Game 72 Open Thread: Jackets vs. Predators
by Mike MacLean on Mar 20, 2010 6:08 PM EDT
in Game Threads
1 comment
Obviously this will be a tough one for Columbus, as they have struggled against Nashville for seemingly their entire existence. The Jackets will likely be without Derek Dorsett tonight, and if he can't play Trevor Frischmon will get his first taste of NHL action. The Jackets will also be tired after playing a game last night, a 4-2 win over Minnesota.
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Game 72 Preview: Jackets Face Their Nemesis in Nashville
by Mike MacLean on Mar 20, 2010 5:58 PM EDT
in Game Previews
4 comments
One of these days the Jackets can finally beat the Preds, right? Nashville has absolutely dominated Columbus for the past few seasons, and with Columbus' depleted post-deadline lineup, it doesn't look like things will change tonight. The Dispatch is reporting that Derek Dorsett may be out of the lineup after getting banged up against Minnesota last night. Forward Trevor Frischmon was called up on an emergency basis. If Frischmon is in the lineup tonight, he'll be making his NHL debut.
Last night Claude Noel changed up the top six, putting Nash with Jake and Brass. Umby moved to a line with Vermette and Juice. The lines looked great together, especially Nasher's line. I look for them to start the game together again. Mase gets the start against Rinne tonight- these two goaltender's careers will always be intertwined. They both put up impressive rookie seasons last year, but Rinne has easily put up the better sophomore season.
Fearless Prediction: We'll see the line of Nash-Umberger-Voracek play together for most of the game.
Game Time: 8:00pm ET
Opponent's Blog: On the Forecheck
Game Page: Blue Jackets vs Predators coverage
TSN Preview: Blue Jackets vs Predators preview
TV: FSN
Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)
More after the jump...
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SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice
by SB Nation Survey on Mar 19, 2010 8:48 PM EDT
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>> Take SB Nation Survey
Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.
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By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.
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Thanks for your support!
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Game 71 Open Thread: Jackets vs. Wild
by Mike MacLean on Mar 19, 2010 6:22 PM EDT
in Game Threads
2 comments
Rick Nash is back, Matty Garon is in net playing behind a shorthanded defense. How will this game end up? I smell a close game, one that could come down to goaltending. Garon vs. Harding could be the story tonight.
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Game 71 Preview: Jackets take on the Wild
by Mike MacLean on Mar 19, 2010 3:46 PM EDT
in Game Previews
2 comments
Twelve games left in the season. Not much left to play for, but tonight on a personal level I hope we take it to Minny. Nothing against the team itself, I am just one of those CBJ fans who has a natural dislike for our expansion cousins. I was one of those fans who pouted when Minny made the playoffs first, etc. It's funny though, had the result of my coin toss gone the other way I would be saying the same thing about the Blue Jackets.....
The Wild defense is in rough shape. They are starting a rookie back there tonight and the team is also without starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom. The Jackets have some good news and bad news going into tonight's game- they are going to be without Rusty Klesla and Jan Hejda for the rest of the season, but Rick Nash makes his return tonight after suffering a sore back, followed by the stomach flu. Matty Garon gets the start tonight against Josh Harding.
Fearless Prediction: Rick Nash scores in his return from injury/illness.
Game Time: 7:00pm ET
Opponent's Blog: Hockey Wilderness
Game Page: Wild vs Blue Jackets coverage
TSN Preview: Wild vs Blue Jackets preview
TV: FSN
Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)
More after the jump...
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Shrapnel - 3/19 Edition
by Andrew Tolliver on Mar 19, 2010 3:40 PM EDT
in Shrapnel
0 comments
In this edition of Shrapnel: All-Star game, selling the CBJ, Calvert, tonight's lineups, Jake's hair, Boston's revenge, and more!
Hello, Friday. We missed you.
Puck-rakers:
The Blue Jackets will attempt to host the All-Star game in 2013. Imagine the benefits of this happening. Tons of exposure for Columbus, the Jackets, all the revenue, having at least one Jacket in the game (Nash) and at least three more (looking at you Mase, Brass, Jake).
The Jackets are for sale? Thats what this article in the NY Times seems to think. With the arena lease and trying to make up for millions of dollars lost each year, its possible but nothing concrete has come from it.
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BlueJackets XTRA:
As Mike reported on recently, Matt Calvert has signed a deal with the team. This kid is genuinely stoked about playing for Columbus next year. Great news, in my mind. He continues to praise the franchise for believing in him and his talents. Welcome to Columbus, Mr. Calvert!
