OSUScoonie12
Hall of Fame
I've heard Gallant only has a few more games to turn it all around or he is out of here.
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jimotis4heisman
Banned
ottawa sun, has rumors ken hitchcock is in the fold. this isnt the first time gallants been on the hotseat.
looking at the upcoming sched
la kings friday
sat in nj
wed avs
friday 3rd flames
sat 4th wings
thurs 9th at blues
friday 10th oilers
one would guess if it didnt happen early this week it wouldnt happen till the wings. i just dont see a one/two day adjustment period for a new coach. that being said im not a big gallant fan.
but somehow a message needs to be sent, how that message will be sent is yet to be seen. will it be coach to player, management to coach, or management to player...
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Nash told he?s trying too hard
Fedorov says winger must relax in order to shake his slump
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> Rick Nash, working for position against the Canucks, does not have a point in his last four games.
Sergei Fedorov missed twice around the net, hitting a skate and a post once each during practice yesterday, but the center didn?t miss a chance to fire some wisdom Rick Nash?s way.
Fedorov believes Nash has been pressing the past four games ? all Blue Jackets losses ? trying to do it all, which has led to the 22-year-old doing little.
"I said, ?Rick, when you try too hard, sometimes it doesn?t go in, either,? " Fedorov said. "I think he is looking for his game and when the team is not very successful, that is what you get. It?s a tough thing, but everybody goes through it at some point of the season."
This appears to be Nash?s time. After collecting six points through the first three games, the Jackets? top goal scorer the past two seasons is without a point in the past four, only the fourth time in the past three seasons that has happened. His longest drought is five games, which he will try not to match when Columbus plays host to Los Angeles on Friday.
The dry spell raises the question of whether the face of the Blue Jackets needs a shot of Botox to smooth things out?
"I?m not worried about it at all," Nash said. "Points come in bunches. You score a whole bunch and no one is on your case. As soon as you don?t, then everyone is on you. I?ve got to start working harder and playing better, I know that. We?re lucky enough that it?s not a seven-game season."
But hard work could be part of Nash?s problem, not part of his solution, said Fedorov, who explained that a fine line exists between relaxed focus, when the game tends to develop around you, and concentrating so hard on winning that you try to do too many things.
When the latter happens, execution often breaks down as players become individuals instead of teammates. Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said as much after a 3-0 loss Monday to San Jose, calling out the most talented players to step it up.
He didn?t mention Nash or Nikolai Zherdev. He didn?t have to. It has become obvious that the Jackets? top two scoring threats are flat lining.
"Obviously, our star players have got to be better," Nash said. "Everyone needs to be better, but our big-time players have got to step up and lead by example on the ice. We?re not doing that now, and it?s got to change."
Among other issues, Nash and Zherdev are choosing the flashy play over the solid pass, which has led to too many takeaways. Gallant does not want to squelch those players? creativity, but he does want them to work on protecting the puck.
"The important thing is to protect the puck when you?ve got it," Gallant said. "I don?t want to tell Rick Nash to dump the puck in when he?s got a chance to score a goal. He?s a goal scorer."
But trying to score goals isn?t enough, especially when the puck isn?t going in.
"Rick would be the first to tell you that we?re a good team when we?re forechecking and it?s not lugging the puck over the line making fancy plays," Gallant said. "We?ve got skill players, but our skill works down low. That?s where our skill takes over."
The big question becomes whether Nash trusts that strategy. And what happens if he doesn?t?
Jackets right winger Anson Carter believes that no one, including Nash or himself, should be let off the hook if wins are not happening.
"It?s about holding guys accountable," Carter said. "I don?t care how many minutes you play, what you?ve done in the past, what your potential is. You should be held to the same standard as everyone else. I think we could be held accountable more, but that will always be my thought, whether guys are being held accountable or not."
Taking it a step further, there is a line of thought that says the best players should be held more accountable.
"I think that?s fair, and we?re not coming through at the moment," Fedorov said.
Nash finished with this thought: "Sometimes guys with talent are expecting their talent to work for them too much. I think everyone is a bit of a culprit the last couple of days."
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Jackets fans tired of same old song
Friday, October 27, 2006
BOB HUNTER
</IMG>
There are a lot of angry people out there. There are a lot of people who feel like suckers.
