Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

[jimotis4heisman]

few notes from the dougie call in show today

berard will be back.
he has been imprssed with pascal (join the club) he thinks he has potential to be a top young goaltender in the league
teams moving towards carrying so specialist (balastik)
doesnt expect cbj to spend full cap amount (about 45mil for nextyear)
doesnt expect anothe considerable beer hike (haha)
says longest contract is 2 years (umm unless rick "the franchise" nash isnt counted i guess)


thats the 30 second roundup of the hourlong show...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/13/06

MacLean likes Blue Jackets’ position for upcoming draft

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The Blue Jackets sit in 26 th place on the NHL ladder. If they maintain that position — and they will, barring radical shifts in the last week of the regular season — they will have the last chance at moving up to No. 1 in the draft lottery.
Yes, it’s that time of year in burgs such as Pittsburgh. The worst teams in the league are looking to cash in on the draft lottery. You can win if you don’t play (well).
The five worst teams in the league, beginning with the worst, are the Pittsburgh Penguins (53 points), the St. Louis Blues (56), the Chicago Blackhawks (61), the Washington Capitals (64) and the Blue Jackets (68). Each has four games remaining. The sixth-worst team, the Boston Bruins (74), has two games remaining.
The draft lottery, to be held at the NHL office in New York on April 20, will determine the order at the top of the draft. If form holds in the standings, the Penguins will have a 25 percent chance to win the lottery, the Blues an 18.8 percent chance, the Blackhawks a 14.2 percent chance, the Capitals a 10.7 percent chance and the Jackets an 8.1 percent chance.
Those five are the only teams that can win the No. 1 selection. Nonplayoff qualifiers ranked 6 to 14 can win the lottery but may not move up more than four spots in the draft order.
No team can move down more than one position.
So the Blue Jackets’ situation is as follows:
They can win the No. 1 pick with a long-shot lottery victory, or they’ll be drafting No. 5 overall. There is also a slight chance that a team with a slightly better record will win the lottery, which would bump the Jackets to No. 6 overall.
Again, that’s if current form holds, which is likely.
The Blue Jackets’ amateur scouting staff is finishing its seasonal evaluations in advance of the draft, to be held June 24 in Vancouver, British Columbia. As president and general manager Doug Mac-Lean sat in the stands and watched practice earlier this week in Nationwide Arena, he talked about how two scouts were getting a last look at a Czech prospect. Then, he got a call from his Western scout, who wanted to compare notes on the top six.
"We think it’s a strong draft at the top end," MacLean said. "It’s similar to the draft last year at the top end, the exception being there’s not a Sidney Crosby at the top. We feel pretty comfortable going all the way down to the 12 range."
A year ago, Phil Kessel, a freshman center at the University of Minnesota, was locked in as the sure No. 1 pick in 2006. That has changed. Kessel is now among a mix of four prospects at the very top end. Also included in the mix are defenseman Erik Johnson (U.S. Development Program), center Jonathan Toews (University of North Dakota) and center Jordan Staal (Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League).
Making late bids to crack the top five are center Derick Brassard (Drummondville of the Quebec junior league), right winger Kyle Oksopo (Des Moines of the United States Hockey League) and Niklas Backstrom (of Sweden Brynas). It was Backstrom whom the Jackets’ scouts were looking at this week.
The way MacLean sees things, Kessel hasn’t plummeted — his competition has risen.
"This happens every year unless there’s a Crosby or an (Alexander) Ovechkin," MacLean said. "It’s a situation where other kids took steps, but Kessel is still a very good prospect. I don’t think he has dropped off. I know one thing: Not many people would be disappointed to get him. In fact, I’d be surprised if he gets out of the top three."
Scouts are currently cottoning to Johnson, the American defenseman who is 6 feet 4 and 222 pounds. Toews, the North Dakota scorer, has been on the radar for years. Staal, a top power forward in the OHL, has a genetic makeup akin to his brothers — Erik, a standout for the Carolina Hurricanes, and Marc, a defenseman who was the 12 th overall pick by the New York Rangers in the 2005 draft. (There’s a chance the best of the Staals may be Jared, 15, who’ll be draft eligible in two years).
It can be said, generally, that these players are separated by mere preference. MacLean and his Western scout, for example, still aren’t in agreement on a top six. The staff will make final organizational decisions later, probably on the eve of the draft. In any case, MacLean likes where the Blue Jackets sit, no matter where they end up.
"We like a lot of guys in our range," he said. "Are any of them capable of playing next year? Yes. I can’t tell you which, but I think there are two or three there that can."
[email protected]

