I didn't get to catch all of this one (thanks for the comments!) so I won't have an in-depth break down. I did catch the first, some of 2nd on radio and the last few of the 3rd/OT/SO.
The Leafs one-upped us on the blowing a lead category giving up 2 goals in 14 seconds late in the 3rd period. Unfortunatley for them they were not able to recover and the Jackets, off a Nikita Filatov shootout goal, were able to pull it out to finish the pre-season an even .500.
Some general thoughts on the game:
* This Nikita Filatov kid is the real deal folks. He scored his first goal and made the shootout goal look easy. The Jackets have a real decision on their hands with this kid and as of now it doesn't appear juniors is an option.
* Jakub Vorack continues to put up points. Just when you think he's having a quite game he flashes the skill and next thing you know he's got a goal and an assist. He's really going to help the secondary scoring this season. He finished with 2g, 6a for 8 points in 7 games.
* The Jackets are putting themselves in way to many two men down situations. They continue that into the regular season and teams will make em pay.
* The PK is another negative trend the Jackets need to correct in a hurry. According to the radio guys heading into this game tonight they were killing at less than 80% -- ouch. They gave up two more PP goals in this game.
* The fourth line played really well -- especially Dorsett (who had a fight) and Picard (who had a goal).
* Still not sold on Backman but he's better than I thought he'd be. In contrast I am definitely sold on Russell.
* How about that open ice hit by Tollefsen? Clean too!
* Nice to see the boys not give up an come back from that 2 goal deficit. I'm not a believer that things in the pre-season don't matter be it negative (like blowing that 3 goal lead on Friday) or positive (like scoring those 2 goals in 14 seconds to steal one on the road). All can contibute to the confidence of a team and I happy to say I think there were many more positives this pre-season than negatives!
* Norrena stopped 3 of 17 and LaCosta stopped 1-16 plus 3 shootout attemps. Norrena has certainly been up and down this pre-season. How about that stop LaCosta made on Blake with 30 seconds remaining? Clutch!
* Didn't hear or see a lot from Modin or Peca. Modin strikes me as still shaking off the rust but he's one guy I'm not worried about - he'll get it going.
* Most importantly the Jackets got out of this one with no injuries.
* While Filatov looked real good so did the guy the Leafs' usto get in Luke Schenn. He's going to be a real solid player. Gonna be a long year for them though but a neccesary one I think.
So that's that. The Jackets get a week to team build up in Miami as they prepare for the season opener in Dallas this Friday.
Final cuts are made Wednesday by 3 p.m. and the Jackets' brass certainly have some decisions on their hands.
Fire away - what were your impressions from tonight?
-LTL
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Jackets wrap up pre-season with come from behind win
Programming alert: Jackets Leafs game live stream link
If you want to watch the game click on this link.
...and oh yeah, Filatov already notched his first goal of the pre-season!
-LTL
Pre-game thoughts: Final chance for bubble boys
The Jackets will bring a fairly heavy roster with regulars with the rest of it will be filled out with players battling it out for the few remaining positions that have yet to be decided. Here it is according to Puck-rakers:
F1: Fredrik Modin -- Manny Malhotra -- Andrew Murray
F2: Jason Chimera -- Jiri Novotny -- Jake Voracek
F3: Nikita Filatov -- Michael Peca -- Jared Boll
F4: Alexandre Picard -- Craig MacDonald -- Derek Dorsett
D1: Ole-Kristian Tollefsen -- Rostislav Klesla
D2: Marc Methot -- Mike Commodore
D3: Kris Russell -- Christian Backman
G1: Fredrik Norrena
G2: Dan LaCosta
Speaking of the "the road" over 48% of you thought that out of the answers listed, the Jackets going .500 on the road will be the biggest key for them making the playoffs.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Four more cuts
Just a couple of nuggets I've read throughout the hockey media today:
The Jackets assigned four more players today according to their web site. Sestito, Pineault, Clitsome and Wilson will be heading back down. I believe the only one that has to clear waivers is Wilson.
On 'D' I think Tollefsen's pretty much a lock for the 7th d-man so that leaves Rome, Methot and Matvichuk to battle for that final spot. I think out of the 3 my money is on Rome earning the spot.
In terms of the forwards it looks like the Jackets will carry 1 extra forward so with Sestito and Pineault headed back down so that leaves Picard, Dorsett MacDonald and MacKenzie left to compete to for that spot. I believe all but Dorsett are waiver eligible. I think this one is down to Picard or Dorsett.
