...a tradition of hope, passion, and misery
Tom Reed makes his first appearance on the WFNY Podcast to talk to me about his journey to the Plain Dealer.
I originally came to WFNY in the fall of 2008 with a proposal: there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Columbus Blue Jackets hockey coverage on your blog, but I love your blog, follow the team religiously, and write about sports on my own blog. Let’s join up!
That first year was great as I cut my teeth during the team’s first and only playoff run. It was fun to provide that coverage to the small sect of the WFNY readership that followed along with me. It has been fun, but as the past two years have unfolded it’s become clear that something just wasn’t fitting right here. When the great guys over at The Cannon approached me at season’s end about writing about the Jackets for/with them, it was too great an opportunity to pass up. So, we’re here to announce that going forward, essentially all of my Blue Jackets coverage will be moving to The Cannon. I will be writing for The Cannon on a day-to-day basis, and will trim back WFNY’s coverage to the weekly 5-Hole columns during the season and pertinent links in WWW each morning. I’ve also updated my Twitter handle to @DP_WFNY_Cannon as part of this move. [Read more...]
Editor’s Note: The following interview took place on March 29th, before the end of the season.
With another non-playoff season now in the books for the Blue Jackets, the writing is on the wall for General Manager Scott Howson: changes need to be made to the roster. As timing would have it, he has 12 free agents on his roster, including several defensemen which is an area of serious need. I had the chance to speak with Howson between periods at the 3/29 game vs. Florida, and I asked him a few questions about the upcoming off-season. I’ll have more next week about needs and prescriptions, but this should be a good kickoff for where the franchise sits now after two straight non-playoff seasons.
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 0-3-0, 0 points
Overall: 34-35-13, 81 points (5th division; 14th conference)
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 1-1-2, 4 points
Overall: 34-32-13, 81 points (5th division; 13th conference)
Blues 6, Blue Jackets 1
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 34-32-13, 81 pts
The Jackets were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday night in Washington, and St. Louis was eliminated this week as well. But, over the past few years, when these two teams have gotten together, the records and standings have taken a back seat. Bottom line: these two clubs just don’t like each other. And, that dislike usually finds a way to manifest itself in the play on the ice.
We didn’t see the physical play for most of the first half of this game, but we did see some shaky defensive zone play, some unfortunate bounces, and some flat out ugly play from the Jackets en route to a disappointing loss at home to the Blues. Oh, and once the scoreboard started to tilt, both teams decided to get plenty of shots in on each other.
Blue Jackets 3, Panthers 2 – SO
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 34-31-11, 79 pts
“Tonight was about trying some things different.” So said coach Scott Arniel afterward. With just seven games left on the schedule, the Jackets have been limping home. Awaiting them tonight in Nationwide Arena was a team from the Eastern Conference in the same boat. Columbus came in 10-3-2 against the East, and had already beaten Florida once this season. The Panthers came in with eight fewer points than Columbus, and just as bleak an outlook. Columbus came out early looking intent on bringing their best effort. But it would once again come down to a third period lead lost, and the Jackets struggling to put the puck in the net while staring the of-late nemesis—the shootout—squarely in the face.
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 0-2-1, 1 point
Overall: 33-31-11, 77 points (5th division; 13th conference)
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 1-2-1, 3 points
Overall: 33-29-10, 76 points (4th division; 12th conference)
Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2 – SO
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 32-27-10, 74 pts
The Jackets have been traditionally good against the East over the past four seasons. They would need that record to continue in a positive way, as they have gotten to the point of the season where they need two points basically every night.
They came out playing like they knew their playoff lives depended on it, registering eight of the first nine shots. And, while they had tons of chances to win this game in regulation and overtime, a hot opposing backup goaltender and their nemesis of late—the shootout—would decide it. It seemed early like the Jackets might be catching a break by facing Boston’s backup goalie, Tuukka Rask. At the end of the game, however, Rask would prove to be the difference.
Boston Bruins (38-21-9, 85pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (32-27-9, 73pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM
(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets – Follow me @WFNYDP from the press box tonight!