 

[jimotis4heisman]

An agent for Alexander Svitov contacted MacLean this week to get a feel for whether a contract could be worked out for the big centerman.

"Alex would very much like to come back," MacLean said. "Can we work out a financial arrangement? That would be the question."

Svitov, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2001 draft, came to Columbus as part of the deal that sent Darryl Sydor to the Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago. So far, there has been little return for the Blue Jackets. Svitov hasn’t come close to fulfilling his promise.

Svitov played in Syracuse during the lockout. This season, Svitov elected to remain in his hometown of Omsk, where he plays for Avangard of the Russian Elite League. Svitov partly based the decision on the fact that he had a newborn son. Although Svitov hasn’t exactly scored at a feverish pace, he has been a contributor for one of the best teams in Russia.

Avangard recently defeated Metallurg-Magnitogorsk — a team coached by Dave King, formerly of the Blue Jackets, and featuring Evgeni Malkin, a prized Pittsburgh Penguins property — in the semifinals of the Elite League playoffs.

you guys always ask about svitov heres a lil piece

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS 4 | BLUES 1

Jackets, Blues stoke fire

Solid goaltending, scoring atop fighting, hitting spice Columbus-St. Louis matchup

Friday, April 14, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>NEAL C . LAURON | DISPATCH PHOTOS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Sergei Fedorov of the Jackets concentrates on the puck before a faceoff against the Blues. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


An epic season series came to an end last night when the St. Louis Blues, out of the playoffs for the first time since the Carter Administration, and Blue Jackets, No. 1 in fan stadium experience, met for the eighth and final time in 2005-06.
Kidding aside, the 16,262 on hand in Nationwide Arena left wishing for another one of these games. There were open-ice hits, retaliatory fights, pretty goals and fine netminding. There was a tinge of an angry rivalry. Afterward, each side had hard words for the other.
Not bad for Game 79.
The Jackets got goals from four players and drew away to a 4-1 victory. Sergei Fedorov had a goal and an assist. Afterward, he had an ice pack taped to his chest. Mark Hartigan had a goal, his sixth in eight games. Manny Malhotra had a goal, his sixth in 10 games. And young defenseman Aaron Johnson had a goal, his first since he potted one against the Blues on Nov. 26. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire made 26 saves.
Sturdy winger Jamal Mayers was the player of the game for the Blues. He had their goal, laid out Fedorov and fought Duvie Westcott and Jason Chimera.
The hit was something. Fedorov thought it was late. It woke up everyone in the building midway through the second period.
"It was late," Fedorov said. "I was disappointed when I saw the replay. I usually see everything, and I don’t how this guy got there. It was just a late hit. Players do that because, I don’t know, they’ve got nothing better to do."
Fedorov fed a past to Rick Nash on the left wing, and in a heartbeat Mayers came out of nowhere and put a shoulder to Fedorov’s chest. Fedorov was leveled. Mayers was jumped by Westcott.
At that point the Blue Jackets, who had a quiet 2-1 lead, came out of a slumber. Westcott received 29 minutes in penalties for accosting Mayers. Westcott got two for instigating, two more for instigating with a visor, five for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct, a 10-minute instigator and a game misconduct for not having his jersey tied down. Mayers got five minutes for fighting.
A little more than two minutes later, Blues defenseman Matt Walker lined up Nash and both parties wound up on the ice. Nash got up first. Walker needed smelling salts when he got to the bench.
"They were clean hits," Blues coach Mike Kitchen said. "Then they go out and put (Jody) Shelley on the ice all the time. Give me a break. On the power play? I don’t know what that was trying to prove there."
Shelley was cool with the situation. The game got chippy and he was in his element.
"You don’t want to see guys like Fedorov and Nash get knocked on their (rears)," Shelley said. "But you react to that. It’s good to get hit. It’s good for guys to step up and get into the game. It just shows you what kind of guy Duvie is. He didn’t care who it was, tough guy or whatever, he was going to get in there."
And there was some hockey. Fedorov’s goal, with the man advantage early in the second period, was a cranker from the top of the right circle that erased painful memories of an awful power play in the first period.
"I shot that with anger, to tell you the truth," he said. "I didn’t think it was going in."
In the third period, Fedorov nicely set up Johnson by touching a pass through the middle on a three-on-two rush.
"My last goal was versus St. Louis," Johnson said. "I almost forgot all about that one. I like this St. Louis team, now that I think of it."
The Blue Jackets snapped a three-game losing streak. They won for the seventh time in 10 games. The Blues have one victory in their past 15 games. Next season, they’ll meet again.
[email protected]