They succumbed again to the Blue Jackets? preseason sales job, believed every enticing adjective, eagerly devoured the tantalizing playoff talk. Now, a mere seven games into the season, they?re starting to feel like a shopper who discovers that that amazing, fat-burning, TV-weight loss machine removed only the bulge in his wallet.
The Blue Jackets have lost four straight. Three weeks into the season, they are 2-4-1-0 and judging from the buzz, there are a fair number of people who would like to see a giant broom sweep every Blue Jackets decision-maker into the dust bin of history.
They want this to happen now. Yesterday even. Before the Jackets have a chance to beat the Los Angeles Kings tonight and declare that everything is now all right.
Unfair? Well, yeah. Understandable? Definitely.
"Seven games out of 82 ? there?s a mentality here that it?s a 16-game season," Blue Jackets president Doug MacLean said. "It?s the strangest thing I?ve ever experienced. Fans have a right to be ? what?s the right word? ? uptight, disappointed ? but it?s not a 16-game season."
MacLean is right about his math but wrong about his perception. Fans aren?t upset about seven games; they?re upset about 417. They?re upset because they?ve been repeatedly promised better, and the franchise hasn?t delivered. They?re upset because they have seen the other member of the 2000 expansion class, Minnesota, make the playoffs way before Columbus, and they can see the Wild sitting there atop the Northwest Division standings at 8-1.
There is no question that seven games isn?t a fair slice of the season to make a judgment about this team, but what is? Twenty? Thirty? MacLean wouldn?t say yesterday and it should be obvious why: If the team is still struggling at that point, it becomes significantly harder to preach patience to angry fans.
"I think if you went back, San Jose may have won one of their first 10 last year," he said. "Vancouver was in first place in February and missed the playoffs. ? It?s all over the map over an 82-game season. Nobody likes to be two games under .500, which is where we are. We don?t want to be there, but let?s move ahead and see where we are."
This is true, certainly. Even the best teams can suffer a bad five- or six-game stretch, so it?s not fair to conclude that a Columbus team clearly more talented than its predecessors is a lost cause. If the Blue Jackets don?t finish better than .500 ? at least eight games better than last year?s team ? it will still be a surprise.
But people around here don?t want to be patient, and you can?t blame them. They?ve been asked to be patient before, and the promised rewards never came.
When you pay $75 for a ticket and the Blue Jackets look as if they spent the day shoveling rock in a local quarry, it makes you want to put in a call to the Ohio attorney general?s office. When the fun and frolic you were told you were buying turns out to be disappointment and drudgery, you feel as if you were sold a bill of goods.
To his credit, coach Gerard Gallant wasn?t as evasive as MacLean is when asked about judgment day. He isn?t thinking two or three weeks down the road; he?s thinking about now.
"I don?t know what the point is," Gallant said. "This weekend is a big weekend. L.A. is a big game, and I don?t want to come out of this weekend being 2-6. You get behind the eight-ball in any division right now and it?s a tough way back."
In my mind, the voices of a thousand fans answered in unison:
Been there. Done that.
Bob Hunter is a sports colum nist for The Dispatch
.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
BLUE JACKETS
Gallant advocates simpler approach
Friday, October 27, 2006
Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG>
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which explains why the Blue Jackets are trying to determine whether they want to be a Picasso or a paint by numbers.
It is a quandary. Some players want to create, and others want the finished product to be something more recognizable ? like a win, perhaps.
On one hand, there are the playmakers, whose talent teases everyone into thinking that individual skills should be saluted and not submerged. On the other is the thought that the most successful teams are those that play five-onfive, not one-on-five.
As the Jackets look to end their four-game skid tonight against Los Angeles in Nationwide Arena, it appears simplicity is winning out, that the push is being made to orchestrate the offense into something more resembling dump-and-chase than the attempted artistry prevalent the past four games.
Some, including veteran center Sergei Fedorov, don?t sound overly thrilled by what coach Gerard Gallant has harped on during practices.
"Every time I have the puck I can dump it in, which is not what I?m used to," Fedorov said. "Basically, if our team plan is to use a short dump, I?ll do it every time. I have to. It?s not necessarily what I think, but the team plan. I will do it. It?s easy to do. If I see I can play a play, 100 percent make it, I will take it. But I have to make that play."
Fedorov gave a nod to Gallant by saying that "it?s probably the right plan," but he also noted that he?s "playing with two guys (Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev) who are very talented with the puck."
Gallant stressed that his intent is not to stifle creativity but to convince players that grinding out goals is OK, too.