The projection seems to be that the Jackets have to win 10 or 11 of their last 14 games (think: 10-2-2 or 11-3 to get to 95 points). Well, they can’t win 10 games in one night. The first order of business is to win one game: the game in front of them. That’s tonight against another Eastern Conference foe, though this one is a division-leader. The Bruins are scuffling just a bit (0-2-2 in their last four), but prior to that had ripped off seven regulation wins in a row. Boston hasn’t played since Friday (loss to the Islanders), so they will be rested and ready to go.
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 1-1-1, 3 points
Overall: 32-27-9, 73 points (4th division; 12th conference)
St. Louis Blues (29-28-9, 67pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (31-26-8, 70pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH HD / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM
(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets
Forget all of the playoff talk. Forget all of the projections. Forget how many points, wins, and overtime losses the pundits (like myself) have been saying it will take to get into the playoffs. None of that matters anymore, because you can’t get to any of that without getting two points tonight. Tonight’s game is the only one that matters. That’s the attitude these Jackets are going to have to adopt if they plan on making it to the playoffs, as Scott Arniel still seems confident they will. You can’t make plans either way without bringing home two points tonight. That’s the bottom line.
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 0-2-2, 2 points
Overall: 31-26-8, 70 points (4th division; 12th conference)
Columbus Blue Jackets (31-24-7, 69pts) vs.
Edmonton Oilers (21-35-8, 50pts)
Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Thursday, March 3, 2011
9:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM
(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
The Jackets deserved a better fate on Tuesday night, givine the league-leading Vancouver Canucks all they could handle in their building, going to an eight-round shootout before falling. Still, the Jackets got a point that, on paper, they probably weren’t expected to get, and now have points in nine of their past 10 road games (6-1-3). Edmonton is at the bottom of the standings for the second straight year, and dealt away Dustin Penner on Monday. They’re also without several other key players. Even still, as the Jackets have learned at various points this year, Edmonton can still get after you with their young, talented, and speedy players. The Jackets need to bring their A-game, and more importantly given everything at stake, they simply HAVE to win this game.
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 2-1-0, 4 points
Overall: 31-24-6, 68 points (4th division; 12th conference)
Blue Jackets 5, Coyotes 3
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 31-23-6, 68 pts
We finally found a moment that looked too big for rookie winger Matt Calvert.
I wrote in my game preview that: “Calvert has been particularly impressive, as the rookie never looks overwhelmed. He skates hard, and wins battles for the puck despite his diminutive size. And, as Rick Nash pointed out Tuesday night after the game, his hands around the net have been as good as advertised.”
Three goals later, hats rained down from the Nationwide Arena rafters, and the look on Calvert’s face was priceless; he looked genuinely overwhelmed, alternating between a huge grin and an emotional expression. The only thing is: that’s one kind of overwhelmed you can live with. Calvert and the Jackets scored five unanswered goals after falling behind to keep their hot streak alive, and inched one step closer to the goal of the playoffs.
Phoenix Coyotes (33-20-9, 75pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (30-23-6, 66pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Friday, February 25, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH HD / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM
(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets
It was January 11th when these teams last met, also at Nationwide. The Jackets had just come off of a horrific four game road trip, and did end up losing to the Coyotes that night on a fluky third period goal. But, coach Scott Arniel points to that game as a turning point as to when the team really got back to playing their style of hockey. The results would bear that out. In the 16 games since, the Jackets are 10-3-3. Advantage: Jackets? Maybe not so fast. The Coyotes have been as hot as anyone, finally losing on Wednesday in Tampa after ripping off eight straight wins.
Blue Jackets 4, Predators 0
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 30-23-6, 66 pts
What better way to kick off a huge stretch of games than to welcome in your arch-nemesis? So it was that the Nashville Predators invaded Nationwide Arena. Gone are the games the Jackets can look for positives in a loss; essentially every game from here on out feels like a must-win.
One thing we all knew is that it would be a physical, tight-checking game, as it always seems to be with these two squads. In that respect, they did not disappoint. But, in terms of the “must win” aspect of the game, when the third period and winning time rolled around, the Jackets announced that they got the message loud and clear.
Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole brings you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
This Week: 1-0-1, 3 points
Overall: 29-23-6, 64 points (4th division; 12th conference)
WFNY Podcasts