Dispatch

4/14/06

COMMENTARY

Does Gallant deserve to stay? The numbers don’t lie

Friday, April 14, 2006


BOB HUNTER

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant says he’s a better coach this season, and the team’s record got better when Rick Nash, right, returned from early injuries. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>

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Doug MacLean and a certain sports columnist who prides himself on his knowledge of sixth-grade math recently engaged in a good-natured debate about a win-loss statistic that appeared in a column.
The Blue Jackets president and general manager said the numbers for his team (then 24-22-3 since Nov. 26) the columnist used were wrong, that since Dec. 17 his team was (at the time) 23-15-2. The sixth-grade math genius-/columnist said the date he used was not Dec. 17, but Nov. 26, when the team broke a six-game losing streak and started winning. MacLean said the important date was when Rick Nash returned from injury. Of course, he didn’t say the record of the team from that date was actually 23-18-3; the record MacLean gave conveniently started after the first four games Nash played (0-3-1), on Dec. 26.
At that point, it was mutually agreed that statistics can be used pretty much to say whatever you want them to say, and the conversation presumably turned to something more interesting.
The point is, it’s probably better to forget all of that "records since" garbage and focus on one naked, numberless thought:
The Blue Jackets are a lot better than they used to be, and because they’ve been better for a long enough period to indicate it’s probably no fluke, it’s a point worth acknowledging.
MacLean did that last week by saying coach Gerard Gallant and his assistants would be invited back next season to continue the progress, and it’s hard to quibble with that. While the season as a whole has been disappointing, there is no debating that the absence of Nash had a lot do with those early failures. Before the season MacLean did talk about reaching the playoffs, but given where the Blue Jackets were the previous (2003-04) season — 25-45-8-4 — that probably wasn’t a realistic goal. If you forgive Gallant that woeful 5-18 start mostly without Nash, the Jackets have done about as well as could be expected.
Nash will be the first to acknowledge that the team’s start wasn’t Gallant’s fault, even though the coach was an early target of critics.
"It’s unfortunate," Nash said. "Probably 95 percent of the time it’s not the coach’s fault, but he’s the one who always gets the blame and he’s the one who usually loses his job. It’s just the nature of the sport, of every sport. It’s never the players, it’s the coach.
"Gerard is a great guy, he’s a great coach and he has taken a lot of heat for us. We owe him a lot."
The past month illustrates why it doesn’t pay to make snap judgments with any pro franchise. The Jackets won two games, lost five, won six and then lost the previous three before beating St. Louis last night.
And that doesn’t tell the whole story. Two recent losses demonstrated not how bad the Jackets are, but how far they have come. By rallying from three goals down in Detroit, only to end up with a shootout loss, and scoring two goals in the last two minutes before losing to Dallas 3-2, the Jackets showed that they have made tremendous progress under Gallant in recent months.
Gallant says he is a much better coach than he was when he got the job. It only makes sense.
"I think I was like a young player," Gallant said. "You get to know the league, you get to know the teams and your surroundings, and I think our team has gotten a lot better. It has definitely helped me. I’ve got, what, 110 games’ experience or something like that? It’s not like I’m an old coach, but there’s no doubt it’s more natural on the bench and dealing with the players. I’m not saying I think I’m a good coach, but I’m definitely getting better. If I wasn’t, there would be something wrong."
There is nothing wrong. Gallant has grown into the job. The players like and respect him, and there’s much to be said for staying the course when things seem to be getting so much better.
If there’s not a significant improvement in the record next season, there will be plenty of directions to point those fingers.
Assigning blame then won’t even require a course in sixthgrade math.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch
.
[email protected]

