Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

PENGUINS 5 BLUE JACKETS 3
Blue Jackets stumble out of gate, lose to Penguins

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




PITTSBURGH ? Better effort, same sad result.
The Blue Jackets showed a pulse last night, which is more than could be said for their previous two games.
But the finishing of checks, the fighting for pucks and a willingness to get dirty weren?t enough to overcome their special teams deficiencies, and the Blue Jackets lost 5-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in front of 14,637 in Mellon Arena.
The Penguins, a budding dynasty, scored three powerplay goals and two short-handed goals, both by 18-year-old rookie Jordan Staal, and capped their scoring with a penaltyshot goal with 7:49 left in the game.
"It?s tough when you give up two short-handed goals like that," Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said. "On top of that, you can?t give them 10, 12, 13 power-play chances, whatever it was. You can?t do that. That was the whole game."
The Penguins were 3 of 9 on power plays. It only seemed worse.
The Blue Jackets (2-3-1) got goals from Gilbert Brule, Fredrik Modin and Nikolai Zherdev. But they have lost three in a row, with one of the NHL?s best clubs, the San Jose Sharks, coming to Nationwide Arena on Monday.
Ugh.
"The guys in here (the dressing room) want to win," captain Adam Foote said. "That?s not the issue. We just have to keep going."
As a member of the Western Conference, the Blue Jackets won?t get a glimpse at the Penguins again until the 2009-10 season.
That might not be such a bad thing. Pittsburgh?s wealth of talent ? Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Staal, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury ? is a sight to behold.
Last night, it was the magic of Crosby and Malkin, mostly, that led to two power-play goals for the Penguins in the first 7:51.
Sergei Gonchar, meanwhile, licks his chops on the blue line, waiting for a one-timers to show up on his doorstep, and they did. His first blast was deflected by Penguins winger Michel Ouellet, sending it through the pads of Blue Jackets goaltender Fredrik Norrena, who made his first NHL start. It was 1-0 only 123 seconds into the game.
Gonchar?s second tee shot found the net on its own, putting the Penguins up 2-0.
"They throw pucks in a lot of odd places on the ice where you?re never going to be," Blue Jackets penalty killer Jason Chimera said . "They try stuff no one else really tries. It?s one of those teams you have to be on your toes for a lot more. Especially on the power play. They try anything, and you?re not used to that."
Brule?s first goal of the season, on a power play at 17:51 of the first period, made it 2-1.
Modin?s first as a member of the Blue Jackets, at 7:58 of the second period, made it 2-2, but that was all.
Staal scored off a rebound from a Mark Recchi shot at 14:43 of the second, giving the Penguins the lead for good.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Brule rewarded for play by moving to top line

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> The Penguins? Sidney Crosby slides into Blue Jackets goalie Fredrik Norrena during the second period of Pittsburgh?s 5-3 win.


In the wake of the ugly 4-2 loss on Friday night to Toronto, Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant scrambled the lineup last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Mellon Arena.
The changes weren?t subtle, either.
Rookie center Gilbert Brule, who had played on the No. 4 line, was promoted to the top scoring line, between left winger Rick Nash and right winger David Vyborny.
"Gilbert has played good and he?s played hard (the past two games)," Gallant said. "He deserves a chance up to play up there.
"He?s feeling better about his game, more confident. This will be a good challenge for him against some of the young kids Pittsburgh has. He?s the same caliber as those kids."
Gallant also made a switch in goal, turning to Fredrik Norrena for his first NHL start.
"This date has been in the back of my mind for a while," Gallant said. "He hasn?t started a game yet, and it?s a good chance to get him in there.
"It isn?t because of (Friday?s) game, really it isn?t. If we would have won, I probably still would have given (starter Pascal Leclaire) a night off."
Brule?s promotion had a ripple effect through the forward lines. The other lines were: Fredrik Modin-Mark Hartigan-Anson Carter; Jason Chimera-Manny Malhotra-Nikolai Zherdev, and Jody Shelley-Alexander Svitov-Jaroslav Balastik.
Gallant also made a healthy scratch of defenseman Anders Eriksson, giving Aaron Johnson a spot in the line. Johnson had been scratched the past three games.
On the defensive