I figure all boarderline guys still left should see action tomorrow night in Toronto.
CBSSports.com has released their first power rankings of the season (I do plan to continue the Jackets power rankings "meta score" this season). The Jackets check in at #22 on Goldstein's list:
Rick Nash will have a better supporting cast around him, enough for the Jackets to get serious about a playoff spot, perhaps.
Not a horrible way to start.
I thought this artcile about support in Buffalo from THN warranted a mention here:
I was perusing the Team Reports for an upcoming issue of The Hockey News (the old-school paper version, that is) when I was struck by a sense of optimism in many quarters of the NHL.
Our themed category was Market Buzz and while there are notable pockets of pessimism, skies are blue, waters are still and acne has cleared in a surprising number of locales. And, no, Gary Bettman didn’t author the team stories.
In places such as Chicago, Anaheim, Atlanta, Columbus, Boston, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Washington (and all of Canada, of course) there is a belief among our correspondents that excitement is high in the markets they cover, never mind this is prime time for MLB playoffs, the NFL season is in full swing and the global economy is in a free-fall.
Sportsnet.ca has an in depth season preview published on their web site. They have the Jackets finishing 4th in the central division behind Nashville and the 'hawks. Here is some of what they had to day:
What to Expect: Lots of people predicting playoffs for the first time ever, we are not among them. Jackets were the lowest-scoring team in the NHL last season and the loss of Nikolai Zherdev (to the Rangers) won't make it better even if the defensive play improves.
Cap Issues: Still shy of $50 million in payroll and still utterly dependent on revenue sharing, Blue Jackets must watch the bottom line even though there is win-now mentality coming from the hockey department. If they are close, ownership might add to the bottom line, but it remains questionable as to where the money will come from.
On the Hot Seat: No one can blame former GM and President Doug McLean any longer, especially when Howson dismantled his team so everyone needs to answer for this season, but if this team doesn't make the playoffs look for someone to pay the price.
Frankly its amazing how much over-rating goes on with Zherdev. Also no mention of the kids. They also call "Blackman" a "stay at home type". Moving on.
Check out this headline on NBCSports.com....
It's not just the Sid and Alex show anymore
'Hawks' Kane and Toews, Jackets' Nash among crop of great youngsters
The article talks about all the young guys in the league now with Staal, Kopitar, and Phaneuf. Here is the piece about Nash:
Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets certainly fits comfortably in this stable of young talent. At 24, he has 154 goals and 276 points. His next step will be a postseason appearance, and that could be coming soon from the improving Blue Jackets, who are the only NHL team not to have made the playoffs.
Here is NBC's take on the Jackets in their season preview:
Outlook: The only NHL team never to appear in the playoffs, the Blue Jackets keep shuffling the deck chairs, but sink all the same. Another year brings more change and an improved defense, but minus three of their top 2007-08 scorers, they'll struggle to light the lamp.
No mention of Brass or Voracek again instead they go with Filatov....and no, I didn't write that last part!
Just finished watching some of the Rangers/Lightning game. Decent game from Z (at least from what I saw of it) but no points although they did get the win. Fritsche didn't play so not sure what's going on there whether it be an injury or a healthy scratch. I'll tell you what though, this Stamkos kid is going to be a really good if not great player. I thought he looked fantastic!
-LTL
Friday, October 3, 2008
Jackets pull it out
The Jackets improved to 3-4 on the pre-season after dominating (well minus a 2:30 second span they'd quickly like to forget in the 2nd) a Minnesota team that had been 4-1 in the pre-season coming into tonight's tilt.
They almost let this one get away though after going up 3-0 early which fashioned meltdowns of yesteryear but they kept plugging away and were able to pull this one out in the 3rd off a Kris Russell game winner.
I missed most of the first period live as I was late arriving but I did catch most of it on the radio.
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
* I mean what else can you say, the Jackets absolutely dominated the majority of this game. For the most part all cylinders were a go tonight. In fact I've seen pin-ball machines less tilted for most of this one.
* Nash-Umberger-Huselius. They looked real good and real dangerous. In no way/shape/form did I think Huselius would be half the player we've seen this pre-season. I'm not sure Nash knows what to do quite yet playing with this skilled of a player who uses his teammates so incredibly well. He's figuring it out pretty quickly.
* How about those hands on Huselius' goal. Wow!