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Ducks picked Jackets' pocket

Beauchemin clearly the best of the Fedorov deal


here's an old saw that tells us the team getting the best player in a deal usually comes out ahead. Case in point: the Nov. 15 trade that sent Sergei Fedorov from Anaheim to Columbus in exchange for center Tyler Wright and defenseman Francois Beauchemin.
The deal looked perfectly lopsided in favor of Columbus at the time, at least in terms of talent. Fedorov would provide them with the No. 1 center they desperately needed for Rick Nash, and a role model for young Russian Nikolai Zherdev.
In exchange, all the Jackets had to give up were a couple of spare parts while taking on Fedorov's rather hefty $6 million salary, which really was all that cash-strapped Anaheim was looking for out of the deal anyway.
Although both sides were happy with their end, the thought of what Fedorov could bring to that young, rudderless offense made it easy to imagine the ref raising the arm of Columbus GM Doug MacLean and shouting, "Winner!"
But as sometimes happens, the taker became the takee.
The moody Fedorov -- he of the three Stanley Cups, two Selkes and 1994 Hart Trophy -- has barely displayed a pulse since joining the Blue Jackets. If you saw Jaromir Jagr in Washington, you know exactly how little Fedorov has brought to the team.
There are several ways to measure a player's impact on a team, but going by the numbers, Fedorov has been a washout. He has only four goals in 18 games since the Olympic break despite averaging a hefty 20 minutes of ice a night. He's netted just two power-play markers all season -- the same number as offensively challenged blueliner Adam Foote -- and has only one game-winner to his credit.
Meanwhile, Beauchemin has emerged as a key contributor in the Ducks' late-season run.
An unrestricted free agent last summer, Beauchemin was signed by the Jackets but played sparingly in the early going. Full marks to Ducks assistant GM Bob Murray, who recognized something in the rookie and demanded that Beauchemin be part of the deal.
Since arriving in Anaheim, Beauchemin has become a fixture on the team's first unit alongside Norris candidate Scott Niedermayer. While $6 million man Fedorov has exploded for 10 goals, 38 points and a minus-6 rating, the $500,000 Beauchemin has chipped in with 8-27-35 and is a plus-5. He's averaging 23 minutes a game -- second on the team behind only Niedermayer -- and has four power play goals and three game-winners.
Although Wright, the third piece of the puzzle, is no longer with them, the playoff-bound Ducks are pretty pleased with their end of the bargain. But why wouldn't they be? After all, they got the best player in the deal.

totally disagree with the article, what feds has brought goes way beyone +/- and i dont even know how you quantify his role on young nik

but from the article above did anyone else notice this....