"A lot of goals from the blue paint ... not the pretty play," he said. "When you watch games when your team is not playing, it?s the same old thing. Good teams go hard to the net and are working. Teams having trouble are the ones turning it over in the neutral zone and trying to get fancy."
So expect to see more forechecking and less flair tonight, which wouldn?t bother winger Anson Carter.
"There?s a little too much one-on-one hockey going on right now. In the NBA, you can get away with that, with one talented player. The NHL is one of the ultimate team sports," he said. "We need to play as a five-man unit, and right now we?re not doing that. We?re reverting back to that individual style, trying to make something out of nothing."
Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean sees the same thing but emphasized that the top talents have the right intentions.
"When Nash is trying to do it, or Nicky or David Vyborny are trying to do it, it?s not a negative. It?s not a lack of trying, but trying in the wrong direction," MacLean said.
One possible explanation for the lack of offensive cohesion could be that some players have yet to adjust to the increased talent level around them, said Carter, an offseason pickup from Vancouver.
"I want to stay away from the word ?selfish,? " he said. "I think what may be happening is that in previous years I don?t think the talent level was as deep as it is this year, so maybe the tendency to do things on your own was more accepted because there wasn?t as much talent around. Now, we have some pretty talented guys on this team ... and you don?t try to do the other guy?s job. He gets paid to do his own job.
"But it takes time to get that. It?s not going to happen overnight. That?s what we have to keep reminding ourselves."
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Underachiever #5
Updated: Oct. 27, 2006, 11:37 AM ET
It's not too early to panic for these five clubs
By Linda Cohn
Special to ESPN.com
Archive
Want to know what you always can count on whether you own, run, coach or play for a team? You're always on a mission to live up to the expectations others have for you. It just goes with the territory of the job. You might not like it, you might choose to ignore it, but you're always reminded of it.
But like you, the so-called others have a job to do. It comes with the territory. So, as long as we're talking about reaching expectations, lets talk about the handful of teams that have come out of the gate without their skates laced up, five teams that are lacking what they so desperately need to compete like many believed they could.
Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images
Linda Cohn believes the Flames still don't have someone to feed the puck to Jarome Iginla.
And don't tell me its too early in the season to be concerned. That's what the regular season is for -- seeing a problem, fixing it, fine-tuning it by April.
Philadelphia Flyers
We begin with the most obvious question mark, the Philadelphia Flyers. When Peter Forsberg told then-coach Ken Hitchcock early in the season that he didn't want to take part in a shootout against the rival Rangers, I knew it could only be bad news in the City of Brotherly Love.
Are you kidding me?!
It only got worse from there. As you know, Hitchcock was fired and GM Bobby Clarke resigned following the team's worst start (1-6-1) in 17 years.
Said Simon Gagne: "It's like training camp all over again" under the guidance of new coach John Stevens and interim GM Paul Holmgren. Credit owner Ed Snyder for being proactive, not waiting for the problems to just go away.
The good news is the regular season is long enough that Gagne and the rest of the team can make up for lost time, especially in the Atlantic Division, which, on the whole, is not as good as advertised at the moment.
Which brings me to the ?
New York Rangers
Where would the Rangers be right now without Brendan Shanahan? The team would be a lot worse that it is now.
Jaromir Jagr is still up there in points (he has two goals and 12 assists in nine games), but there is still something missing on this team.
A season ago, the Rangers seemed like they were having fun. This season, they seem uptight, especially at home, where they have gone 2-4-0 through Thursday's games. Their special teams haven't been special; through Thursday, they are tied for 11th in the league with an 18.9 power-play percentage and they are tied for eighth in penalties taken (57).
The Rangers' defense has also suffered, allowing four or more goals in seven of their nine games. It only hurts goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who doesn't seem the same after a stellar rookie season.
There is just too much talent for this malaise to continue. Watch for the Rangers to snap out of it on the road, where they really can relax.
Phoenix Coyotes
I know life can't be bad when you make your living in gorgeous Phoenix. But the Coyotes are fortunate that the NFL's Arizona Cardinals are in such turmoil under coach Denny Green, because not many have noticed the disappointing start by Wayne Gretzky's squad.
The Coyotes are 3-8, have lost four of their last five and they already are drowning in the highly competitive Pacific Division, where you can't have an off night against a divisional opponent.