* Kris Russell probably played the best game as a Jacket I have seen from him (well the best 2 periods anyways!). He played over 21 mintues of quality time including 5+ minutes on the PP. He kept playes alive, jumped into holes, skated the puck well, notched a the game winner and finished a +1.
* Holy hip check. We finally got to see the famed Tyutin hip check! Man is this guy good or what? He led all players in minutes played with 24... he's real good along the boards and doesn't lose a lot of battles although he did have a couple of turnovers.
* Here's a quetion. We were that good or was Minnesota that bad? I've seen Minnesota play a lot and I've never seem them quite *that* bad. Color me jaded or whatever (hey after 7 losing seasons its hard shake) but hopefully we are just *that* good because this team was all over them last night....winning lose pucks, winning board battles, making solid tape to tape passes, hitting, sticking up for one another. It was a great!
* I want to give a shout out to the Jackets ushers this year in pre-season. In year's past they've acould be a little rediculous with the seating restrictions but this year they've been great and very fan friendly. Kudos.
YELLOW
* From what I saw of Leclaire he was decent besides that 2:30 stretch. Even then really the only goal you could pin on him was the mis-communication between he and Rome on the 3rd goal. He got streamrolled there pretty good and the Jackets pulled him (apparently a slight twist of the ankle) for pre-cautionary reasons. Norrena came in and looked miles better than he did the night before which is encouraging.
* The Jackets PP got moving as they potted two PP goals. Alot of that from having some puck movers back in the lineup on the backend and a lot of that from that line of Nash-Umberger-Huselius.
RED
* Blowing a 3 goal lead and giving up those 3 goals in less than a 2:30 span... pre-season, new players, bad breaks, adult league, regular season, give-aways, whatever...whenever... you can't have it and expect to win most nights. The Jackets got away with it last night and grabbed the 'W' which is the key but I think about everyone in the arena thought the bottom was going to completely fall out once Minny tied it.
* Penalites are one thing but the giving up those extended two man advantages hurts. Need to do a better job there.
* Nothing special from crowd attendance tonight. I hope they can get this home opener sold out!
* Umberger with a slash on his finger, Leclaire with a twisted ankle and it looked like Boll aggrevated something out there (hopefully not the hand). Hitch said on the post game that all should be fine by the opener which was a relief. Not sure about the rest of ya but I'm ready to get to call this puppy a pre-season and get on with it.
3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. Jackets came to play tonight. Outside of that 2:30 they really took it to this Minnesota Wild team.
2. Nash with a hatty of assists, Umberger and Huselius each with a goal and helper.. yeah, I think that line had a good night!
3. Russell with a fantastic night all the way around.
No Nash-Umberger-Huselius for Toronto on Sunday night according to Hitch on the post game. Those boys are getting a rest until opening night. Modin and Peca will be in the lineup and I presume the same for Filatov.
I didn't think any of the "boarderline" players had bad nights tonight but I would imagine cuts are coming maybe as soon as tomorrow.
Remember the NHL season kicks off today at noon with the Rangers taking on the Lighting in Prague on the NHL Network.
On a side note, it appeared a pedestrian was hit after the game crossing Nationwide Blvd after the game. Not the sight your expecting to see after a game and my sincere well wishes to those involved and that everything tuns out okay. Early reports are that the injuries are "not life threatening".
-LTL
Pre-game thoughts and more...
I'm going to combine a few things in this post today.
First off can you believe the season opener for the Jackets is only 1 week away!!
In fact the actual NHL season kicks off tomorrow in Prague and Sweden. I'm not quite sure if these games will be on NHL Center Ice (mine isn't showing it yet) but one would think they would be.
Update: The games are actually on NHL Network.
Okay now to tonight. The Jackets take on the Wild tonight in their final pre-season home game. Here are the lineup courtesy of puck-rakers:
Columbus
F1: Rick Nash -- R.J. Umberger -- Kristian Huselius
F2: Jason Chimera -- Jiri Novotny -- Jake Voracek
F3: Craig MacDonald -- Derek MacKenzie -- Adam Pineault
F4: Tom Sestito -- Manny Malhotra -- Jared Boll
D1: Jan Hejda -- Fedor Tyutin
D2: Richard Matvichuk -- Aaron Rome
D3: Kris Russell -- Christian Backman
G1: Pascal Leclaire
G2: Fredrik Norrena
Minnesota
F1: Colton Gillies -- Benoit Pouliot -- Marian Gaborik
F2: P-M Bouchard -- Eric Belanger -- Owen Nolan
F3: Stephane Veilleux -- James Sheppard -- Craig Weller
F4: Derek Boogaard -- Krys Kolanos -- Cal Clutterbuck
D1: Justin Falk -- Kim Johnson
D2: John Scott -- Brent Burns
D3: Nick Schultz -- Martin Skoula
G1: Niklas Backstrom
G2: Barry Brust
Filatov was orginally slated to play tonight but a late lineup swtich by Hitch has Tom Sestito replacing him. The reason being that Minny is icing a big lineup and they don't want Nikita head becoming a permanent fixture on the half boards at Nationwide Arena quite yet.
