Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Columbus+Blue+Jackets
Blue Jackets Send Filatov Down to the AHL
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/10/10 at 06:25 PM ET
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from the Columbus Blue Jackets:
The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned forward Nikita Filatov to the Springfield Falcons, the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, Blue Jackets Executive Vice President and General Manager Scott Howson announced today. The club also announced that forward Tom Sestito has been recalled from Springfield.
Filatov, 20, has collected seven assists and eight penalty minutes with a +3 plus/minus rating in 23 games with Columbus this season. He has registered 6-7-13, 16 penalty minutes and is +6 in 44 career NHL games over the past three seasons with the Blue Jackets. The club’s first pick, sixth overall, in the 2008 Entry Draft, Filatov collected 16-16-32 and 24 penalty minutes in 39 AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch in 2008-09. He split last season between Columbus and KHL’s CSKA.
Sestito, 23, has tallied six goals and 11 assists for 17 points with 81 penalty minutes and an even plus/minus rating in 17 games with Springfield this season, leading the club in penalty minutes and tying for second in assists and third in points. He has picked up 24 penalty minutes in four career NHL games with the Blue Jackets, including seven penalty minutes in three games in 2009-10.
Click here for more.
Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Nikita+Filatov, Tom+Sestito,
Could Columbus Get…
by Paul on 12/05/07 at 11:27 AM ET
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from Puck-rakers,
One third of the way into the season, trade rumors and other forms of player movement seem to be picking up. Blue Jackets fans—a few of them, anyway—are clamoring for GM Scott Howson to make a move.
Our opinion: Read the play and show a little patience, as the best deals may be a couple of weeks (or months) away.
continued... Lecavlier, Jokinen and Stoll talk plus a little Recchi…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, trade+rumors,
All Fedorov
by Paul on 11/30/07 at 07:14 AM ET
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from Hockey Adventure,
HockeyAdventure.com: How about you? You’re unrestricted at the end of the year. How much longer would you like to play?
Sergei Fedorov: I don’t know. Hopefully a couple more years.
HockeyAdventure.com: Still hungry?
Sergei Fedorov: Yeah, I still love the game. I like the challenges and the communication with the younger guys. Obviously they have quite a few questions about what’s going on. It’s still fun for me.
more Q & A with Sergei…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, Sergei+Fedorov,
Line Of The Day
by Paul on 11/29/07 at 02:10 PM ET
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from Puck-rakers,
Hitchcock was asked if he was planning to “go with Malarchuk” tonight against the Canucks:
“Hey, he wasn’t bad for a guy in the 1970s. I don’t think you’ll see him (Thursday night). It was hard enough to get him out there for practice. He kept holding out for a better deal. We didn’t get it done until right before practice.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Clint+Malarchuk, columbus+blue+jackets, ken+hitchcock,
MacLean Still On The Mind Of Columbus
by Paul on 11/28/07 at 07:27 AM ET
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from Puck-rakers,
Now, it’s highly unlikely the deal in Tampa will go through. It’ll take a minor miracle for it all to get settled and go through before the end of the season. Thus, the Blue Jackets will have to keep on paying MacLean. The remainder they owe is about $450,000.
That money would come in handy right about now if general manager Scott Howson is eagerly working the trade market. Certainly, that would be some nice “play money” at the trade deadline.
A $450,000 chunk doesn’t sound like much. But if a $1.8 million player is acquired at the trade deadline, the salary he’s owed the rest of the season—about 1/4 of the way to go—is roughly $450,000. There are some pretty good $1.8M players out there.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, Doug+MacLean, scott+howson,
Westcott Out With Another Concussion
by Paul on 11/28/07 at 07:00 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott likely suffered yet another concussion Saturday, ruling him out of the club’s short-term plans and calling into question his NHL future.
The news yesterday was not good.
“We’ll wait for the doctors to tell us (what’s next),” general manager Scott Howson said. “But we have been told that he’s symptomatic.”
Detroit’s Niklas Kronvall slammed Westcott into the boards late in the game Saturday in Nationwide Arena.
Westcott’s head did not appear to be struck, but his body was jolted.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, concussions, Duvie+Westcott,
Nash On The Same Page With Hitchcock
by Paul on 11/27/07 at 09:20 AM ET
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from the Edmonton Journal,
“You can get your workers to buy in every night,” Hitchcock said Monday. “But if you can get your skill guys to buy into that (defence-first system), that’s how you win.”