Six games into the season, Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby is taking heat from an opposing coach for diving.
Earlier this week, after a 4-3 overtime loss to Pittsburgh, New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan lashed out at Crosby, saying he flopped to the ice to draw penalties.
Crosby seems unaffected.
"Coaches are smart," Crosby told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Ted Nolan is smart. He knows that he plays us seven more time. He wants to plant a seed and probably figures he can do it early and see what happens.
"There is a competitive edge everybody is trying to gain, whether it is a player or a coach. I can look at myself in the mirror and tell myself that I?m an honest player."
It should be noted that Crosby hasn?t been called for diving this season.
Fedorov update

Brule may have a short run playing between Nash and Vyborny.
Injured center Sergei Fedorov (shoulder) is hoping to make his 2006-07 debut Monday when the Blue Jackets play San Jose in Nationwide Arena.
Fedorov made the trip to Pittsburgh and skated with the Blue Jackets yesterday morning.
"He skated real hard," Gallant said. "But whether it?s Monday or Friday (vs. Los Angeles), who knows? "
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[jimotis4heisman]

mark hartigan has been placed on waivers.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

mark hartigan has been placed on waivers.

Not particularly surprising. He seemed very hesitant out there. I'm a bit disappointed. I was really expecting him to thrive on one of the top lines this season.

Time to get things straightened out this evening. Avoid the dipshit penalties and play with some fire!

 

[jimotis4heisman]

i really havent seen much of the boys play the last three games less than ten minutes on the ice. ive been disappointed, maybe its cuz jo isnt watching?

the hartigan deal is essentially if he clears good he goes to cuse, if not good luck somewhere else mark, youve been a great career ahler but you have yet to prove an ability to translate that to the nhl as you push close to thirty

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

It's time to start making an example of some of these guys.

It's only 7 games into the season and I'm sick and tired of the stupid and lazy play. Penalties galore because the dips can't be in proper position, so they hook and hold and slash anything and anyone within reach. And get out-hustled. Constantly. Again and again and again. It looks like San Jose is on a power play when it is 5-on-5 hockey. It looks like even strength when Columbus is on the power play.

Start with Nash. Teach the team that it is NOT acceptable to wait at the offensive end for a long pass attempt while Leclaire gets peppered with shots.

I wish they could scratch the entire effing team for a game.

[/rant]

 

[jimotis4heisman]

i had that discussion at lunch today, wondering based on how things worked out if a message would be sent and how it would be sent. would a big name get scratched, how long does gallant hang around, etc...

friday we get an la kings team that is getting their ass whopped 6 1 in the second intermission, so you wouldnt think thats the game, but when is enough enough this team for all their talent has played like shit the last four games.

the only question who and when will the example be...

i didnt listen for any post game comments but i wouldnt be shocked to see footer or feds rip the team in the paper sometime this week.


edit: i turned the game off before the giant gallant blow up...interesting....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

SHARKS 3 BLUE JACKETS 0
Sharks are circling
Blue Jackets hear it from fans following lackluster showing

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Gilbert Brule is tripped up by Mark Smith of the Sharks during the second period.