The Blue Jackets president and general manager said the numbers for his team (then 24-22-3 since Nov. 26) the columnist used were wrong, that since Dec. 17 his team was (at the time) 23-15-2. The sixth-grade math genius-/columnist said the date he used was not Dec. 17, but Nov. 26, when the team broke a six-game losing streak and started winning. MacLean said the important date was when Rick Nash returned from injury. Of course, he didn’t say the record of the team from that date was actually 23-18-3; the record MacLean gave conveniently started after the first four games Nash played (0-3-1), on Dec. 26.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/16/06

BLUE JACKETS 5 | BLACKHAWKS 2

Vyborny’s inspired play in third gives life to Jackets

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>ADAM CAIRNS | DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>The Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Picard wins the race to the puck during the first period. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


David Vyborny scored two goals on shots that were snapped off with undeniable skill. He threaded a pass across the slot on a rush to set up Rick Nash at 100 mph. Such was Vyborny’s work last night, all in the third period, when he propelled the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Nationwide Arena.
What started as a sleepy, sloppy game turned ethereal. Planets aligned. Numbers clicked into place. The Blue Jackets set a franchise record by picking up their 72 nd point of the season. And Vyborny’s mark on club history, such as it is, was put into a bolder print.
Vyborny now shares the team record for career goals with 88 alongside Geoff Sanderson. He is the franchise career leader in points (222), assists (134) and games (392). Will he be here next season? "I want to be back for sure," Vyborny said. "I’ve been here from the beginning. They know me. I know them. I’d love to be here. We’ll see what happens." Vyborny, 31, is a potential unrestricted free agent. The Blue Jackets have exclusive negotiating rights until July 1, when the signing season begins. The haggling between team president and general manager Doug MacLean and Vyborny’s agent, Rich Winter, is at a nascent stage. Soon, it will begin in earnest.
Last night, Vyborny seemed to be saying, "If I’m back, you ought to play me with Nasher."
The game was in a 2-2 deadlock and a somnambulant crowd was stirring only to ride the home team’s ineffectual power play.
Then, at 4 minutes, 15 seconds of the third period, Vyborny came in trailing a rush, took a drop pass from Dan Fritsche and, in a flash, cracked a slap shot from the top of the left circle. Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin appeared stunned to be beaten over the glove.
At 14:03, on another rush, Nash slid a pass to where he knew No. 9 was lurking. Vyborny cranked off another quick slap shot and this time beat Khabibulin on the near side, over the stick.
At 17:58, on yet another rush, Vyborny threaded a pass through the middle to set up Nash for an easy redirection. It was Nash’s 30 th goal of the season.
Another number tumbled into place.
Vyborny’s two goals gave him 20 for the season. His assist gave him 40. His 60 points is the team high.
"It’s my best season ever, and it started so bad," he said. "I didn’t play very well. The team didn’t. I’m excited about 72 points now. We expected a lot more, but I’m glad we’re finishing well. After New Year’s, it was different."
The Blue Jackets were 9-25-1 on Dec. 23; they’re 25-17-3 since. Vyborny has 39 points in those 45 games.
He usually skirts interviewers, but last night he had to sit around and chat. He even lingered — very unusual. He’s one of three remaining original Blue Jackets — Marc Denis and Rostislav Klesla are the others who were around on opening night in 2000 — and even he wonders who will be the last original.
"Before the (March trade) deadline, there were so many rumors," Vyborny said. "I told M.D. (Denis), ‘Who is going to be the last (original)? It was a little joke.
"I hope we’ll both be back. We’ll see."
Nash’s assist was his 22 nd, which matched a career high. Mark Hartigan added a goal, his seventh in nine games. Fritsche had a goal to go with an assist. Captain Adam Foote had an assist, marking his 20 th point of the season.
The Blue Jackets and Blackhawks have a rematch tonight in Chicago.
[email protected]

 

[jimotis4heisman]

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp?id=162891

A Spectacular Rookie Class

TSN.ca Staff


4/16/2006
It is, quite simply, as spectacular a rookie class as there has been in the NHL, both in terms of quality and quantity.

There is Alexander Ovechkin's 51-goal, 103-point, big-hit, lift you out of your seat every time he touches the puck season.

There is 18-year-old Sidney Crosby's passionate pursuit of 100 points, a feat that if not for Ovechkin's pyrotechnics would be one for the ages.
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There is Dion Phaneuf's 20-goal, bone-crushing, a blue line star-is-born campaign.

And there is King Henrik Lundqvist's amazing backstopping of the New York Rangers to contender status.