Nash readily admits he and his teammates have bought Hitchcock’s system, the one that drove sniper Brett Hull to distraction when he played under Hitchcock in Dallas.
And Hitchcock noted that, apart from his own tutelage, his charges have an ongoing living lab in how to play sound defence sitting right there atop the Central Division - the Detroit Red Wings.
“They’re the gold standard,” Hitchcock said of the Wings’ textbook all-around game. “(Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg - they all check.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, ken+hitchcock, Rick+Nash,
Pascal Leclaire Leaves Game In Loss To Edmonton
by Paul on 11/27/07 at 06:51 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Goaltender Pascal Leclaire, whose early career has been dogged by leg injuries, left the game at 5:58 of the second period, complaining of a tight hamstring.
After the game, the Blue Jackets—from coach Ken Hitchcock to Leclaire himself—stressed that the injury was minor, that Leclaire might be out only a brief while, if he missed any time at all.
“We’ll see how it is (today),” Leclaire said. “But I don’t have any sharp pain or anything.
“It’s more like a tweak, but it’s not something I wanted to take a chance on.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, goalies, Pascal+Leclaire,
Howson In The Right Place
by Paul on 11/26/07 at 09:47 AM ET
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from the Edmonton Journal,
Howson isn’t only a detail man, obviously. He has to paint the big picture for a franchise that has yet to make the NHL playoffs. Where the Jackets are headed and how they will get there depends on Howson as much as it does Hitchcock and the players. Fortunately, coach and GM complement one another.
“His strengths really balance with me. He’s a really patient, big-picture guy who sees things in months and years and I fight the daily fight, like all coaches do,” said Hitchcock. “Because he was a player at all levels, his ability to understand the team mindset at the end of competition is calming for me. You’re able to move past the emotion of the game and that’s important for me….”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, ken+hitchcock, Scott+Howson,
Stay Out Of Hitch’s Way
by Paul on 11/23/07 at 07:51 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Hitchcock ambled in with a smirk-smile on his face and a massive monkey wrench in his belt. The cast-iron wrench is a good tool. It can twist a nut. It works as a hammer or a back scratcher. Sometimes, it’s handy just for show.
Hitchcock installed his system. Now, hockey systems can be overrated, as one does not differ much from another. The important thing is consistency, and Hitchcock was consistent: “Do this, do this because it works, and if you do not do this, you will not play.” Then, he held up the monkey wrench.
Critical point: Nobody interfered.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, Ken+Hitchcock,
Becoming A Team
by Paul on 11/20/07 at 06:35 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
“We are very together,” center Sergei Fedorov said earlier this month. “We know each other, we like each other, and we’re playing for each other, and that is not a small, little thing.
“Before you can do anything else in this league, first, you have to be a team.”
Now 20 games into the season, a pretty clear picture of the Blue Jackets has emerged.
more including Columbus could use more scoring…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, sergei+fedorov,
Hockey The Way It Was Meant To Be Played
by Paul on 11/19/07 at 10:19 AM ET
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from Puck-rackers,
Conversely, when I watch a game like tonight’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Red Wings, I wonder why hockey isn’t the most popular sport in our country. If this was your first game, you’re coming back Wednesday when they host Florida. You’re considering an apartment in the Arena District, picking out a jersey in the gift shop, firing up Cannon Fodder ...
Why do we watch sports? To see people do things that we can’t. That’s what I’ve always believed, anyway. Last night, that sort of jaw-dropping talent was on full display. You can appreciate it more if you’re in the building, especially in hockey.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, detroit+red+wings,
Pascal Leclaire Goes To School
by Paul on 11/19/07 at 10:08 AM ET
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from The Lantern,
“Goaltenders by reputation are quirky, to say the least,” Sharrock said. “Pazzy (Leclaire) is the most down-to-earth, I don’t want to say normal, but I will, he’s probably the most normal goaltender that I’ve ever been around.”
Ohio State students in a French 104 class will have the opportunity to see how “normal” Leclaire really is when he visits today from 2-3 p.m. in Hagerty Hall 145.
Leclaire, a native of Repentigny, Quebec, grew up in the French-speaking Canadian province. The visit is an opportunity for the class to get a personal perspective on the people, language and culture of Quebec, one of the French-speaking areas the class is studying.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, goalies, Pascal+Leclaire,
Open Practice
by Paul on 11/16/07 at 06:09 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The NHL, unlike other major sports leagues, does not have lucrative national television contracts. The Blue Jackets rely heavily on gate receipts and recognize the value of letting fans attend free practices in the Ice Haus adjacent to the arena.