Another season of discontent is under way in Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets were blown out of their own rink last night by the San Jose Sharks, a 3-0 beat-down that brought repeated boos from the announced crowd of 16,067.
It was the Jackets? fourth straight loss and the second time they have been shut out this season.
A rebuilt roster and beefed-up payroll were supposed to put the Blue Jackets in position for a firstever playoff run.
Instead, they hit a new nadir last night.
As the Blue Jackets stalked off the bench, coach Gerard Gallant was caught on television cameras screaming an expletive at a taunting fan.
Clearly, the local hockey die-hards ? so loud and loyal through five mostly awful seasons ? have had enough of the rockbottom results.
Gallant was asked if he had the authority, given the heavy hand of president and general manager Doug MacLean, to bench one of his many underperforming players, to send a message that the status quo isn?t good enough.
"I hope so," Gallant said. "I can?t see why not.
"Is that going to help? Which one? Which five? That?s the problem. It?s not one guy. It?s a bunch of guys that aren?t doing their jobs right now."
Gallant did promise that the next three days will bring changes. The Blue Jackets next play Friday, playing host to the Los Angeles Kings.
"I?m definitely going to do something," Gallant said. "We?ll see what happens the next three days.
"I?m going to work my hardest. I like what I?m doing, and I want these guys to get better."
The Blue Jackets went into the game with the intent of skating hard with the Sharks, to neutralize their fierce transition game and avoid penalties.
"We didn?t stick to the game plan at all," left winger Jody Shelley said.
Only 1 minute, 16 seconds into the game, left winger Jason Chimera was whistled for hooking. The Sharks converted the power play at 2:24, with right winger Steve Bernier burying a feed from Matt Carle at close range after Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire crept out of the goal mouth.
The lead grew to 2-0 early in the second period on another power-play goal. The Blue Jackets missed two golden chances to clear the puck out of trouble. This time, Jonathan Cheechoo finished a passing clinic from Patrick Marleau.
It was 3-0 less than two minutes later. Marcel Goc came in as the trailer on a rush, poking in a long Leclaire rebound with his outstretched stick.
With 1:10 left in the game, San Jose defenseman Christian Ehrhoff hip-checked Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Picard over the Sharks? bench. Picard?s back-end slammed into the glass above the dasher and his head hit the wall.
Picard was helped off the ice. He will be further evaluated today.The Blue Jackets didn?t give up or go away quietly. They just looked severely overmatched, unable to answer the Sharks? rushes or scoring chances with any of their own. They were outshot 28-13 through two periods before the Sharks went into play-out-thestring mode.
The Jackets? top two scoring lines, Gallant said, generated only one scoring chance.
"That?s embarrassing," he said.
"You look at our two rosters side by side, we should be able to compete with that team a lot better than we did tonight."
The bench may have been embarrassed, but the crowd was angry.
The boos cascaded with just about every failed power play, every failed clearing pass, every promising offensive rush that faded into a unintentional dump-in.
"I?d be doing it, too," left winger Rick Nash said. "They paid their money to come see us and we perform like that. It?s unacceptable.
"We?ll have them cheering soon."
Gallant said times like these call for solidarity.
"We?re a team," he said. "We have to work together, coaching staff and players.
"We have to get out of this thing together. We know we?re better than this.
"I think we?ll be fine, but we have to get out of it."
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Penalties put Jackets in a bind early
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



The Blue Jackets have moved beyond playing with fire and now are trying to light their cigars with blowtorches.
Make that cigarettes, a more appropriate smoke considering the San Jose firing squad the Blue Jackets faced last night during a 3-0 loss in Nationwide Arena.
Either way, the point is that the Blue Jackets got burned for a second straight game by taking an early penalty that resulted in an opponent goal, this time just 2:24 into the game. In a 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, the Jackets were on the penalty kill 32 seconds into the game and trailed 1-0 just 2:03 in.
Simply put, the Blue Jackets cannot take 10 penalties, as they did against the Sharks, a team that is all too able to make them pay.
"That?s been the story of our season so far," right winger Anson Carter said. "Penalties don?t just create scoring opportunities and momentum against your team, they also disrupt the flow of your lineup. A lot of guys are sitting around watching for long periods of time."
What they watched last night was a Sharks team that jumped to a 2-0 lead on two power plays before adding an even-strength goal, all before the second period ended.
"We kept taking penalties ... and five or six of them were soft penalties, lazy penalties," coach Gerard Gallant said.
Four of the Jackets? penalties were for hooking and three were for tripping.
Officials began calling games more closely last season, so there are no excuses, defenseman Ron Hainsey said.
"You have to battle to get the puck back as hard as you can without putting sticks on guys," he said. "We?ve had a long time to learn that, a full season. It?s time to smarten up."
Teams prone to taking soft penalties aren?t getting the job done between the ears, Carter said.
"Hard penalties are going to happen," Carter said. "But the cheap penalty we need to minimize. The games we?ve won this year, we?ve done a better job of staying out of the box. That?s what we need to spend more time and attention to.
"It?s not just about working hard but about working smart."
Left winger Jody Shelley said he would settle for working hard no matter what.
"We?ve got to realize that we?ve got to win ugly, too," he said. "We?ve got to grind it when we?re down and not get away from that hard-nosed style."
Either that, or score a goal before the other team does.
"We need to get out of the gate and get the first goal," Hainsey said.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Fedorov makes return to Blue Jackets lineup
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH The Jackets? Rick Nash tries to get the puck past the Sharks? Scott Hannan and goaltender Vesa Toskals.


