success stories in the Howson and Hitchcock years than we saw during the entire PEI-MacClean-Clark era.

So what is there do? The Blue Jackets will not stop swinging trades like they did this afternoon, shipping off “damaged goods Legein” for a prospect they believe in at the expense of the Crunch. They will not resign the Dan Smith’s of the world if they feel it will take ice time from their younger prospects with “more upside.” And they will not hesitate to recall a blue chip prospect like Filatov if they feel it will keep him in the States and will help him to absorb anything that will help the Big Club in the future. These are the facts, and the facts are incredibly and understandably frustrating for Crunch fans.

Thus, I think it is time to sever the link between the two organizations. Frankly, the Syracuse market wants more autonomy and success and the Blue Jackets franchise is missing a tremendous opportunity to develop its own brand elsewhere.

The Blue Jackets must find a way to affiliate with the Lake Eire Monsters. From a business perspective, it is a no brainer. Cleveland is an untapped hockey hotbed, and the Jackets need to do whatever they can to bring more of the Cleveland marketplace under the Columbus umbrella. A perfect counterpart to the Indians-Clippers relationship, the further joining of the sports communities in Central and Northern Ohio can only stand to benefit the CBJ.

The Monsters do not have the passionate, respectable, and knowledgeable fans like are found in Crunch. This is a shame. The city knows the game, and Cleveland has all the makings of a great hockey city (as it was before Columbus even came on to the hockey map). The only way to further cultivate this relationship and passion is to grow the Jackets market through the eyes of the Monsters fans.

On the flip side, Syracuse is a market that deserves something different than what the CBJ will provide. It is obvious that many fans are disgruntled. They are likely to be better served through an affiliation with an NHL franchise that will allow the Crunch to be more autonomous. Similarly, a larger-market team who could afford to pay established AHL veterans without hindering the future seems like a much better fit than anything that could be provided by the CBJ.

Only time will tell if the great handshake between Syracuse and Columbus will finally end. Let’s hope so, for the sake of both organizations.