“We’re not in a position to be losing fans,” left winger Rick Nash said.
Fans can learn a lot about the sport, Hitchcock said, by attending practices. Former Tampa Bay Lightning coach Terry Crisp used to run one session a season wearing a microphone to educate the crowd.
“To me, the most fun is watching how a team performs in practice and how the coach yells and how many swear words he uses,” Hitchcock said.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, fans, ken+hitchcock, rick+nash,
Fighting Rick Nash
by Paul on 11/15/07 at 07:59 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
What was Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock thinking when he saw his best player dropping the gloves with a notorious knucklehead?
“I hope he doesn’t hurt his hand,” Hitchcock said.
And what was Nash thinking?
“It’s part of the game,” Nash said. “He (Vandermeer) threw a couple of cheap shots during the game, a couple of cross-checks. We fought. No big deal. Boller (Jared Boll) and Shell (Jody Shelley) fight all the time.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, fighting, ken+hitchcock, Rick+Nash,
Columbus Needs To “Bring It” Every Night
by Paul on 11/14/07 at 07:17 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The Blue Jackets, despite years of picking high in the draft, have fewer dynamic players than just about any other club in the Western Conference, save Phoenix.
The Blue Jackets can’t beat clubs on autopilot. The only way they can be successful is when they play a high-octane, borderline reckless brand of hockey.
“It’s not enough for us to match the energy of our opponents,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We have to bring more energy than they have. We have to outplay them in that aspect of the game, or we’re going to struggle.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, ken+hitchcock,
Wings Lose “Soft” Tag
by Paul on 11/10/07 at 07:59 AM ET
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from Puck-rakers at the Columbus Dispatch,
Random thoughts on the Blue Jackets’ 4-1 loss to the Red Wings tonight at Joe Louis Arena.
Nashville coach Barry Trotz is right—these Red Wings are no longer soft around the edges. They were every bit as physical as the Blue Jackets. Niklas Kronwall’s hit on Sergei Fedorov absolutely set the tone for the game. Fedorov ended up taking a penalty moments later and the Red Wings scored on the power play.
—All the Red Wings’ goals were the result of hard work in front of the net or the willingness to drive to the net.
more on the Blue Jackets…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, detroit+red+wings, niklas+kronwall, sergei+fedorov,
Measuring Stick Game Tonight For Columbus
by Paul on 11/09/07 at 07:34 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson is still getting a read on the club, measuring strengths and weaknesses.
A game like tonight’s could expose both of those.
“Detroit is the best team in the NHL, probably right there with Ottawa,” Howson said. “You could call it a barometer game for us, absolutely.
“I thought the Anaheim games (earlier this season) were those kind of games, too, and we fared pretty well. But you always want to measure yourself against the best.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, detroit+red+wings,
Jody Shelley Proud Of Columbus Success
by Paul on 11/07/07 at 09:44 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
“Driving in some days, you feel like you’re going to go out on the ice and run through the boards,” Shelley said Sunday night as he watched the Jackets play the St. Louis Blues. He was sitting alone in a darkened booth on press row, just below the rafters.
Shelley is—or was—primarily an enforcer. But there are fewer fights in the NHL. There is also a greater importance on special teams, so agitation is a more delicate art. In the Jackets’ case, they have this kid Jared Boll who knows how to irritate, and skate, and hit.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, Jody+Shelley,
Blue Jackets Getting National Attention
by Paul on 11/06/07 at 06:52 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Melrose credits the structure created by coach Ken Hitchcock, the commitment of the players and the goaltending of Leclaire as the major factors in the Blue Jackets’ turnaround. Several national hockey pundits expressed similar opinions about a team that began yesterday with the NHL’s third-best record.
“I don’t think anyone can truly say they saw this coming,” said Brian Engblom, an analyst for the Versus television network and a former Blue Jackets television color commentator.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Leclaire Seeing Shots & Stopping Shots
by Paul on 11/05/07 at 04:46 PM ET
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from the STATS Blog,
The Columbus Blue Jackets are the surprise team in the early going, and their goaltender, Pascal Leclaire, has been stellar, posting a league-high five shutouts in his nine starts. It shouldn’t come as a shock that Leclaire, who turns 25 on Wednesday, also ranks first among his peers with a 1.12 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.
