Welcome back to the Week That Was, as we saw Chicago, Montreal, Pittsburgh, LA, and Buffalo all fall, and the second round kicking off last night in Vancouver as the Canucks welcomed the Predators to the playoffs with a 1-0 shutout at the hands of Roberto Luongo.
In the spirit of “Better late than never!”, we’ll have some predictions coming over the weekend.
Meanwhile, this week, we welcomed Dan to the show, I bored the hell out of you all taking the time to break down where the team did or did not succeed in division, conference, and cross conference play, Lou continued our exit interviews with a look at the Forwards down on the farm in Springfield, and the Jackets announced their team awards for this past season.
Elsewhere, Dark Blue Jacket had a pair of great discussions – the first from Gallos asking if the Jackets should pay whatever the price for Brad Richards, while the DBJ himself looked at Ken Hitchcock as he returns (kinda) to the Blue Jackets as he coaches team Canada in the World Championships, including the opportunities for Scott Arniel as part of Hitch’s staff.
Speaking of those World Championship games, we’ll have coverage on The Cannon as they kick off, and you can also go to the IIHF webpage for scores and updates in real time.
For another look at the Springfield Falcons and their relationship with the Jackets following their first season, check out this story from WWLP-TV.
Want to join the Blue Jackets’ Pepsi Power Patrol or other promotion teams? Sign up for auditions!
Over at Light The Lamp, he’s decided it’s time to Cut, Copy, & Paste, followed up by some serious reconstruction. It’s pie in the sky, but there’s some interesting ideas for sure.
As the offseason continues, many Jackets fans are working to support causes greater than themselves. Take a moment to check out the Jacket Backers drive to support Operation Feed, while the the Arch City Army will be working to support Team Salmons this summer. If neither of these strike your fancy, please at least take a moment to consider donating to the Red Cross after this week’s devastating storms.
Over in OSU hockey, the “Block O” supporters section has formed a new group for OSU Men’s Hockey. Go say hello to the KnuckleBucks!
Over at the Other Paper, check out this interesting look at how the Jackets and the Columbus Crew are learning that they’re stronger together than working separately.
Last but not least, one of the biggest problems for the NHL is dealing with properly diagnosing concussions – leading to the current “15 minutes in a quiet room” policy. But what if there was a quick, reliable, and easily measured test that only took a few minutes? Some researchers at Georgia Tech think they’ve figured it out. Fascinating technology – and if it continues to show results, it needs to be set up in every single NHL arena ASAP.
There’s a lot more to come here at The Cannon – our 2011 NHL Draft prospect profiles start Monday!