Minnesota is 4-1 in their 5 pre-season tilts. What interesting is they've only scored 13 goals in those contents but have only given up 10. They certainly walk a thin line. In contrast the Jackets have scored 18 and given up 18. Of course when you factor our the 7 they through up against a B league Chicago team those numbers don't look so impressive.
Both teams are going with a regular heavy lineup. Umberger gets his shot tonight between Nash and Huselius. Novonty moves up into the top 6 which IMO he's earned this pre-season.
Rome and Matvichuk get what may be their final opportunity to impress the coaches to earn that 7th or 8th spot. On offense MacDonald, MacKenzie and Pineault get that same opportunity.
Leclaire has improved in his second game from his first so lets see if he can keep that trend going.
Ohio State kicks off their season with a warm up game at the OSU ice rink tomorrow. Here is a great season preview that's up over on OSU.com.
..and yes, according to them Zac Dalpe will make his debut with the Buckeyes at 2:04 P.M. (yep, apparently its :04 exactly according to their schedule) tomorrow.
I may have to figure out a way to swing down there for this one...hmmm.
They open their season at home versus Miami next Friday.
Fedorov back to defense? According to this article that is what the Caps are experimenting with:
"He's lasted in this league all these years because he's extremely smart. He can handle the puck. He sees the ice. Everybody's looking now for those really good puck-moving defensemen because the game is about moving the puck and scoring goals and he's a guy that can do it as well as anybody.''
Fedorov is expected to get some more work in by partnering defenseman Jeff Schultz in Friday's exhibition game against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. They were paired together at practice Thursday.
"We're just flirting with the idea,'' Fedorov said.
Hmmm.... certainly sounds familiar.
Finally former Blue Jacket 2nd round pick Joakim Lindstrom was put on waivers by Anaheim and has been claimed by none other than the Chicago Blackhawks according to the Ducks web site.
-LTL
Reminder
Just a quick reminder that if your going to the game tonight and don't have tickets the Jacket Backers has an excellent offer for you! Please read below for more details.
See the Blue Jackets for Free
Columbus vs. Minnesota
Friday, October 3 @ 7:00
-LTL
Filatov impresses in sloppy loss
Painful.
That is really the only way to describe the 5-2 loss to Buffalo last night. There were a couple of bright spots but unfortunately they were few and far between.
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
* Jiri Novotny was the best player on the ice last night. He created, he hit, he tied with Nash for the team lead in shots with 5 and he notched a goal. He was also really good in the faceoff circle winning 73% of them.
* Its no coincidence that his line, the 4th line, was also the most effective. Both Alex Picard and Derek Dorsett played strong games in an energy line role. The line added a goal and generally created havoc all night. Picard led the team in hits with 6. Dorsett had a helper and a couple of shots along with an ill-advised fight against a seasoned enforcer in Andrew Peters.
* Taking everything into consideration I thought Filatov had a fantastic debut. Hitch got him in for 14 shifts for just over 12 minutes. He displayed everything I was hoping for -- he was really quick, showed good hockey smarts, very good with the puck, made some fantastic plays (how about that pass to Clitsome that he rang off the post?), played defense and generally kept his head up and avoided any big hits.... I didn't think he looked that small either... think Michael Peca or Derick Brassard... Still plenty of work ahead for him to improve but this kid has world class skills. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him possibly tonight.
* The Jackets were excellent in the face off circle. Novonty won 73% of his draws, Manny with 71%, Umberger with 67% and Peca with 60%.
YELLOW
* Grant Clitsome played the most minutes of any d-man last night with over 24 minutes. Although he was a -1 and made a couple of mistakes like giving Johan Hecht was to much room to shoot on that first goal (which Norrena should still have stopped) I thought he looked real good. Much better than any other d-man out there last night. This guy is so calm and cool with the puck and moves it out of the zone well. IMO he's seperated himself from the Methot/Rome/Tollefsen/Wilson pack by a good margin. What does that mean for him? We'll find out soon.