And speaking of disappearing, has anybody seen Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan? Here are two veterans who were brought in for leadership, not necessarily scoring, and neither player has delivered in either category. They have combined for three goals and two assists in 10 games. Before this season, Nolan hadn't played since 2003-04, skipping last season to recover from knee surgery.
I can't help but expect more from a Gretzky-led team. He always will be a winner and I just assume those around him would do everything in their power to be winners, as well.
GM Mike Barnett has put together a team that might not win a Cup, but with additions like Ed Jovanovski and Georges Laraque, didn't we expect them to be more competitive than this?
Calgary Flames
Before the season started, I thought it was kind of dicey that the Flames' front office believed the only help it needed, the only big move it needed to make was acquiring Alex Tanguay.
Tanguay, a free agent who played with the Avalanche last season, has been lukewarm so far, posting two goals and three assists in eight games. His best season came in 2003-04, when he had 25 goals and 54 assists in 69 games, and he hasn't played all 82 games since the 2002-03 campaign.
Is he really the answer? What were the Flames thinking?!
We knew there would be no issues in goal -- Miikka Kiprusoff keeps his team in games. But when was the last time a one-man show won you a Cup? Uh, try never.
The team has changed a lot since it reached the Cup finals in 2003-04. Role players such as Ville Nieminen and Craig Conroy are out. Jarome Iginla needs players around him to help take the pressure off him. Is the answer to that Tanguay or Jamie Lundmark?
A player such as Iginla is anchored by having to do everything himself. If he's feeling that way now, he's going to be drained by April. Where will that leave the Flames?
Columbus Blue Jackets
For those who might be surprised that I put a team that has never made the playoffs on my list of underachievers, you haven't been reading my columns. For shame!
I'm not saying there still isn't time, but I'm a bit surprised the Columbus Blue Jackets haven't gotten off to a better start. With the personnel they have this season, a mix of winning veterans and youthful standouts, I believed they would avoid the lengthy slumps that have plagued them in the past.
The return of Sergei Fedorov (out since Sept. 19 with a shoulder injury) could give Columbus a needed boost. And I am sticking with my pick -- I still like them to sneak into the postseason.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=cohn_linda&id=2639815
Updated: Oct. 27, 2006, 11:37 AM ET
It's not too early to panic for these five clubs
By Linda Cohn
Special to ESPN.com
Archive
Want to know what you always can count on whether you own, run, coach or play for a team? You're always on a mission to live up to the expectations others have for you. It just goes with the territory of the job. You might not like it, you might choose to ignore it, but you're always reminded of it.
But like you, the so-called others have a job to do. It comes with the territory. So, as long as we're talking about reaching expectations, lets talk about the handful of teams that have come out of the gate without their skates laced up, five teams that are lacking what they so desperately need to compete like many believed they could.
Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images
Linda Cohn believes the Flames still don't have someone to feed the puck to Jarome Iginla.
And don't tell me its too early in the season to be concerned. That's what the regular season is for -- seeing a problem, fixing it, fine-tuning it by April.
Philadelphia Flyers
We begin with the most obvious question mark, the Philadelphia Flyers. When Peter Forsberg told then-coach Ken Hitchcock early in the season that he didn't want to take part in a shootout against the rival Rangers, I knew it could only be bad news in the City of Brotherly Love.
Are you kidding me?!
It only got worse from there. As you know, Hitchcock was fired and GM Bobby Clarke resigned following the team's worst start (1-6-1) in 17 years.
Said Simon Gagne: "It's like training camp all over again" under the guidance of new coach John Stevens and interim GM Paul Holmgren. Credit owner Ed Snyder for being proactive, not waiting for the problems to just go away.
The good news is the regular season is long enough that Gagne and the rest of the team can make up for lost time, especially in the Atlantic Division, which, on the whole, is not as good as advertised at the moment.
Which brings me to the ?
New York Rangers
Where would the Rangers be right now without Brendan Shanahan? The team would be a lot worse that it is now.
Jaromir Jagr is still up there in points (he has two goals and 12 assists in nine games), but there is still something missing on this team.
A season ago, the Rangers seemed like they were having fun. This season, they seem uptight, especially at home, where they have gone 2-4-0 through Thursday's games. Their special teams haven't been special; through Thursday, they are tied for 11th in the league with an 18.9 power-play percentage and they are tied for eighth in penalties taken (57).