In the last 10 days, Leclaire has secured wins despite facing his two highest shot totals of the season. On Oct. 25, he faced a season-high 36 and stopped all of them for a 3-0 win over St. Louis. In Los Angeles on Halloween, Leclaire was 33-for-34 in a 4-1 decision against the Kings. He hasn’t lost when facing 30 shots.
read on for some interesting stats when goalies face a high amount of shots…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, goalies, Pascal+Leclaire,
The “New” Zherdev
by Paul on 11/05/07 at 05:46 AM ET
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from Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch,
Nash said as much when he was asked about the difference between the 2006 Zherdev and the 2007 model.
“I think the biggest thing is his work ethic,” Nash said. “He’s out there every single shift working 110 percent. And that was a team problem in general, not just him. Last year, a lot of the guys were taking nights off, myself included.”
Zherdev didn’t single-handedly hold the Blue Jackets below their potential, even if he seems to be a glistening example now. While the change in Zherdev’s play seems incredible, it likely started during the summer when Howson and coach Ken Hitchcock made a special trip to Ottawa to meet with Zherdev and his agent, Rollie Hedges.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, Nikolai+Zherdev, rick+nash,
Blue Jackets Get A Taste Of Playoff Hockey
by Paul on 11/03/07 at 09:56 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
After six NHL seasons, the Blue Jackets might have gotten their first taste of “playoff hockey” Thursday night.
Defenseman Adam Foote, who won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche, knows. So does coach Ken Hitchcock, who guided the Dallas Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup.
“That was playoff hockey,” Foote said. “That right there is as close as you can get in the regular season.
“It’s real good experience for us, especially for some of the younger guys. It’s a different level you have to get to, and we showed we were up for it under some pretty tough circumstances.”
Hitchcock corrected a reporter who asked if he considered the loss a “good” point in the standings.
“No, no,” Hitchcock said. “This is a great point for our hockey club….”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Masked Men In Columbus & LA
by Paul on 10/31/07 at 09:21 AM ET
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from E.J. Hradek at ESPN,
Halloween is a time for masks, right?
That being the case, I guess I should talk about the two masked men who’ll likely face one another Wednesday night in Hollywood.
Those two goaltenders are the Kings’ Jason LaBarbera and the Blue Jackets’ Pascal Leclaire. The Kings bring a four-game winning streak into their meeting with the Jackets, who are on their own three-game roll.
I’ll start with the 24-year-old Leclaire, who might be living up to the billing that led the Jackets to select him with the eighth overall pick in the 2001 draft.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, goalies, los+angeles+kings,
Winning The Faceoff
by Paul on 10/31/07 at 07:18 AM ET
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from The Columbus Dispatch,
There seems to be a consensus, however, that faceoffs include ample strategy, gamesmanship and as much cheating as any other facet of the sport.
“I don’t think the average fan understands them,” said Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis, a center who played 23 NHL seasons. “They aren’t glamorous, but people inside the game know how important they are.”
The Blue Jackets, enjoying their best start in franchise history, never have finished higher than 12th in faceoff percentage. Three times in six seasons they ranked in the bottom third of the league.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Hitchcock Work Ethic Taking Hold
by IwoCPO on 10/29/07 at 07:00 AM ET
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From the Columbus Dispatch,
In crafting a franchise-best 6-3-1 start, the Blue Jackets have shown three traits—three strengths they can count on when the puck drops every night.
1. Playing hard
2. Playing stifling team defense
3. Killing penalties
Continued...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Columbus Improves With Top PK Unit
by Paul on 10/28/07 at 07:58 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The Blue Jackets have allowed three power-play goals this season, and coach Ken Hitchcock remembers all three of them.
“Two of them were a problem with us rotating,” he said, “and the other was a lack of communication on zone entry.”...
“We wanted to create a terrific sense of pride in killing penalties. Never mind giving up goals … we don’t like to give up scoring chances.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
The Other Teams In The Central
by Paul on 10/26/07 at 08:28 AM ET
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from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,
As (Andy) Murray said, “I thought there was parity there last year, too, between Chicago, Columbus and St. Louis. The only difference is that the parity is at a higher level.”