* While Kristian Huselius didn't do a whole lot offensively last night the one thing that really stood out to me about his game was his defense. On many occasions he was the first forward back on his line. Now I don't know if that's b/c he was playing the high man or if Manny and Nash were doggin it... but whenever that puck started heading the other way Huselius busted his butt to get back which is always good to see from a high skill guy.
* Nash was okay last night and involved. I thought Murray was his usual self. Other than those two and the players I've already mentioned I don't think anyone else had a game worth noting.
* We have replays!!! The game ops folks did a MUCH better job with replays last night and boy does it make a difference. Still some work to do (like showing the penalty calls to get the crowd into it) but they appear to be on the right track. Now if they would just kill those stupid video clips we may be onto something here.
RED
* Freddy Norrena was just brutal. He gave up 5 goals on 23 shots and I count one maybe two decent goals out of Buffalo's 5. I hope for the Jackets sake that game was just a bump in the road.
* Did Jakub Voracek play last night?
* After a great home debut on Monday RJ Umberger hasn't done much.
* I really really missed Brassard last night. Manny didn't do anything of note (besides face off wins).
* Breakouts were a wreck last night. We couldn't get up the ice with any kind of purpose or technique. Now hopefully that's because 4 out of our 6 starting d-men were out of the lineup.
* The Jackets gave up two PP goals and scored zero. That pretty much sums up the special teams last night.
* I like Derek Dorsett's game and admire his courage out there but he just can't be taking on a guy like Andrew Peters... that is a complete mismatch and quite frankly that's how you really get hurt (just ask Torres). Stick to the middle weights Dorsett and let guys like Peters ride the pine.
* Marc Methot was terrible. Clay Wilson tried to do way to much. Tollefsen can't make a breakout pass to save his life. Commodore and Klelsa didn't really do anything of note. There was our defense last night.
3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1. Jiri Novotny came to play again last night. Can he keep it going all season this year?
2. For an 18 year old kid making his North American debut in the NHL -- yeah, he did just fine!
3. REPLAYS!!
Honoable mention goes to a reader who hooked me up with some great seats last night. We really enjoyed them so thank you thank you thank you!
The Jackets drop to 2-4 on the pre-season. From the sounds of the paper this morning I think Hitch knows his roster so expect this team to trim the remaining fat over the next day or two.
They are right back at it tonight for the final home pre-season game against the Wild. No word yet on the roster but my guess is they'll go with a regular-heavy lineup.
-LTL
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Pre-game thoughts: Filatov makes North American debut!
I wouldn't count on the Sabres dressing a bunch of scrubs as teams are trimming down their rosters and what's left are mostly guys with legitimate chances to make the club or see some quality playing time as callups as the year progresses
(although just as I typed that I read from Puck-rakers that Buffalo is dressing Andrew Peters who is their hulking enforcer)
For the Jackets their starting lineup looks as follows:
F1: Fredrik Modin, R.J. Umberger, Jake Voracek
F2: Rick Nash, Manny Malhotra, Kristian Huselius
F3: Nikita Filatov, Michael Peca, Andrew Murray
F4: Tom Sestito/Alexandre Picard, Jiri Novotny, Derek Dorsett
D1: Marc Methot, Rostislav Klesla
D2: Grant Clitsome, Mike Commdore
D3: Clay Wilson, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen
G1: Fredrik Norrena
G2: Pascal Leclaire
So quick thoughts on tonight's game:
* The story of this game is without question the debut of the young Russian Nikita Filatov. He'll be on a line with Peca and Murray so lets see what this kid's got.
* Sestito will probably go now that Peters is dressing. Peters is a tough customer and at this point I think Sestito is a bit over-matched but I'm sure he'll have a go.. only way to get better right?
* Manny moves to the top line with Brass out for what appears to be until the home opener Oct 10th. Me personally I'm not at all thrilled but who else do we have to put there? Manny needs to win alot of faceoffs, play strong D and get Huselius the puck -- he does that and I'll consider it a decent game for him.
* The battle for the 7th/8th defensemen continues tonight with 4 of 6 playing looking to grab one of those spots. I think Tollefsen definitely has a leg up on one of those spots based on experience, toughness and the fact none of the guys expected to make a push really have. Keep your eye on Clitsome as he's really climbing the depth chart.