In any other year, one of these performances would be enough to win the Calder Trophy going away. Instead, one of those four stars won't even be a finalist for the award.

The NHL traditionally names an All-Rookie team of one goalie, two defencemen and three forwards.

It's not enough. Not this year. In honour of the bumper crop, TSN's All-Rookie team is a whole team, and then some, all slotted by position.

The first five-man unit is a no-brainer. Joining Ovechkin and Crosby up front is Boston's right winger Brad Boyes, the late bloomer whose 69 points is behind only Ovechkin and Crosby. Phaneuf's partner is the unheralded but unbelievable Andrei Meszaros from Ottawa, whose plus-33 ranking is far and away No. 1 among rookies and fourth overall in the NHL.

The second fivesome has Philadelphia centre Jeff Carter, with 22 goals while averaging only 12 minutes per game, between Colorado right winger Marek Svatos, who had 32 goals in 61 games before getting injured, and Rangers Czech mate Petr Prucha, a 30-goal man, along with a pair of killer B's on the blue line - Phoenix fire hydrant Keith Ballard and Anaheim's best kept secret Francois Beauchemin.

The third unit has Mr. Everything Mike Richards of the Flyers between Dallas shootout specialist Jussi Jokinen and the rapidly-emerging Senators right winger Patrick Eaves, along with Blackhawks blue liner Duncan Keith and Phoenix rearguard Zbynek Michalek. If we had room for a seventh defenceman, it would be Chicago's Brent Seabrook.

Our fourth line is stacked, literally and figuratively.

We have Toronto's Kyle Wellwood between red-hot Montreal sniper Chris Higgins and Buffalo big man Tomas Vanek on the left, but that 12-man group of forwards still doesn't allow for Toronto 18-goal man Alexander Steen. So now we're naming 13 forwards to our All-Rookie team and Steen is No. 13. Hey, when it comes to rookies, it's that kind of year.

Lundqvist, of course, is the undisputed No. 1 rookie goalie, but not even some recent struggles can mask the extraordinary body of work Ryan Miller has provided the Buffalo Sabres, although Pascal Leclaire in Columbus has put up stellar numbers to earn an honourable mention.

The point is, when it comes to the NHL freshman class of 2006, there is only one word that can be used.

Wow!

For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie

pretty nice to be hm behind an olympic champion...

 

[jimotis4heisman]

jackets have the stars tom in the FANtastic FANale, or so its being called.

what it really means:
if they lose 8.1% chance at winning the lottery and #1 overall pick, or the 5th
if they win 6.2% chance at winning the lottery and #2 overall pick, or the 6th spot


assuming someone behind them doesnt win the lottery and bump them one spot.

 

[scarletandgrey]

jackets have the stars tom in the FANtastic FANale, or so its being called.

what it really means:
if they lose 8.1% chance at winning the lottery and #1 overall pick, or the 5th
if they win 6.2% chance at winning the lottery and #2 overall pick, or the 6th spot


assuming someone behind them doesnt win the lottery and bump them one spot.

That's good new I guess. I would almost rather having a mid round pick. Because that way we would of been a lot closer to the playoffs if not in....

 

[jimotis4heisman]

true, but id rather be in this postion in all reality than picking 11th or 12th...

if i get some time would you guys like a crappy short breakdown of the top 10 guys or so? not that ive seen the guys but ive done some pretty decent reading on them. that way you have some basic knowledge on who might be in play.


also keep in mind we have 3 5th rounders this year. i would be suprised if they arent moved around, but those middle round you can get some good org depth...