The three teams were a collective 79-77-21 after their coaching changes last season. They are 15-11-1 this morning. The Central Division is no longer comprised of Detroit, Nashville, Curly, Larry and Moe. The Stooges are gone.
As Hitchcock said, “Somebody has to make the playoffs other than Detroit. Whether you get a second- or a third-place team in the playoffs, it’s going to be somebody.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: chicago+blackhawks, columbus+blue+jackets, st+louis+blues,
Rick Nash Highlight
by Alanah McGinley on 10/26/07 at 12:33 AM ET
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From Rusty Miller at the AP,
It was the type of move a player usually tries late in a long practice. The right situation presented itself in a game for Columbus’ Rick Nash, however, and it will undoubtedly be a staple on all the highlight shows.
Nash scored in his fifth straight game, this one an almost indescribable goal on a shot between his legs…
Watch the video…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, rick+nash,
The Other Team In Columbus
by Paul on 10/25/07 at 03:40 PM ET
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from The Other Paper,
Nash, an alternate captain, spent less than three minutes Sunday answering questions about the Jackets’ ineffective power play. Then the media horde—all seven reporters—moved across the room to see what team captain Adam Foote had to say.
In contrast, just three miles or so to the north, five times that number of reporters gather for comments from Ohio State’s quarterback every week. In fact, more reporters gang up on OSU’s third-string running back than on Nash at home games.
Playing hockey in Columbus is no way to become a celebrity. If Nash were playing in Canada, there’s no doubt he’d have fame to match his $5.5 million salary. It’s common for 30 TV cameras to crowd into Air Canada Centre in Toronto after Maple Leafs games.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, rick+nash,
Hitchcock & “The Boss”
by Paul on 10/24/07 at 04:13 PM ET
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from Adam Kimelman at NHL.com,
Hitchcock did catch a Springsteen show at the United Center in Chicago on Oct. 22, so he was able to scratch that itch, but it was a chance meeting a few years ago in Philadelphia that turned Hitchcock into a fan of the New Jersey-born singer-songwriter.
Thanks to a friendship between Flyers equipment manager Anthony “Rock” Oratorio and a guitar technician who was part of Springsteen’s tour group, Hitchcock was able to attend a Springsteen sound check the day of a show at Lincoln Financial Field.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Hockey Related Stories | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Columbus Beats Chicago - All Impressed By Kane
by Paul on 10/24/07 at 06:28 AM ET
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from Puck-rakers, a Blue Jackets blog at the Columbus Dispatch,
Hitchcock on Kane: “(The coaching staff) was trying to figure out a player you could compare him to. We haven’t found the right guy yet. If you’re sitting here in Chicago, a hockey fan, you’ve got to be thinking that you’ve got a chance over the next 10 or 15 years to watch this guy play hockey. He has an ability like very few players.”
Michael Peca on Kane: “I think he’s dynamite. He’s got that nose for the puck. I love watching guys like that. I know he was No. 1 overall and there are a lot of expectations. But a lot of people like to knock the little guys. I’d take his skill over the size of some guys in this league. He’s going to be a 100-point guy year after year after year.”
more on the Blue Jackets
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: chicago+blackhawks, columbus+blue+jackets, michael+peca, Patrick+Kane,
Blue Jackets Thinking About Luongo
by Paul on 10/21/07 at 09:02 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The puck drops for the Blue Jackets against the Canucks today in Nationwide Arena.
But will it ever get past Luongo?
“I’ve played against him a lot of nights when it’s … well, it’s never impossible, but it seems like it,” said Blue Jackets left winger Fredrik Modin, who saw a lot of Luongo—too much, he might say—when Modin played for Tampa Bay and Luongo played for Florida two seasons ago.
“Guys get frustrated. What would be goals against other goalies, Luongo saves. So you feel like you have to be perfect to beat him, and it gets into your head.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, goalies, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
Columbus Trying To Play Sabres Way
by Paul on 10/20/07 at 08:24 AM ET
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from Puck-rakers,
“We’re learning the lessons with our team that Buffalo learned five or six years ago,” Hitchcock said. “This team (the Sabres) never gets the credit for the work they put in. Yeah, they can finish (their chances), but it’s not like the other team gives them the puck and says, ‘Have a go at it.’
“They win all the races to the puck and do something with it. That’s why it looks like you get overwhelmed with their speed.
