Welcome to the Championship! With your help we selected the top 48 players, and now that group has been narrowed down to the final two.
Championship: Jody Shelley vs. Sergei Bobrovsky
I like this match-up a lot. I think it’s very descriptive of Blue Jacket history.
Shelley represents the expansion era. He was not the best player on the ice, but he made fans in other ways. His fights were as thrilling to the fans as goals were. When the wins were hard to come by, we took the entertainment any way we could. He also earned fans by embracing the city of Columbus as his own. I certainly count myself as one who is a bigger fan of him in his post-playing career. He has done a great job as a broadcaster and as a brand ambassador.
On the flip side, Bob is a great representative of the more recent, more successful era of Blue Jackets hockey. For the best stretches of the last five seasons, this team has relied on the outstanding goaltending of Bobrovsky. In the process he has earned accolades not just in Columbus, but all around the hockey world. Twice he has been named the best goaltender in the NHL. We love Bob because he is the player – more than anyone else on the team – that makes the Blue Jackets a good hockey team.
Do you prefer the player who represented the scrappy expansion team, and a city learning to love the game of hockey? Or do you prepare the player who represents a burgeoning contender, with full houses cheering them to victory?
Debate your choice in the comments, and cast your vote here. Voting closes Thursday at 11 p.m.
Favorite Blue Jacket Tournament: Championship
| Jody Shelley | 45 |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | 128 |