Center Sergei Fedorov was back in the Blue Jackets? lineup last night against San Jose, saying he had no reservations.
"I?m unlimited," Fedorov said, smiling. "You have to be unlimited, because hockey is a physical sport."
Fedorov had missed the Blue Jackets? first six games because of a sprained shoulder, suffered during training camp.
"It?s exciting," Fedorov said. "I wanted to (play) earlier than this, but I had to be smart about it."
Fedorov opened last night?s game on a forward line with left winger Fredrik Modin and right winger Nikolai Zherdev.
His plan, stated after the morning skate, was to keep his shifts short, around 30 to 45 seconds each.
"We did a lot of work with the legs and the mid-core," Fedorov said. "I was busy, let?s put it that way. I was busy the last 2 1 /2, three weeks.
"The game will tell you. Hopefully, I?m in decent shape. I know I?m not in perfect shape, but I?m in decent shape. I?ll keep the shifts short. I?ll do more by doing less."
The Blue Jackets, who have lost four in a row following the 3-0 loss to the Sharks, will take anything they can get out of Fedorov.
"Sergei?s speed is what we miss more than anything else," coach Gerard Gallant said. "And he carries the puck so well.
"When he?s playing, we don?t seem to be in our own zone as much."
Good phone call

Winger Alexandre Picard was recalled from Syracuse, the Jackets? top minor-league affiliate, and in the lineup, playing with Jody Shelley and Alexander Svitov on the fourth line.
The good news of his call-up on Sunday was followed by a long day of travel.
"I was on the road with the Crunch in Iowa," Picard said. "I left Iowa at 8 a.m. and got into Columbus (Sunday) night around 9:30 or 10 p.m. So, a 14-hour day of travel."
Not that Picard was complaining.
"I wasn?t expecting it," he said. "Nobody with the Blue Jackets is hurt, so it was kind of a surprise.
"But I had a good training camp. I did everything I could do on the ice, and they told me they were pleased with that."
Picard had three goals and two assists in the preseason, making him the Blue Jackets? secondleading scorer.
But that?s not why he was in the lineup against the Sharks.
"He?s a gritty guy who competes," Gallant said. "I like hockey players like that, where even if they don?t score they?re still going to contribute to your hockey club.
"Certain teams, certain games, you like to see that in the lineup."
Slap shots

The Blue Jackets placed center Mark Hartigan on waivers, with the intent of sending him to Syracuse if he clears. ? Hartigan, right winger Jaroslav Balastik and defenseman Aaron Johnson were healthy scratches. ? Center Dan Fritsche skated with the rest of the club for a second straight day. The yellow "don?t hit me" sweater Fritsche has worn could come off by the weekend. ? Syracuse is off to an 0-6-0 start. The Crunch has been outscored 32-10 and racked up 221 penalty minutes. Coach Ross Yates told The Post-Standard of Syracuse: "I don?t know what?s going on in their heads. (They?re) brain dead."
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[ysubuck]

Gallant gave a giant "F$&@ You" to a fan as he was heading to the locker room right after the game. In fact he was headed to the room, turned around and came back to confront whatever was said. Cameras caught the whole thing.

This team has NO heart right now. I'm not sure who the leader is, whether it's Foote or Nash or Fedorov. Maybe someone new like Anson Carter will step up, but something needs to change and fast.

I've been very disappointed in Foote so far this season.

 

[TexasBuck]

The only thing positive about the Sharks game was Tollefsen was a clear winner in his fight. Other than that, just another early season uninspired performance. Let's hope they can turn it around before they are hopelessly out of the playoffs. (Like last year)

 

[jimotis4heisman]

hartigan cleared waivers and is now down in cuse.

pineault scored his first pro goal down in cuse.
http://bluejackets.com/news/features/arts/3262.0.html

The New Hockey Town, USA?