Lineups for tonight:
Could the new relationship between the Jackets and the Springfield Falcons be temporary? The Lake Erie Monsters are Colorado's minor league affiliate for the time being, but both sides have an opt out clause after next season. This could allow Columbus to add Lake Erie as their newest affiliate by 2011.
It would further the connection between Cleveland and Columbus in the sense that the Indians have the Clippers as their minor league team, and they have a business relationship with the Jackets. The Lake Erie Monsters are owned by Dan Gilbert (the majority owner of the Cavs). I think this would be tremendous for Columbus in the long run. Make it happen!
Earlier in the year, Jake's long flowing hair was the talk of the locker room. After the Detroit massacre (that started the downfall of the season) former head coach Ken Hitchcock asked Jake to cut his hair. Shortly after, Jake fell into a huge slump. Nowadays, the hair is back and what do you know, he's playing some great hockey. Long story short, Jake's long hair = a winning team.
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Yahoo! Sports:
Thursday's Three Stars. I'd just like to make notice of Thomas Vokoun's little mishap. At least he's not the only one to make a mental mistake like that.
The forecast for the next 6 years: booing Ryan Kesler in a Vancouver uniform. He signed a 6-year $30 million dollar deal to stay up north. Good extension for the Canucks.
Do league officials play favorites when it comes to disciplining players? We all know that Alex Ovechkin was suspended for 2 games for boarding Brian Campbell. This time, Anaheim's James Wisniewski has been suspended for 8 games after running Campbell's teammate Brent Seabrook into the glass. Do you guys think there is a double standard for serious hits?
Paul Kariya is the latest player to join the 400-goal club. The benchmark goal helped lead the Blues past the Rangers on Thursday night.
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NHL.com:
Please note as of March 19, 2010, San Jose is no longer the top dog in the West. Its almost certain that they won't win the President's Trophy again either, with Washington way ahead in the East.
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Quote of the Day:
"I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. They showed they believed in me by drafting me, and I'll always remember that. I love the city. I love the guys in the room. They were really cool to me in training camp (last fall). I'm excited to be a part of the organization for a long, long time."
- Matt Calvert on getting his entry-level deal signed.
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Fight of the Night:
Pittsburg LW Matt Cooke v. Boston RW Shawn Thornton. My first reaction even before I watched the fight, was that it was retalliation for the hit Cooke put on Boston's Marc Savard.
FOTN Honorable Mention:
Pittsburg LW Michael Rupp v. Boston D Zdeno Chara. Video. Oh, Michael Rupp, how foolish you are.
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Goalie Masks of the CBJ
by Andrew Tolliver on Mar 18, 2010 4:14 PM EDT
5 comments
The goalie mask has come a long way since it was first used in 1959. At the time, the mask, debuted by Montreal goaltender Jacques Plante was made of fiberglass and was made especially to fit his face. Now, in the interest of not boring everyone to death, lets jump ahead and take a look at some of the masks of our beloved goalies, past and present.
In the history of team, there have been 14 total goalies. Its not all that difficult, but I whittled the list down to a few and came across some interesting stats along the way:
- Of them, only 6 have played more than one season with the team. (Mason, Denis, LeClaire, Norrena, Tugnutt, and LaCosta)
- Of the 7 still in the NHL, 3 are currently Blue Jackets.
- In only his second season, Steve Mason has already jumped into second place in all-time wins. He will be the most successful goalie in CBJ history. (Ok, not a stat, but we know its true)
- Marc Denis holds more records than any other goalie in team history.
- The best winning percentage belongs to Dan LaCosta (2-0, yes, it counts)
Ok, back to business. Every goalie in the league adds his own touch to his mask, whether that be a tribute to a friend or family member, a hobby, a team theme, or just something kickass. Lets look at these goalies and their masks.
Ron Tugnutt
One of the signatures of any Tugnutt mask was the splash on the front. Imagine the effect of getting hit in the face with a snowball. No matter who he played for, he always sported the splash on his mask. He also displayed the team's logo on the top of his masks. Here are a few of his many different goalie masks.
Pittsburgh mask - it looks to me like someone hit him in the face with a yellow snowball. Gross.
Columbus mask - nothing says intimidation quite like Stinger. Shooters beware!
Marc Denis
Marc had a knack for using his team's moniker to inspire his mask designs. When he was drafted by Colorado in 1995 he came up with this design. Who knew that if he had played for Minnesota a few years later, he could've used the same mask.
When he made the trip to Columbus, he did what seemingly everyone has done, and used the Civil War as his muse, if you will. He was the first goalie to "Carry The Flag" on his headgear.