 

[jimotis4heisman]

jackets lock up rusty for 4 years today, terms not disclosed.

i went to the game all for the stars and lossing the game. hoping with the loss 8.1% chance at the #1 pick, worst case 5th and most likely 4th. but as the game went on i was fine with it and the beat down of the stars. then the stars rallied and i was pissed, but kind of happy. then harty gets his goal and i was like screw it. still knowing an ot loss and we get the situation above, but hoping kind of for a win. well fedorov gets the game winner and i went crazy. as it stands now the 20th 6.1% chance of winning the lottery and getting the 2nd spot, most likely the 5th spot but no worse than the 6th spot.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/19/06

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS, YEAR 5

Season ends on a high note

Ticket holders can imagine NHL playoffs in 2007

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>The Columbus Blue Jackets salute the fans at Nationwide Arena after bringing them to their feet with an exciting overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. Despite a wealth of late-season victories, the club missed the NHL playoffs by a wide margin. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Four months ago, Blue Jackets fans in Nationwide Arena seemed on the verge of a revolt, with only nine wins to celebrate in the Jackets’ first 35 games.
They wanted heads to roll, players to be traded and someone to refund their ticket money.
Last night, as the Blue Jackets finished their fifth season in the NHL with a dramatic 5-4 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars, the faithful were in much better spirits, and much more optimistic about the club’s future.
"They’ve come a long way," said Chris Anelick, a 30-year-old computer technician at Port Columbus. "It was sort of hard to watch early in the season, but they’ve made tremendous improvement."
The win last night improved the Blue Jackets’ record to 26-18-3 since Christmas, a stretch that, if maintained for an entire season, would be good enough to qualify for the playoffs.
"It’s been tremendous," said Shawn Prince, a 32-year-old network administrator who lives in Hilliard. "It’s exciting to see them play games against these really good teams — Detroit, Dallas, etc. — and be able to play with them and beat them. I think if they can stay healthy and keep the team together, they could be pretty good next season. Really good."
The Jackets were deluged with injuries early in the season, a big part of the bad start. Left winger Rick Nash, the No. 1 scoring threat, missed 28 of the first 31 games because of a high ankle sprain and a strained knee ligament. Four other front-line players — defensemen Adam Foote, Bryan Berard and Rostislav Klesla and forward Manny Malhotra — suffered injuries that kept them out of the lineup for long stretches.
Their return to health, coupled with the trade for Sergei Fedorov in mid-November, led to the resurgence.
"The injuries were tough to take," said Michell Lesher, 20, of Columbus. "Once most of the players were back on the ice, they did a lot better.
"I’m excited about the future. They have a lot of young players who are getting better and they’ve got a lot of really good veterans. I think they’ve found the mix."
The Blue Jackets’ players and management spoke openly before this season that, for the first time, they expected to make the playoffs.
For the fifth straight season, though, they didn’t come close. Despite their play since the holidays, they finished 13 th among 15 teams in the Western Conference and 25 th out of 30 teams in the NHL. They finished 21 points out of the playoffs.
The crowds in Nationwide Arena have dipped by more than 600 fans per game this season compared with the 2003-04 season.
Last night’s crowd of 17,103 was more than 1,000 below capacity, making it the first home finale that hasn’t been sold out.
"A lot of people, I think, felt let down by them not making a push for the playoffs," said Andre Robinson, a network manager for Huntington Bank. "That’s the next big challenge for these guys, to play like they’re playing right now for an entire season."
The crowds, though smaller, have remained passionate.
Last night, the Jackets got a standing ovation after scoring two late goals for a come-frombehind win over the secondbest team in the NHL’s Western Conference.
The building shook when Fedorov scored the winning goal only 35 seconds into overtime. The fans kept standing when Foote addressed them afterward, saying "something special is happening here."
The Jackets won six of their last seven home games.
"Everybody loves a winner," Robinson said. "This arena — this city, really — will go absolutely crazy when they make the playoffs."
Said Lesher: "A whole lot of people will get into the Blue Jackets. This city won’t be just about scarlet and gray anymore."
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/19/06

BLUE JACKETS 5 STARS 4, OT

Fedorov seals deal

Veteran’s one-timer 35 seconds into overtime wins it

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>The Jackets’ David Vyborny takes off with the puck with Adam Foote in tow and Marc Denis following the action. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