* The line of Modin-Umberger-Voracek is kept together tonight (which may be a record for Hitch!) so lets continue to watch the chemistry of this line grow. Voracek leads all pre-season players with 5 points.
* PP. Not expecting a lot out of it tonight with both Russell and Backman out of the lineup. Perhaps the forwards can get some good things going and this really gives Clitsome an opportunity to man the point with some top forwards to work with.
* Commdore is having a "steady-as-she-goes" type of pre-season. He's going to do just fine filling Foote's shutdown shoes. He knows the East and should be very familiar with this Buffalo squad.
* My boy Dorsett is back in the lineup. I think this kid has got a real chance. I look for him to dance and to agitate as he continues to make his impression.
GAME SPOTLIGHT
Pretty easy one tonight. How will the rookie look? We have to keep in mind its his first game in North America on small ice against the best players in the world so lets temper our expectations. What I will be looking for are the raw skills.....the skating, the speed, the agility, the hockey sense, the hands, the 3-zone responsibility, the excitement in his game and course the offensive flair... I expect mistakes just like you get from any young player.
Honorable mention goes to Clitsome. I'm just about as excited to see him for the first time in game action as I am the young Russian!
7 o'clock start. See ya there!!
GO JACKETS!
-LTL
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Here comes Clitsome!
Puck-rakers reported that Maksim Mayorov has been sent to Syracuse. There had been some debate as to whether Mayorov would be sent to the AHL or Major Juniors but it seems that question has been answered.
USAToday.com previews the central. Here are their thoughts on the Jackets:
Story line: Columbus' Scott Howson could be the NHL's most soft-spoken general manager, but he made himself heard loud and clear this summer with two significant trades and two major free agent signings. He overhauled the defense by signing Mike Commodore and acquiring Christian Backman and Fedor Tyutin. Howson then tried to find a center for Rick Nash by acquiring R.J. Umberger, and he also signed 25-goal scorer Kristian Huselius.
Goalie: Pascal Leclaire
Three reasons to like the Blue Jackets: 1. Huselius and Umberger should help Nash take his game to another level. 2. Coach Ken Hitchcock's iron-will approach seems to be worth a few wins every season. He will ensure that this team is committed to strong defensive play. 3. Leclaire's performance in 2007-08 had the feel of a breakthrough, and not just a hot season.
Three reasons to worry: 1. The Blue Jackets were the NHL's lowest-scoring team, and a 10% to 15% improvement might not be enough. 2. Although Columbus dramatically altered its defense, it's difficult to know how much better it will be. 3. Fans are becoming restless because of the lack of success, and another missed postseason could result in a backlash.
Forecast: The Blue Jackets are the only current NHL team never to make the playoffs. Even if they improve, that distinction could remain. The West is tough.
Check out these new "Is this the year" ads from the NHL. Believe me when I say these are very well done....probably the best ads I've ever seen from the NHL.
While we are at it, check out this marketing strategy from the Phoenix Coyotes.
Brassard out with "flu-like symptoms"... yeah right! (Updated)
UPDATE: Puck-rakers has a new post up saying that they have confirmed that it is indeed the flu. After seeing his head get rattled with my own eyes on Monday I'm still not sure I buy it....but if he's scheduled to be in the lineup again this pre-season it can't be anything that serious which is good news.
The key will be to see if he gets into any of these remaining games.
The positive that I've seen in most of these previews are that the "experts" have taken into account the drastic changes this team has made and just about all think that finally this team is right there on the cusp of being a squad that can challenge for the post-season.
Speaking of ESPN. According to this article ESPN wants back in the NHL broadcast picture:
ESPN’s content guru John Skipper says he is going to make a concerted effort to add even more live sports coverage across all of the network’s media platforms while cutting back on scripted series, reality shows, original movies and other types of more general sports entertainment programming.
“We have found that what sports fans really care about, and why they come to ESPN properties is to watch live games,” said Skipper, the company’s vp of content. ESPN’s Sept. 16 Monday Night Football telecast drew 18.6 million viewers, the largest cable audience ever.
Skipper said he will continue to pursue deals for more major college games, and will look to get additional rights to major professional tennis and golf events when they become available. Reclaiming the National Hockey League is also on his to-do list. The NHL is slated to run on Versus through the 2010-2011 season.
It appears ESPN is coming back around to what achieved them success in the first place and that sure wasn't "Rome is Burning", "Around the Horn" or those clowns at "PTI" - it was live sports, highlight shows of live sports and pre/post game shows.