When Denis moved on to Tampa Bay, he looked to the heavens to and received a gift from god - a Greek god, that is. Marc also had a tendency to sport the good old #30 on the chin of the mask.
Pascal's Columbus mask took the "Blue Jacket" theme to another level when he coupled it with the sport of hockey. The Union solider on the sides sported a pair of skates and carried a lime green stick (he just had to fit Stinger in there somehow). If you look again, you can also see a small picture of Snoopy on the back. I think I read somewhere that Snoopy was his favorite cartoon character so why not put him on the mask? The old CBJ logo with the red ribbon with stars was wrapped around the bottom.
His Ottawa mask rules. As I am writing this, I'm getting my first look at the new headgear. Its all black with a red and black ribbon around the chin and jawline. Each side features a new and improved Ottawa logo. Picture, for example, the current logo. The character looks very clean and stern. Now inject that guy with about 50cc of steroids, and you get this.
Pazzy's Ottawa mask gets an A+ from me for sheer badassness.
Mase's first CBJ mask featured several Union soldies on either side, with the star and flag logo on the right side, and the hat and team name on the left. On the back, he has a tribute to his grandfather who passed away last June. Going on with the trend, he keeps his nickname on the chin. His alternate mask at the time had the same features on the sides and chin, but on the top has a black and white civil war figure.
Just recently this year, Mase debuted a new mask (seen at the top of this story. He kept the theme similar to his other NHL masks, the blue mask has a larger picture of the star and flag logo on the head. Also different on this mask is the style his nickname is written. He put his name on the red, white and blue style Ohio liscense plate. I thought this was really neat considering he got his new Ohio driver's liscense last summer.
The newest CBJ goaltender has been in the league as long as Columbus has. He's played in some diehard hockey towns. Starting in Montreal, Garon paid tribute to a Canadien great, Jacques Plante. He was also awfully confident in himself with the brick wall design. If anyone can knows what the full quote is on the chin, please share. I can't find it anywhere.
His Los Angeles mask is probably my favorite. On the chin, he had the Kings logo and wrapped around the face was a purple and black chess board. This was a very neat look in my opinion. The top and back displayed a knight wearing armor, and wielding a sword and shield.
On his Columbus mask, Garon has his number on his chin. Following in the footsteps of Marc Denis, he has a Union soldier on the top of the mask.
So there's a brief look into the masks of some of the CBJ goalies. What masks are you favorites? What goalies around the league have masks that stand out to you? Share below.
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Blue Jackets Change Affiliate to Springfield
by Mike MacLean on Mar 18, 2010 12:03 AM EDT
in Syracuse Crunch and Gwinnett Gladiators
12 comments
The Columbus Dispatch is reporting tonight that the Jackets and the Crunch were unable to come to an agreement on a renewal of their affilation. The Jackets will no longer use the AHL's Syracuse Crunch as their farm team, and will instead partner with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL.
On a personal level, I have mixed emotions on this move. I follow the AHL quite closely, and I have always wanted to see the Crunch do well. That said, the past couple of seasons have seen me grow sour on the Crunch to an extent. I enjoy reading Lindsay Kramer's blog- in fact I link to it in a sidebar here on The Cannon. The problem with Kramer's blog though, is the people who comment on it, and the tone of some of his posts. It seems there are never-ending complaints regarding the partnership, with accusations such as: "Columbus doesn't care about Syracuse" and "The Blue Jackets do nothing to help the Crunch".
I call bullshit. The Jackets have consistently made trades and signed players for the sole intent of improving the Crunch. Look at this year. Deals were made to bring in guys like Brendan Bell, Tomas Kana, Greg Moore and Chad Kolarik. These guys haven't even sniffed NHL ice. Those players were brought in to make the Crunch better. Over the years there have been similar deals, with limited success. You can't fault the Blue Jackets- they always, year in and year out tried to make the Crunch a better team.
I am excited for this fresh start. The Falcons aren't one of the marquee franchises in the AHL, and some would argue that they are only in the league because the AHL HQ is in Springfield. I think that at least for next year this partnership could be something special- a new home for some of the incumbent prospects that Columbus has playing in Syracuse, and a change in culture as well. The new prospects such as Matt Calvert, who haven't experienced Syracuse, can be part of the first wave of Columbus prospects who have spent time as Falcons.
At the end of the day I wish the Crunch well, but it really bothers me that parts of the Crunch fanbase and media honestly believe that Columbus never made a complete effort towards making the Crunch a good team. I look forward to cheering for the Falcons and I can't wait to see them in action.
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