by Stacey Stathulis, special to CBJ.com

With all due respect to Detroit and its multiple championship banners, it has nothing on Columbus, Ohio, when it comes to offering hockey at every level - from 4-year-olds to seasoned NHL professionals.
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It's a source of pride for Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Doug MacLean, who credits the hard work of a lot of people inside and outside of the club's organization.
"This makes Columbus a unique market in the United States because we can now give kids the chance to play hockey at every level," said MacLean. "There has been a lot of hard work by a lot of people to fill in the spaces that once existed here. Kids who want to play hockey don't have to leave central Ohio from the time they are very little to the highest level of the game."
MacLean credits the Columbus Chill, formerly of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the Chillers for laying the foundation of youth hockey in the area. "When the Blue Jackets came into this market, there was a solid foundation already in place," said MacLean.
"With the help of a lot of parents and coaches, we built on that foundation through the Blue Jackets fan and community development groups. This was a hard-earned designation and it makes Columbus a special place to play hockey."
Tom Goebel, who runs the Cleveland Barons, is also given credit for the emergence of the United States Hockey League because of his work in junior hockey over many years, according to MacLean. The Barons field teams for players as young as 9 years old up to 17 years old.
"Tom runs one of the best youth hockey programs in the country," said MacLean.
What does this mean to the Blue Jackets? While the team doesn't get its pick of players (that's what the draft is for), it does have an impact on the sport as a whole.
"Every time a kid plays hockey, every time his or her family and friends go to a game, they become hockey fans. That is the essence of grassroots hockey and fan development," added MacLean. "That's exciting to me as a hockey guy."
One of the last pieces of the puzzle was put in place when it was announced that the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets would play in the USHL for the 2006-07 season. The USHL is for 17- to 21-year-old players with an emphasis on preparing players for NCAA Division I college play. The team plays a 60-game schedule in the league's East Division against rivals such as Cedar Rapids, Chicago, Green Bay, Indiana and Waterloo.
In the recent past, players would have to go to Dayton, Cleveland or somewhere else to play elite level hockey. This hits close to home for MacLean, the parent of an 18-year-old hockey player, now on the USHL team. His son, Clark, last played for the Cleveland Barons prior to joining the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.
The big club, the Blue Jackets, feature three former USHL players in its system - defensemen Rostislav Klesla and Duvie Westcott, and Ty Conklin. And scouting staffs from the NHL, colleges and elsewhere have the USHL on their radar looking for the next great talent. According to MacLean, as many as 100 scouts attend USHL games on a regular basis.
"The USHL sends more guys to college than any other league," Conklin said. "It was a chance to showcase what you had, for a season, or in my case two seasons. Obviously, there are other leagues, but none are as heavily scouted at the USHL. While there had been college scouts at other levels, there's a pretty big emphasis on guys coming out of the USHL and going to college."
"With the Blue Jackets here, the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets will be seen by our scouts and the scouts of other teams when they come to town to play us," said Klesla. "The OJBJ players can watch our practices and our games, and I think it can be a help to their team."
Added Westcott, "It's probably the best league in the U.S. for developing young players and the natural route from high school to the USHL. Then most guys get a college scholarship. For me, (playing in the USHL) was a blast. It's all the best players in the United States."
The following is a listing of the levels of hockey that are available in central Ohio:

• Learn to Skate/Learn to Play Hockey (4-6 year-olds)
• House or league teams
• Club/Select team
• Elite programs (AAA, Bantam, Midget; 12-13 year-olds)
• OHSAA-sanctioned high school hockey
• USHL (17-21 year-olds)
• NCAA (Ohio State, Miami, Bowling Green, etc.)
• NHL

In addition to giving credit to the Chill for what it began, the increasing number of Chiller ice rinks in the area is creating more places to play. The Chillers were an additional investment by Blue Jackets Majority Owner and Governor John H. McConnell. There are three Chillers in central Ohio in addition to the Dispatch Ice Haus where hockey teams of all kinds can practice their craft on ice.
"Whether it's recreational, competitive or elite level competition, there really is something for everybody of every skill level when it comes to hockey in this area," concluded MacLean. "It's really a great accomplishment and it speaks to the dedication of a lot of people to the game of hockey.

brown paper bag optional for the kids...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Outreach on ice
Program exposes minority youths to game of hockey
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Todd Jones
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Head coach John Haferman, middle, talks to players who showed up for informal workouts before the season started at the Dublin Chiller.

"The unfortunate truth about the game is that it?s not a very cheap sport. It?s not so much the color barrier as it is the economic barrier. Some kids don?t have the opportunity to play because they don?t have money." MANNY MALHOTRA Columbus Blue Jacket

Denzel Smith holds the hockey sticks while his brother Richard Smith tries to skate as part of a conditioning drill at the Dublin Chiller. They are preparing for their season with the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, a community youth program.

Mark Smith pats the head of coach John Haferman on the way to the Dublin Chiller. Haferman is director and coach of the Columbus Youth Hockey Club.