The Rangers' defense has also suffered, allowing four or more goals in seven of their nine games. It only hurts goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who doesn't seem the same after a stellar rookie season.
There is just too much talent for this malaise to continue. Watch for the Rangers to snap out of it on the road, where they really can relax.
Phoenix Coyotes
I know life can't be bad when you make your living in gorgeous Phoenix. But the Coyotes are fortunate that the NFL's Arizona Cardinals are in such turmoil under coach Denny Green, because not many have noticed the disappointing start by Wayne Gretzky's squad.
The Coyotes are 3-8, have lost four of their last five and they already are drowning in the highly competitive Pacific Division, where you can't have an off night against a divisional opponent.
And speaking of disappearing, has anybody seen Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan? Here are two veterans who were brought in for leadership, not necessarily scoring, and neither player has delivered in either category. They have combined for three goals and two assists in 10 games. Before this season, Nolan hadn't played since 2003-04, skipping last season to recover from knee surgery.
I can't help but expect more from a Gretzky-led team. He always will be a winner and I just assume those around him would do everything in their power to be winners, as well.
GM Mike Barnett has put together a team that might not win a Cup, but with additions like Ed Jovanovski and Georges Laraque, didn't we expect them to be more competitive than this?
Calgary Flames
Before the season started, I thought it was kind of dicey that the Flames' front office believed the only help it needed, the only big move it needed to make was acquiring Alex Tanguay.
Tanguay, a free agent who played with the Avalanche last season, has been lukewarm so far, posting two goals and three assists in eight games. His best season came in 2003-04, when he had 25 goals and 54 assists in 69 games, and he hasn't played all 82 games since the 2002-03 campaign.
Is he really the answer? What were the Flames thinking?!
We knew there would be no issues in goal -- Miikka Kiprusoff keeps his team in games. But when was the last time a one-man show won you a Cup? Uh, try never.
The team has changed a lot since it reached the Cup finals in 2003-04. Role players such as Ville Nieminen and Craig Conroy are out. Jarome Iginla needs players around him to help take the pressure off him. Is the answer to that Tanguay or Jamie Lundmark?
A player such as Iginla is anchored by having to do everything himself. If he's feeling that way now, he's going to be drained by April. Where will that leave the Flames?
Columbus Blue Jackets
For those who might be surprised that I put a team that has never made the playoffs on my list of underachievers, you haven't been reading my columns. For shame!
I'm not saying there still isn't time, but I'm a bit surprised the Columbus Blue Jackets haven't gotten off to a better start. With the personnel they have this season, a mix of winning veterans and youthful standouts, I believed they would avoid the lengthy slumps that have plagued them in the past.
The return of Sergei Fedorov (out since Sept. 19 with a shoulder injury) could give Columbus a needed boost. And I am sticking with my pick -- I still like them to sneak into the postseason.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=cohn_linda&id=2639815
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Fungo Squiggly
Mortal enemy of all things Bucky
Yahoo Pickem Champ
Former Game Champion
'18 BPCFFB II Champ
'18 Keeper League Champ
If they come out flat and stupid again, you all can expect a hissy fit of epic proportions from me. Just a heads' up. :tongue2:
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
BLUE JACKETS 2 KINGS 0
Leclaire stays busy in victory
Jackets goalie stops 38 shots for his first NHL shutout
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Blue Jackets goalie Pascal Leclaire is congratulated by fellow goalie Fredrik Norrena after Leclaire?s first shutout.
As time expired last night in the Blue Jackets? 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings, Jackets defenseman Ron Hainsey scooped up the puck and dropped it into the outstretched glove of smiling goaltender Pascal Leclaire.
A few minutes later, the puck was stationed on a shelf in Leclaire?s locker ? the first time it had been behind him all night.
A 38-save shutout was the first of Leclaire?s NHL career and a well-timed bit of perfection for a club that sorely needed a victory.
"The shutout is not something I focused on," Leclaire said. "The most important thing tonight is we won. We got out of our penalty trouble. Our (penalty) kill was awesome and we found a way to score two goals. It?s something we have to build on now."
The Blue Jackets, who play the New Jersey Devils tonight, had lost four in a row, and the faithful in Nationwide Arena were beginning to lose their patience. But the Jackets pulled off a curious feat: They broke their losing streak without breaking out of their offensive malaise.
Leclaire was that good. His 38 saves tied for the second-most saves in a shutout game in Blue Jackets history.
