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By Ryan Real in Front Page — —

20 of the Best GIFs from the First Half of 2018-19

It’s pronounced with a hard G

Between ads, data charges and more ads, watching videos on the Internet kind of sucks. Luckily, GIFs fill the void between static picture and video without any of those other annoying drawbacks (for now). We do our best to GIF the best moments of Columbus Blue Jackets games on our @cbjcannon Twitter account, and here are some of our favorites from the first half of the 2018-19 season.

Josh Anderson trucks Jamie Benn

The speed of this GIF makes it special. One moment Jamie Benn’s skating into the zone after dumping the puck, and the next moment he’s ass over teakettle. There’s no need to see it in slow-motion. Benn becomes a whirl of green, white and black until the camera zooms in on a bewildered captain getting up after receiving a clean hit he never saw coming. It’s hard to capture the real speed of hockey without seeing it live, but this clip comes close.

Markus Nutivaara connects with Cam

What a beautiful pass from Markus Nutivaara. The best part of this GIF is, without seeing the clock, you know the game just started from the starters graphic. Do better, Capitals. Or don’t.

Oliver Bjorkstrand snipes against the Canucks

Anybody who’s ever played an older EA Sports NHL video game knows this trick: Loop around the boards, skate down the middle of the ice and fire a wrister that more than likely goes in. It sure worked here. This is a fun angle because you can get an idea of what Bjorkstrand sees and how he tries to pick his spot. Jacob Markstrom looking backward as the fans rise in unison completes phase II of the GIF before Bjorkstrand rightly celebrates in the corner to cap it.

Sergei Bobrovsky makes a save on his back

GIFs can tell a story, but few last as long as this one. You might think it’s over when you see Bob cover it with his back, but then you see the puck re-surface in to the crease. Then you see Wayne Simmonds jam it in, and you think, “At least Bob stopped it in the first time.” Finally, like a velociraptor poking its way out of its egg, the puck emerges one final time.

Alexander Wennberg sees you

Imagine if Wennberg winked at you. You’d melt into a puddle like Alex Mack. C’mon.

Artemi Panarin ends it in overtime

This GIF makes the cut purely for Bread’s celebration. Straight at the crowd, soaking in the adulation. Bonus points for the way the celebrating Nationwide crowd’s outstretched arms creep into frame. Of course, watching Panarin’s little movements with the puck erupt in a sudden, game-winning shot ain’t too bad either.

Jimmy Vesey breaks his stick

Maybe don’t give up a goal in the final two minutes of a game if you don’t want to be angry? I’ve never coached hockey at any level, but that’s some free advice Jimmy Vesey might find helpful when it comes to managing his emotions. What a clean break, though. 10/10 on the swing.

David Savard to the rescue

You’d be forgiven in thinking Sergei Bobrovsky kicks the puck out scorpion-style at the end of this GIF. Instead, David Savard does his best Petr Čech impression and dives across the crease to punch the puck to safety. Great teamwork here, but don’t sleep on the level of body control Bob shows here to make the initial save. To stop on the post, push off, get back stay upright and push back off for a glove save...before making one last kick that almost worked? Not bad, Bob.

Cam Atkinson does...something with his stick

This was from a Fox Sports Detroit segment regarding the length of Cam Atkinson’s stick–specifically that he likes to use longer sticks than he should given his short stature. As to why they felt the need to slow this particular clip down...anybody’s guess. I’m very glad it exists, though.

Zach Werenski will have that puck, thanks

Zach Werenski’s offense receives most of the attention, but he can play some defense. Nikolay Goldobin spins around looks like a cartoon, with Werenski coming out of a dust cloud with the puck while Goldobin sees stars and birds floating overhead. What a cute little swipe at the end, too.

Josh Anderson scraps on New Year’s Eve

Who hasn’t been in a fight on New Year’s Eve? Sometimes you just get sick of someone else’s nonsense and have to throw hands. The shove from Anderson sets the tone for this GIF, with Mark Borowiecki baby deering it only to see Anderson coming right for him. Josh Anderson absolutely did not win this fight, but at least he doesn’t play for Ottawa.

Cam Atkinson takes down Miko Heiskanen

You don’t need to be Big Josh Anderson to take down a Dallas Star. To quote an old football adage, “low man wins.” Heiskanen makes one small miscalculation by lifting his right arm to try and slow down Cam Atkinson...and Cam makes him pay. HUGE shoutout to the guy staring at his phone while the puck is literally one foot in front of him. Ya blew it.

Anthony Duclair squeezes a goal against the Capitals

Sometimes, a replay all comes down to the angle. Here, perched behind Duclair, we’re able to see the instant he realizes he should move to the loose puck. When the playback speed slows, we’re able to see how he’s able to position himself and pop a shot that kisses the corner from a seemingly impossible angle. Duclair’s understated celebration ties the whole clip together.

Nick Foligno applauds the referee

This comes from the Blue Jackets’ game against the Nashville Predators on January 10. You may remember some horrid officiating, including a Josh Anderson penalty that sent captain Nick Foligno into justified hysterics. Later, upon committing a so-so tripping penalty, Foligno had only this to say to referee Ghislain Hebert. Nick Foligno’s a funny dude.

The cannon scares Johnny Hockey

The cannon is one of the best things about the Blue Jackets (as is The Cannon, hey hey). At the All-Star Skills Competition in 2015, the cannon’s blast got the best of Johnny Gaudreau. Back in Columbus on December 4, Gaudreau fell victim again in pre-game. The second, angry reaction is the best. There’s even the balled-up fists! Adorable and relatable. Let’s not talk about the rest of that game.

Cam Atkinson slaps one home

There’s a little bit of build-up here, with Cam’s helmet slightly visible in the bottom of the frame before he speeds to the puck. He’s all alone for an enormous slapshot, punctuated by the crowd reacting as the puck spits back out through David Rittich’s legs. Cam’s scream-point would be enough of a celebration, but the quick smile as Panarin piles on is like a little   fun little post-credits scene.

Devils fans enjoy themselves during intermission

Sometimes you pay money to see your favorite team play live, and sometimes your favorite team gives up three goals in the first period. This is genuinely not meant to be sarcastic: at least she’s having fun. That’s the thousand-yard stare of a young man who has had to watch Keith Kinkaid play a lot of hockey this season.

Josh Anderson congratulates Cam Atkinson

Winning is fun. And sometimes cute.

Seth Jones scores in overtime

It’s not often you can fit an entire period of hockey into one GIF, but Seth Jones makes sure this one doesn’t go past 10 seconds. Sorry about you, Ivan Provorov. Anthony Stolarz holding out his glove for half a second too long before his head sinks in defeat? *Chef’s kiss*

Panarin ends it in overtime (again)

You knew this one would appear on this list. It’s a spitting image of Alexander Ovechkin’s patented faceoff dot one-timer, in Washington to beat the Capitals. Plus, you’ve got Bread’s pointing celebration and the now-famous flapping Evgeny Kuznetsov troll. The Caps have played like DeeDee MegaDooDoo since that game, losing the next six heading into the break. Bread’s winner here will almost certainly rank among the season’s best memories.

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