The weathered van weaved through two hours of lateafternoon traffic, down to the South Side, over to the East Side, and, finally, up to Dublin.
John Haferman didn?t have to be behind the wheel. He could have been home, his day job done.
His after-work volunteer duties beckoned, however, so he loaded bags of hockey gear into the back of a 1995 Columbus Recreation and Parks Department vehicle and barreled into the crowded streets.
"How many people are going to be there tonight? " Mark Smith, 16, asked from the back seat.
"I don?t know. I just deal with who is there," Haferman answered.
Haferman, head shaved and goatee peppered with gray, looked as if he always meant business, but there?s a soft heart under the western Canadian native?s tough-guy exterior.
He?s in his eighth year as coach, program director and vice president of the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, the official NHL Diversity team of the Blue Jackets.
The work isn?t glamorous or high-profile, but it?s much appreciated by those whose lives Haferman touches, such as the passengers he picked up on a recent day at rush hour and transported to the Dublin Chiller rink.
"What are we doing on the ice today?" asked Smith, one of four black teenagers in the van.
"We?re still in the presea- son, so we?re going to skate you until your tongues hang out," said Haferman, a middle-aged white man.
Some of his hockey players call him a second father. Others know him as their only one.
Haferman, 46, has a wife and three children of his own in Delaware, but he won?t get home until about midnight because of his duties with the Columbus Ice Hockey Club.
The club is one of 39 youth programs in North America that have been created during the NHL?s decade-long drive to integrate the sport by teaching hockey in economically troubled areas where the game isn?t traditionally popular.
"It starts at the grass-roots level," said Blue Jackets center Manny Malhotra, whose mother is French-Canadian and father is from Punjab, India. "It?s great to see more and more (minority) kids getting involved."
Last year, the Columbus Ice Hockey Club fielded six teams for players ages 6 through 16, and Haferman hopes the 2005 total of 120 boys and girls ? more than 80 percent of them minorities ? will be exceeded when registration begins Friday for this year?s learn-to-skate and learn-to-play programs.
By word-of-mouth marketing in seven recreation centers, the club has sprouted from its humble origins of 17 players, 15 helmets and 12 sticks in 1999.
"The kids were falling all over the ice then," said Haferman, a Columbus Recreation and Parks employee since 1988. "We had poor equipment. We heard comments coming from other parents: ?What are you trying to do??
"My biggest thing was, ?Let me get them introduced to the sport. Don?t tell me no before they try it.? I did not know where it would go. I never thought long term. I wanted to take baby steps and see where we?d go."
Turning potential into players

A sibling barb hit Richard Smith as he pulled his skates out of a duffel bag in a dressing room at the Dublin Chiller.
"Man, they?re all scratched up and in bad condition," Denzel Smith said.
"So, they?re better than yours," Richard replied, holding up his skate with pride.
Across the small room sat Mark Smith, no relation. He slipped a blue sweater sock on one leg and a white sweater sock on the other. There was a hole in the toe of his right skate.
"I got all of my equipment from John, just like everyone else," he said.
The high cost of equipment discourages some potential players from ever getting started in hockey.
"The unfortunate truth about the game is that it?s not a very cheap sport," Malhotra said. "It?s not so much the color barrier as it is the economic barrier. Some kids don?t have the opportunity to play because they don?t have money."
The Columbus Ice Hockey Club began with plenty of positive spirit. Blue Jackets officials introduced Haferman, who had coached street hockey at rec centers for eight years, to Jeff Christian, who had an informal group of minority youth players participating in the Columbus Police Athletic League.
The two men shared idealism and optimism, and they created the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, which the Blue Jackets soon after took under wing as an official NHL Diversity team.
"Most importantly, the Blue Jackets brought an air of legitimacy to us," said Christian, who moved to New York City in 2002 and is a volunteer coach with the Ice Hockey in Harlem youth group. "By attaching their name to us, they opened up more doors, and more donations came in."
With funding in place, Haferman is able to teach on the ice. He first skated at age 3 in his native Lethbridge, Alberta, and played hockey until age 17, when he quit after refusing to become a fighter for the Central Michigan University club team.
Such credentials command respect, and players are attentive to him and on-ice instructor Bryan Larrison in practice.
Randall Phillips, buried beneath 60 pounds of goaltender equipment, nodded his mask-covered head while taking instructions during a shooting drill.
"Randall, if you got a soft one like that, cover it. Don?t stick it in the corner," Haferman told him.
Phillips, 15, first became interested in hockey after seeing the Detroit Red Wings on TV eight years ago, but he never played until this year.
Haferman encouraged Phillips to go through the learn-to-skate program this spring and arranged for the new player to attend a goaltender?s camp in August at the Easton Chiller. He was the only black player there.
"The one thing I enjoy the most is that it?s a sport that?s more challenging," Phillips said. "I have a whole lot to learn."
All the players were novices when the club started in 1999. One original member, Andrew Sandnasamy, whose mother is from Malaysia, had never even heard of hockey when he joined.
"That first year was very interesting," Haferman said. "We had to teach them the complete basics: How to tie their skates; how to do all of the edging involved in skating; how to stop and turn. Some kids put their hands down on the ice and said, ?Wow. This is really ice.? "?
Most of the players persevered, captivated by the game?s thrills. Myles Ross fell about 20 times in one hour the first time he tried to skate, but seven years later, at age 12, he?s playing in games.
"I like shooting and skating," he said.
The Columbus Ice Hockey Club isn?t a member of a formal youth league but plays games during the winter against house teams from local youth associations. Haferman?s players didn?t win a game for three years, but that 3-2 victory in 2003 made everyone feel as if they were hoisting Lord Stanley?s Cup.
"You wanted to carry something around the ice and scream all night," said Haferman, who has a puck from that game in his office at Tuttle Park Recreation Center.
The players? improvement showed last season in their best-ever record of 6-8-2. In February, the Columbus Ice Hockey Club advanced to the final of the Hockey in the Hood tournament, a Detroit event featuring eight NHL Diversity programs from seven U.S. cities.
This year, there are 15 minority players for local high school teams who once played for the Columbus Ice Hockey Club.
"Your DNA has nothing to do with what sport you choose to play," Christian said.
Thawing the cultural ice