Right winger Nikolai Zherdev had his fourth goal of the season, a breakaway off an 80-foot pass from Rick Nash with 33.2 seconds left in the first period.
Left winger Fredrik Modin made it 2-0 at 8:15 of the third period, his second goal of the season and a much-needed extra goal down the stretch.
All of this occurred within the framework of an often dominating game by the Kings, who outshot the Jackets 38-14.
"We needed a win," coach Gerard Gallant said. "I?m happy with the win. But I wanted us to dominate the game, rather than the way it happened.
"I?m not happy with the way we played, but Pascal got us a win and we all owe him one for that."
Leclaire got a few breaks.
The biggest came late in the first period, and it started a swing of momentum that sent the Blue Jackets into intermission leading 1-0.
With 45.3 seconds left, Leclaire came far out of the crease to corral a puck that was pinballing around.
Kings rookie Anze Kopitar took the puck around Leclaire and appeared to have a slamdunk, but the puck flipped over his stick as he tried to move the puck to his forehand side for the slam.
Nash gathered the puck near the faceoff circle, looked up and saw Zherdev, first guy out of the zone, picking up steam through the neutral zone.
Nash?s pass sprung Zherdev past Los Angeles defenseman Aaron Miller and onto goaltender Dan Cloutier one-on-one. Zherdev dizzied Cloutier with the puck before flipping it over his right pad off his backhand side.
It was 1-0, the Blue Jackets? first lead in a game in 259 minutes 26 seconds, dating to a 5-1 win over Phoenix on Oct. 9.
"We were lucky enough to get a bounce like that," Nash said. "We haven?t been getting those lately. Finally. We got one."
The Kings continued to pepper Leclaire but to no avail. Sean Avery hit the post twice in two minutes during the third period.
Modin?s goal, then, had a calming effect. It was created off a cycling sequence with David Vyborny, a little give-and-go that ended with Modin stepping into a one-timer that rolled through Cloutier?s pads with 8:15 left in the game.
After that, focus turned to Leclaire?s shutout.
"I honestly didn?t know it was his first," Modin said. "But that?s great. That?s awesome for Pazzy.I wasn?t aware of what a quality goaltender he was until I got here (in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay), but he?s been fantastic for us."
Leclaire said the puck will go to his parents? home in Quebec.
"My dad gets all my hockey stuff," Leclaire said.
"I?m not sure what he?ll do with it, but we?ll keep it forever, for sure."
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
DEVILS 1 BLUE JACKETS 0
Leclaire shines again, but loses
Jackets step up play; goalie has 20 saves
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG>
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? A night after playing poorly and winning, the Blue Jackets played much better and lost.
New Jersey Devils center Zach Parise scored the game?s only goal late in the second period, sending the Devils to a 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets before 14,415 in Continental Airlines Arena.
"I was happy with a lot of things tonight," Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant said. "Obviously, I would have liked to have won the hockey game, but I thought we played an even game with New Jersey, in their building, and on back-toback nights for us."
A moral victory, perhaps. But the Blue Jackets (3-5-1) sure looked mighty dejected in the postgame dressing room.
Last night was the Blue Jackets? third straight road loss, their fifth loss in six games and the third time in six games they?ve been shut out.
"We played well against one of the best defensive teams in the NHL," left winger Rick Nash said. "They trap it really well. It?s a boring style to play, but it?s effective.
"(Goaltender Pascal Leclaire) played great again. Our ?D? was great. Our forwards were pretty good. We just couldn?t get a goal."
It was a battle of wills and a battle of goaltenders, with Leclaire and New Jersey?s Martin Brodeur starring on opposite ends of the ice.
Leclaire blinked first, allowing a tough-luck goal to Parise with 5:55 left in the second period.
It came at the end of a long, dominating shift by the Devils, who held their offensive zone for what seemed like five minutes. By the time it ended, two broken sticks lay on the ice ? one of them belonging to Columbus center Sergei Fedorov ? and the Blue Jackets were gassed.
Parise was perched near the goal line to Leclaire?s left when a loose puck off a Travis Zajac shot landed at Parise?s feet.
"On a long shift like that, with one guy (Fedorov) coming off to get a new stick, guys start chasing the puck," Gallant said. "You?re hoping for a whistle ? something ? because when it goes on that long, you know they?re going to get a couple of scoring chances.
"They got one. And they scored it."