David Vyborny slid a pass across the slot to the right dot, where Sergei Fedorov was posing, stick in air, for a one-timer. He went down to one knee so he could get the puck to rise. He fell down on the follow through. He put his soul into the shot.
Dallas Stars goaltender Johan Hedberg couldn’t get his glove up in time and the puck found the underside of the crossbar, on the near side. The red lamp lit, the horn sounded, the crowd of 17,103 — the only nonsellout in five home finales in Nationwide Arena — rose to a deafening roar last night.
"It was nice," Fedorov said. "It was. It was nice for the fans."
Fedorov’s goal, at 35 seconds of overtime, came on the last shot of the Blue Jackets’ 2005-06 season. It gave the Jackets a 5-4 victory over the Stars. David Vyborny had a goal and two assists. Trevor Letowski, Mark Hartigan and Fedorov each had a goal and an assist. Defenseman Jamie Pushor scored a goal, his first since April 5, 2003, when he played in a home finale for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"It was a huge win for us and a great way to finish off the season," Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said.
The Blue Jackets finished with a 9-3-1 run. Since Christmas, they went 26-18-3.
They established franchiserecord marks for wins (35) and points (74). Vyborny set a career high for goals (22) and led the team in scoring with 65 points.
For one last night, the fans could forget their horrific 9-25-1 start, and all those injuries. For one last night, the fans didn’t have to ask themselves, "Are we reveling in mediocrity"? For a night, they could just cheer, and let it echo.
"We have a good team now, and it’s not just me saying that," Gallant said. "The guys believe they can compete with anybody."
On the eve of the playoffs, the Stars rested centers Mike Modano, Jason Arnott and Stu Barnes, right winger Jere Lehtinen and defensemen Willie Mitchell and Philippe Boucher, not to mention goaltender Marty Turco. No need to put them in harm’s way, not with the second-best record in the West.
The Blue Jackets were without left winger Nikolai Zherdev (knee), center Mike Rupp (heart surgery) and defensemen Duvie Westcott (mild concussion), Rostislav Klesla (groin) and Bryan Berard (back).
The rest of the Jackets rested in the third period.
They had a 3-1 lead at the second intermission. They allowed three goals in a span of 4:36 in the first half of the third period. Suddenly, they trailed 4-3.
Then came some home cooking. The Blue Jackets were given a two-man advantage with 1:22 remaining and Gallant pulled goaltender Marc Denis for an extra attacker. Hartigan scored, six-on-three with an empty net, on a bullet from the top of the slot. Vyborny pointed his stick at Hartigan, and then fed him.
"It’s funny, our power play has been so bad, and we got two on the PP to win," Vyborny said.
The victory came at a mild cost for the Blue Jackets, in terms of the draft lottery, because they played their way out of being one of the five worst teams in the league on the last day of the season. Since a team winning a draft lottery can only move a maximum of four places, the Jackets no longer have a chance at the No. 1 overall pick. If they win the lottery, they’ll be No. 2. They’re not crying in Columbus — but they’re cheering in Boston.
For all of that, perhaps the best story to develop last night had to do with Pushor, an original Blue Jacket who has been toiling for the minor-league affiliate in Syracuse. He came up on emergency recall and scored on a bullet, from the top of the right circle, into a small space above Hedberg’s left shoulder in the second period.
"I might have picked the spot subconsciously, but not consciously," Pushor said. "Three years ago, I scored on the last day of the season, almost three years to the day, and I didn’t know what was next because I was an unrestricted free agent. It sort of gives you a different perspective on your career. It feels good to do something you don’t normally do, score like that."
Pushor paused and said, "I love this place, so it means a lot to me."
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[jimotis4heisman]

the klesla deal is 4 years, 6.6 mil. can you say steal?

word is that another signing will occur in the next 24 hours.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

the bus has left for cuse and the ahl playoffs
sent down
pascal
andy delmore
jamie pushor
aaron johnson
dan fritsche
pic

first game friday night

also of note gilbert brule will take on one of the top two centers in his whl/chl playoff game this weekend in mueller. everyone in jrs is really looking forward to this matchup.