Seeking to be unique at age 8, Darryl Mason asked his parents if he could join the new Columbus Ice Hockey Club.
"We don?t do hockey. We do football and basketball," his mother, Cynthia Mason, initially told him.
She was joking, sort of, but the comment was reflective of these statistics: There are only 15 black players in the NHL, and a total of 28 minorities.
"Because we?re African-American, at that time, we didn?t know anyone who played hockey," Cynthia Mason recalled. "No one in our family ever played hockey. We thought it was weird that he was interested in it. We thought, ?What?s wrong with this kid?? "
Willie O?Ree broke the NHL color barrier when he joined the Boston Bruins in 1958 and later said he encountered worse racist remarks in U.S. cities than in Toronto and Montreal. Canada?s lack of diversity in hockey is due more to a small black population (currently 2.0 percent; up from 0.02 percent 35 years ago) than lack of acceptance.
"As a kid (in Toronto) I always had three black players on my teams," Blue Jackets right winger Anson Carter said. "Michigan State was the first time I played on a team without other black players. That was the first time I was aware that I was a ?black hockey player.? Back home, all that mattered was if you could play or not."
Once, a player from another team racially slurred a black player on the Columbus Ice Hockey Club. Tempers flared, but calm prevailed.
"The coaches and players got together and talked it over," Haferman said. "I told everyone we needed to deal with this right away. Ever since then, we?ve had no single incident with any organization."
However, some black members of the program have experienced peer pressure that limits hockey?s integration.
"At first my friends were saying, "That?s a white guy?s sport. What are you doing?? " Mark Smith said. "Now, everybody in my neighborhood knows me for playing hockey."
That?s how people now know Darryl Mason, too.
He was an original member of the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, participated in the NHL-sponsored Willie O?Ree All-Star Game in 2002, attended a skills camp in Ann Arbor, Mich., on a USA Hockey scholarship and played one year as assistant captain on the Columbus Stars travel team. He?s now a center on the St. Charles high school team.
"St. Charles is going to help me in life, and I wouldn?t be there without hockey," said Mason, who lives on the North Side. "I wouldn?t be in hockey without John (Haferman) and his organization."
And the NHL would have fewer fans if Mason hadn?t joined the Columbus Ice Hockey Club.
"Now my whole family is into hockey because of Darryl. Even grandma watches hockey," said his mother, Cynthia.
Coming together as a team