I'm not sure about the rest of you but the only thing I watch on ESPN anymore are live sports. I hardly ever watch Sportscenter on that network and a lot of it has to do with the way they have treated the NHL and hockey in general the past few years. Give me FSN Final Score any day.
My question is this though - why the sudden change of strategy at ESPN? Obviously there is new leadership but I also wonder if its because a network like Versus is becoming a contender? Are ratings down in Bristol? Are viewers tired of the "original" programming? I guess ESPN has gotten tired of trying (or realized its not working) to become the MTV of sports?
To tell you the truth I've been very happy with the coverage Versus has provided and I hope the NHL continues that relationship. I think it would be very hard at this point to get the NHL to leave that network with the treatment they've received thus far.
Now perhaps a multi-network deal could be worked out in the future and at the end of the day lets not kid ourselves, its all about the pesos.
-LTL
Hitch's coaches show starts today at 3!
I will give them this, that graphic is pretty creative...and I shouldn't complain too much as that 2 hours worth of coverage is probably better than most US hockey markets.
Blue Jackets live season special starts today at 4:30 EST on FSN Ohio. It will air another 6 times after that.
I checked my DVR last night to record this today but it wasn't showing up in the 4:30 slot. The earliest I could find was 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. If you have better luck than me please post in the comments.
CBSSports.com's Wes Goldstein thinks the Summer overhaul puts Blue Jackets in legitimate position to contend for a playoff position.
I certain CBJ blogger (you may know him!) contributed to this blogger's Western Conference preview. Check out what he had to say about the CBJ here. The Eastern Conference preview can be found here.
There was a really good turn out last night at the season ticket holder event at the Columbus Zoo. In fact there seemed to be a lot more people compared to the similar event they held back in 2005 coming out of the lockout.
So with Torres out for 6 weeks who gets that extra roster spot? That is the question the boys at the Dispatch looked at in today's addition.
Before the scratch appeared to be one of Novonty, Malhotra, Murray or Chimera. All of those faces will be in the lineup now.
So who gets that 13th forward spot? The names tossed around in the paper were Filatov, Dorsett, Sestito, Picard, MacKenzie and Pinealut.
Depending on how Filatov does in his first pre-season action this Thursday or Friday (or both) I can certainly see the Jackets hanging onto this kid for at least 9 games fora taste before sending him down (which I think they eventually will do). The last thing I want is this kid playing in the bottom 6 when he could be getting prime minutes in Sudury while the Jackets also save a year on his contract. We've seen what the extra year or two has done for Brass and Voracek so why stray from the formula?
After the Filatov situation works itselft out my money is on Dorsett.
Why?
I just think this kid can add a lot to our lineup in a 4th line role. He's shown he can play at this level and this dude is a tough as nails to play against. Not only will he drop the mitts if needed but he hits, can pot a goal here or there and isn't afraid of doing the dirty work it takes to win.....and as Portzline stated yesterday, he's proud to be a Blue Jacket which is icing on the cake.
I think Picard has done a pretty good job this pre-season to make a case for himself and I did not realize he was waiver eligible which may tip the scales in his favor as I think he's got a decent shot at getting claimed. Derek MacKenzie has also shown well but he is center depth and with Novonty and Manny very capable of playing those roles I can't see him getting the nod (although I think we'll see him on the big club for a few stints) even though I'm sure he can play wing no problem.
All things being considered though if it were me making the decision right now its Dorsett.
-LTL
Jacket Backers - Free Ticket Offer and an Update
I just received this Jacket Backers email and wanted to post the details in this space in case some of you haven't seen it.
See the Blue Jackets for Free
Columbus vs. Minnesota
Friday, October 3 @ 7:00
in Nationwide Arena
Help us by volunteering to work at our table during any home game. Volunteers receive a pass to the game and reduced parking rates. Contact David Yatsco (membership@jacketbackers.org) for more details. Volunteers will be required to set up the table, be at the table pre-game and during intermissions and take down the table after the game.
Still trying to find Travelers to Buffalo
We have 14 members interested in the bus trip to Buffalo and Syracuse. We need 20-25 travelers to make this trip work. The Jacket Backers finished last season with a great bus trip to St. Louis. There has been nothing but great memories from that trip. So lets get rolling on another spectacular weekend with our first ever Jacket Backer trip to upstate New York. Trip cost is $350 for members and $380 for non-members. Contact Jeff or Anne Little ( travel@jacketbackers.org) for additional information or to make your reservation. Highlights of the weekend include:
- Tickets to CBJ vs. Buffalo Sabres.