It ended Leclaire?s scoreless streak at 129 minutes, 3 seconds, including his first career shutout Friday in a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Nationwide Arena.
Leclaire had stopped 65 shots in a row. He stopped 20 of 21 last night.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the ice, Brodeur kept his own streak alive.
Brodeur pitched a 29-save shutout Thursday in a 2-0 win over the Florida Panthers.
Including the back-to-back shutouts, Brodeur has now gone 129 minutes, 19 seconds without allowing a goal. Last night, he made 22 saves for his 83 rd career shutout.
The Blue Jackets had a hard enough time getting through the Devils? defensive pressure. Once they did, they had to deal with Brodeur.
"He?s been one of the best in the NHL for how many years now? " Nash said. "He?s a pretty special goalie."
Nash was robbed by Brodeur with 6:25 left in the first, when Brodeur swiped away a wide-open Nash one-timer in the slot.
The Devils? defense was so stifling that at one point the crowd started entertaining itself with "Rangers suck!" chants, a nod to their Atlantic Division rivals.
But the Blue Jackets got their attention back in the third period.
The Devils took two penalties in the final 4:54, giving the Jackets a ray of hope. They had two prime scoring chances ? Fredrik Modin, Nikolai Zherdev ? but Brodeur stuffed them both. With 1:59 left, Fedorov was called for hooking, wiping out the final 70 seconds of a power play. [email protected]
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Sluggish offense baffles Gallant
Shutout loss was third in the past six games
Monday, October 30, 2006
Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> BILL KOSTROUN ASSOCIATED PRESS Rick Nash, who missed a golden opportunity to score against New Jersey on Saturday night, says he?s not worried about the Blue Jackets? goal-scoring troubles.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? The Blue Jackets are paying their top 12 forwards about $24 million this season, roughly $6 million more than the entire roster made in 2000-01, the inaugural season.
The Jackets expected to be an offensive force, but they aren?t getting much bang for their buck so far.
The 1-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday continued the Blue Jackets? early season woes.
The Jackets have scored just seven goals in the past six games, five of them losses. Even worse, they?ve scored only eight five-onfive goals thus far, by far the worst total in the NHL.
"We have to create more scoring chances, it?s just that simple," coach Gerard Gallant said. "I thought we played a real good game defensively (Saturday), but we didn?t create enough and we didn?t capitalize on the few chances we did get.
"There?s no reason we should be struggling to score goals like this. With the people we have? There?s no reason at all."
Consider:
? The Blue Jackets have been shut out three times this season, all in the past six games. They were shut out five times during the 2005-06 season.
? With 19 goals in nine games, the Blue Jackets are tied with Boston for 27 th in the NHL. At 2.1 goals per game, the Jackets are hovering near their 2001-02 season output, when they scored just 164 goals in 82 games.
? The Blue Jackets are 0 of 17 on power plays in the past three games and 2 of 38 in the past six, dropping their season percentage from .320 to .159.
"It?s hard to say exactly what it is," left winger Rick Nash said. "Obviously, we?re not scoring a lot right now.
"Once guys get a couple, I?m sure they?ll start getting hot. Goals come in bunches. It?s only nine games into the season. We just need some momentum."
Nash had a chance late in the first period Saturday, when he happened upon a loose puck in the slot and put a blur of a slap shot on New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur.
"That was a bomb," Brodeur said.
But Brodeur defused it, getting enough glove on the puck to send it into the netting above the glass behind him.
Brodeur stoned several more Blue Jackets chances late in the third period.
"If we weren?t getting chances, I?d be real concerned," Nash said. "But if you?re getting chances, you?ll end up getting goals eventually."
A special night
Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire deserved a better fate Saturday.
Leclaire was Brodeur-like, stopping 20 of 21 shots in a losing effort. He?s 1-2-0 in his past three outings, despite a .956 save percentage during that stretch.
"It was a special night for me," Leclaire said. "I grew up watching (Martin Brodeur) in Quebec.
"When Patrick Roy retired, Brodeur became the star in Quebec. I looked up to him growing up, so it was kind of neat to be out there with him."
The Devils? only goal came late in the second period, when Devils center Zach Parise scored from the doorstep after a long shift.
Other than that, Leclaire went toe to toe with one of the NHL?s greats.
"It was fun," he said. "I would have rather won, of course, but it was a fun experience for me."