Parents and siblings watched from behind the glass as Haferman barked orders and banged his stick on the ice for emphasis during conditioning drills.
"Head up going through the neutral zone! Head up, Richard! There you go! Make those legs work! "
The 14 players included blacks, whites and three girls.
"These kids are learning how to get along together and learning how to play," said Charles Ross, the father of Myles. "The program teaches socialization. The kids are all coming from all over different parts of town. It?s not just inner-city kids."
Cynthia Mason was so impressed by how much the Columbus Ice Hockey Club ? which has had more than 600 participants in seven years ? helped her son that she wrote a letter to Mayor Michael Coleman to make him aware of the program?s importance.
"I can?t praise the program enough," she said. "I wish there were more programs like it. Without them, who knows where some kids would be? It has meant direction and discipline. It has been a godsend."
Players were sweating profusely and gasping for breath after their onehour practice, but they didn?t want to be anywhere else.
"This keeps me off the streets. It keeps me out of trouble," said Vaughn Smith, 15.
His brother Mark has a hole in his skate but a whole new outlook on life.
"Hockey opened my eyes up," he said. "If I wasn?t playing hockey, there?s no telling what I?d be doing. I probably have a one-in-a-million chance of going pro. I?m just doing it for fun."
Practice complete, four black teenagers loaded equipment into the van and climbed aboard. Two other players, one white and one black, hopped in the back with them for a ride home.
"This van smells like hockey players," Mark Smith joked.
John Haferman, quiet and proud, drove down the road and into the night, hip-hop music playing from the radio.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

BLUE JACKETS NOTEBOOK
Message to fans: Team feels the pain
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



The frustration that was palpable Monday after the Blue Jackets? 3-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks had faded yesterday into utter disappointment.
The Blue Jackets, who have lost four straight games and a lot of confidence in the process, did not skate.
Instead, they held off-ice workouts and a team meeting in the dressing room.
"I didn?t light (the players) up at all," coach Gerard Gallant said. "It wasn?t that kind of meeting.
"They know how I feel, because they?re feeling the same way, too. These guys are professionals. They?re not very happy right now, either."
The Blue Jackets were outclassed, out-hustled and outeverythinged by the Sharks, a 3-0 score that could have been much worse.
While the Sharks moved the puck, established a forecheck and excelled on special teams, the Blue Jackets looked remarkably inept in just about every facet.
"The guys were angry after the game, really down," Gallant said. "And it?s tough, because it?s not about us not being good enough.
"If we weren?t good enough, that would be one thing. But these guys know we?ve got the talent to be a good hockey club."
Gallant?s anger was evident as the players left the ice after the game. He could be seen on TV cameras jawing back and forth with a season ticket-holder above the tunnel behind the Blue Jackets? bench.
"I regret it happened, but not much really happened, to be honest with you," Gallant said. "The guy yelled down a couple of things I didn?t like, and I just responded.
"He made some comment about our effort, and I told him I?m not playing the game anymore, I?m trying to coach. Then he said something else and I got mad. He was frustrated and I was frustrated. That?s all it was."
The Blue Jackets play host to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.
Gallant said the focus the next two days in practice will be on working better together.
During the four-game losing streak, the Blue Jackets have looked disjointed and confused. The top two scoring lines on Monday generated only one scoring opportunity.
"We have to communicate better, talk better on the ice," Gallant said. "We have guys with the puck and nowhere to go with it, and nobody?s coming up to support them.
"We?re playing individual games, and it?s a team game. You can see it plain as day on film. The result is too many turnovers and too many penalties, and we?re just getting buried by them."
Gallant asked for patience from the Blue Jackets? angry fan base. The boos in Nationwide Arena on Monday made their point on the Blue Jackets? bench, he said.
"Our fans are mad, but we?re mad, too," Gallant said. "The good thing is, we?re only seven games into the season and two games under .500. There?s lots of time to get this turned around.
"But we don?t want to wait too long."
Picard update

Winger Alexandre Picard suffered a deep hip bruise when he was hip-checked over the Sharks? bench by San Jose?s Christian Ehrhoff with 1:10 left in the game.
Picard sailed over the boards, his back side slamming into the stanchion where the bench ends and the glass begins.
"It looked really bad, but I didn?t think it was a dirty hit at all," Gallant said. "Pic had his head down. He tried to jump to get up over the hip, and that only made it worse."
Picard needed help getting off the ice, but Gallant said he hadn?t been ruled out this weekend.
"I hope he?s all right," Ehrhoff said. "It was a good time to make a hip check, and I got him pretty good."
Slap shots

Center Mark Hartigan cleared waivers yesterday and was sent to minor-league Syracuse. Hartigan had one goal, two assists and a plus-2 rating in six games with the Blue Jackets. He was a healthy scratch Monday. ? Gallant said right winger Dan Fritsche (shoulder) will return to the lineup against Los Angeles.
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