- Tickets to Syracuse Crunch vs. Chicago Wolves.
- Deluxe Motor Coach transportation.
- Superior Hotel Accommodations for 2 Nights (double occupancy).
- Various surprises along the way
Membership cost for a year is $15 for an individual and $20 for a couple.
Anyhow this organization led by Julie and Brad does a terrific job of thinking up and organizing trips and events in support of our Jackets. If your interested in going Friday and don't already have tickets I would highly recommend signing up as the cost of membership is probably less than you'd pay for tickets anyhow. Heck if you already have tickets and want to show your support I would encourage you to sign up.
I've been a member for going on 4 years now and its money well spent!
If you have any questions you can email them at treasurer@jacketbackers.org or I'll be happy to try to answer any questions you may have.
-LTL
Blue Jackets Crowd Chants
Lets have some fun today.
The time has come to re-energize this arena experience. This post is dedicated to helping that cause.
I have posted a gadget on this blog that references this post for all to see in terms of specific Nationwide Arena Columbus Blue Jackets crowd chats.
This is a living breathing thing and if there are some good suggestions made I will add it to this list and perhaps the die hards that visit this blog can create some more unique chants specific only to Columbus Blue Jackets games.
As you can see our list is pretty pathetic at this point -- so any and all ideas are welcome and we'll see if any catch on -- just post a comment as to your idea and we'll go from there.
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ACTIVE
Moment: Introduction of anthem singer Leo Welsh
Crowd Chant: Crowd yells "LEO!" after his introduction
Moment: Goal scored
Crowd Chant: ACDC "The bells about to rock...FIRE!!...we salute you!" -- crowd salutes. Crowd then chants "Hey....Hey....Hey" to Joe Satriani's crowd chant song.
Moment: Jackets score 3 goals
Crowd Chant: With ques from the center ice scoreboard the crowd chants "CHILI" (also known as "Chili Chant")
Moment: Opposing team takes a penalty
Crowd Chant: With ques from in-arena announcer crowd chants "JACKETS!....on theeeee powerplaaay!"....
Moment: One minute left in the period
Crowd Chant: Right after announcement crowd yells "and (insert opposition name ex. Detroit Red Wings) still sucks!"
Moment: Razzing opposition goalie - typically after the Jackets score on him
Crowd Chant: Crowd chants goalie name 3 times and then says "You suck!"... ex. "Ooooossgoood!......Ooooossssgood!......Ooooossssgoood!.....YOU SUCK!!!
Moment: Conclusion of the National Anthem
Crowd Chant: Crowd salutes
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IDEAS
Moment: When each opposition starter is announced
Crowd Chant:
idea 1 - crowd chants "WHO CARES!"
idea 2 - Attack twice Crowd Chant: "WHO'S HE?" Defende twice Crowd Chant: "NOBODY!"
Moment: When stinger bangs the drum 3 times.
Crowd chant: C. B. J.
Moment: Jackets take a penalty
Crowd Chant: idea - right after in-arena announcer announces penalty crowd chants "FIX BAYONETS!" or something along those lines..
Moment: After Jared Boll fights
Crowd Chant: idea - crowd chants Boll-er! Boll-er! Boll-er!..etc..
Moment: Spectacular save (by Leclaire)
Crowd Chant: idea - crowd chants "Your a mean one Mr. Grinch!"
Moment: When Stinger plants the flag after a home victory
Crowd Chant: idea - crowd yells "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh" in anticipation and then "BOOM!" when flag is planted by Stinger
Moment: Anti Preds chants
Crowd Chant: idea - "Tootoo F-U!".... "Tootoo Boohoo!"...
Moment: Anti Wings chants
Crowd Chant: idea - "Osgood Nogood", to Wings fans in the arena - "Turncoats!"
Moment: Anti Avalanche chants
Crowd Chant: ideas - "Foote, kiss my Avs!"; "This Foote stinks!"
For me the key this season is the goal song and getting some crowd interaction with the cannon. We'll have to wait and see what the game ops folks come up with but there is loads of potential here to really make it a unique Blue Jackets goal celebration.
Again the ideas are just that and some definitely won't work....but hey if folks get excited about one I'll hammer on it in some home game previews and see if we can't get it going this season.
Fire away in the comments!
-LTL
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