Well, it’s official – Your Columbus Blue Jackets will host the 2013 NHL All Star Game!
The official announcement is expected to be made later today, but fan and media reactions have been pouring in.
Check out reactions from DBJ, Ten Minute Misconduct, The Hockey Writers, and Hockeybuzz, while TSN’s Darren Dreger keeps it short and sweet.
One thing I’ve seen on Twitter, and I give full credit to @RedditCBJ for bringing it up first: If you’re excited about the ASG, you owe Mike Priest a thank you card. Maybe he shouldn’t be interviewing hockey hires, but his successes on the business ops side paved the way for this, and his partnerships with the GCSC and local development were what made the bid successful.
The other big news today is, of course, the fan protest.
At CTF, The Coach argues it starts at the top, while Eternal Optimist tries a different version of the JP Mac letter.
Greg puts together a few ideas at Full Mental Jackets, Alison shares her $.02 at Heart Of A Jacket, while DBJ is split between one who won’t go to the protest, and one who will.
The New Jackets Fan offers another translation of the letter, LTL talks about turning up the volume, and a Preds fan weighs in on the situation.
Honestly, I think all sides have weighed in, but it comes down to this: I’m not going. I understand why others are. To those who organized the protest, congratulations – you have the attention and gathering you hoped for. But remember that also means a lot of eyes are watching you. Please handle yourselves with the class, dignity, and good spirits that we want Columbus fans to be recognized for around the NHL.
Back to news of this year’s all-star game, Ryan Johansen has an ASG blog up, and he’ll be competing in the breakaway challenge trick shot competition. Should be a lot of fun to watch!
At Puck Daddy, they have a nice visual guide to All-Star MVPs, Backhand Shelf looks at great all stars on bad teams, and the problem of relocated teams and their history.
We hope you have a great Saturday – enjoy the weekend!