Slap shots
Gallant gave the players a day off yesterday. They?ll return to the rink today. ? The Jackets were just 10 of 45 (22 percent) on faceoffs Saturday, including 2 of 19 in the offensive zone. Sergei Fedorov (4 of 14) and Manny Malhotra (2 of 11) were a combined 6 of 25, and New Jersey?s John Madden won 17 of 21. ? Brodeur moved into fourth place in NHL history with his 83 rd career shutout. Brodeur trails only Terry Sawchuk (103), George Hainsworth (94) and Glenn Hall (84).
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
Keeper of the faith
Despite another slow start for Jackets, MacLean not ready to give up on this group
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
By Aaron Portzline THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Nikolai Zherdev (13), Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (55), Sergei Fedorov (91) and goaltender Pascal Leclaire are key parts of the Blue Jackets? chemistry, which to date hasn?t produced the desired results but has offered hints of promise. The Blue Jackets, with only 19 goals in nine games, are one of the NHL?s lowest-scoring clubs.
Doug MacLean, Blue Jackets president and general manager
Last year, Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean made two early-season moves in an attempt to redirect a season that was headed down the drain.
After an 0-2 start, MacLean traded left winger Geoff Sanderson to Phoenix for three players. Barely a month into the season, with a 5-13 record, MacLean orchestrated a blockbuster trade with Anaheim for center Sergei Fedorov.
Yesterday, though, with the Blue Jackets (3-5-1) tied for 14 th in the Western Conference and 26 th in the NHL, MacLean sounded like a man in no hurry to shake things up.
"I don?t think we?ve gotten a total feel for this team yet, with (Fedorov) just coming back (from a shoulder injury) and getting into shape," MacLean said. "I don?t want to do anything right now, because I really like the make-up of the team. And the coaches like the makeup of our team.
"I?m talking to different teams, but no more or less than usual, and our start to the season has nothing to do with it. Honestly, I?m not looking to do anything right now."
How long will MacLean stay in waitand-see mode? The Blue Jackets, with only 19 goals in nine games, are one of the NHL?s lowest-scoring clubs.
"I don?t think this is going to continue," MacLean said. "But obviously, we?d look internally first, who?s scoring (for minor-league Syracuse). But I?m hoping it?s going to be a non-issue in a few days.
"We?ve got five or six guys in this lineup who have the potential to
score 30 goals. It?s going to
happen. It has to happen.
I?ve got to believe it?s going to happen."
MacLean also expressed confidence in coach Gerard Gallant and his staff, despite cries from fans on radio talk shows and Internet message boards to make a move.
"That?s the way it is," MacLean said. "Fans direct (their anger) at management and coaches in pro sports. But I?ll tell you something: Coaching in the NHL, you work tremendously hard to get your team to play a sound, two-way game, which our team is playing right now.
"It?s not up to your coaching staff to teach offense. Gerard Gallant and (assistant coach) Gary Agnew are not going to teach Rick Nash to score goals. Same with Fredrik Modin, David Vyborny, Sergei Fedorov, Anson Carter and those guys. Coaches teach team defense, and your top players have to score.
"Now coaches can put the players in the best situation to create offense ? you put different lines together ? and they?ve really worked hard at trying that. Now they?re trying to stabilize those lines."
Changing coaches, MacLean said, "Is a total non-issue for me. It?s not even entered my mind."
In a tough, deep Western Conference, the Blue Jackets can?t afford to fall too far behind. They play host to Colorado on Wednesday and Calgary on Friday before heading to Detroit for a game Saturday. All are conference competitors.
"Yeah, we?re in 14 th place, but we have three games in hand on a lot of teams," MacLean said. "If we win these next two games, then all of a sudden we?re at .500 and everybody says, ?Oh, geez, we?ve had an outstanding start.?
"We just have to keep battling here. Our coaches have done a good job. I think they?ve done a good job keeping it together under tough circumstances."
MacLean acknowledged that the Blue Jackets stole a 2-0 home win Friday over Los Angeles. A 1-0 loss in New Jersey on Saturday was "one of the best road games we?ve played in a number of years, really."
MacLean remains confident and optimistic, even though the Blue Jackets have lost five of their past six games.
"It?s frustrating right now," MacLean said. "But in a way, I?m really excited about what I?ve seen, too. We?re 3-5-1 and we haven?t started scoring many goals yet.
"There?s disappointment, but there?s also potential excitement. I think we?re right there, I really do."
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