“That’s the kind of game we are learning how to play.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Modin Out With Groin Tear
by Paul on 10/17/07 at 02:00 PM ET
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from Puck-rakers,
Left winger Fredrik Modin has a small tear in his groin. That’s what the MRI revealed yesterday. Modin is expected to miss 7 to 10 days.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, Fredrik+Modin, injuries,
Columbus Still Looking For #1 Center
by Paul on 10/16/07 at 07:21 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
At practice yesterday, Michael Peca became the seventh forward since training camp opened to audition for the role skating between Nash and Nikolai Zherdev.
Since an opening-night 4-0 win over Anaheim, the Blue Jackets’ top four scorers from a season ago—David Vyborny, Nash, Fredrik Modin and Sergei Fedorov—have combined for one point.
Vyborny had been the one constant for Nash, but yesterday, the Blue Jackets’ right winger found himself on a line with Fedorov and Curtis Glencross.
“I don’t think we have gotten the continuity yet offensively that we thought we would have,” Hitchcock said.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets,
Wayne Gretzky on Rick Nash
by Alanah McGinley on 10/10/07 at 02:32 PM ET
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From the Puck-Rakers at The Columbus Dispatch,
Following morning skate on Wednesday, Gretzky offered his assessment of Nash:
“There are few guys in the league of that caliber at power forward. He goes to the net and sees the ice extremely well. Good goal scorers have one thing in common: They love to score, they can never score enough.
“Everyone likes to score, but good goals scorers love to score. There is no question (Nash) loves to score goals.
more comments from Gretzky
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Fitness Counts In Columbus
by Paul on 10/10/07 at 08:57 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Barry Brennan is the Jackets’ strength and conditioning coach. He laid out offseason regimens for each player. The regimens were detailed. All a player had to do was check the date, read the requirement—and do it.
“We needed to think a little bit outside the box and really apply ourselves,” Brennan said. “To play the style Hitch wants us to play, and to sustain it, we needed to be bigger and stronger. Hitch told the players that we need to be the fittest team in the league. It made things easier for me. I had a little more of a hammer.”
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Columbus Fans Ready For A Playoff Chase
by Paul on 10/05/07 at 09:11 AM ET
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from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,
It’s going to be an interesting season. Can new GM Scott Howson build something? Can coach Ken Hitchcock do anything with overpaid leftovers and wet-eared kids? Is there any leadership in the locker room? Any fire? Is the younger talent worth a reinvestment? A good number of fans, thousands of jaded consumers, are taking a wait-and-see posture. That’s fair enough.
If there’s a mere glimmer of hope, they’ll be back. And if there’s something more, they’ll be filling the building before long. Good God, if there’s just a whiff of the playoffs, Columbus will be gripped by the chase.
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Blue Jacket Vets on IR
by Alanah McGinley on 10/03/07 at 12:01 AM ET
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From the AP via TSN,
The Blue Jackets could start the season without as many as three of their top veteran players.
The club announced Tuesday that defenceman Adam Foote, left winger Fredrik Modin and centre Michael Peca would be put on injured reserve. The Blue Jackets open their season on Friday night at home against the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks.
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Columbus Plans For Their Top Players
by Paul on 10/02/07 at 06:41 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Sergei Fedorov will center the Blue Jackets’ first line in the opener between Rick Nash and David Vyborny. Fedorov did not play between the wingers during the preseason.
Hitchcock said Fedorov, 37, earned the right with his performance over the last three exhibition games. The coach said Fedorov will not kill penalties in an effort to limit his minutes.
Nikolai Zherdev will play extensively on the penalty-killing units, Hitchcock said. He believes the winger is a smart player who doesn’t get enough credit for his work on the defensive end. Nash also will be a penalty-killing regular.
more on the Blue Jackets…
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Blue Jackets Shooting For Playoffs
by Paul on 09/30/07 at 06:55 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Hitchcock has never missed the Stanley Cup playoffs when he has spent the entire season behind the bench.
“I take a lot of pride in that,” he said.
“There’s nobody talking about our team who is picking us in the top 12 of the conference,” Hitchcock said. “There’s nobody. What they’re missing is that this is a very competitive group of players. I can see it. I know it’s there. But you can’t measure it until we start the competition.”
“I start every season assuming we’re going to make the playoffs,” Hitchcock said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. But we’ve come a long, long way in a pretty short amount of time.
“That’s all I’m going to say.”
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Tough Approach
by Paul on 09/29/07 at 07:24 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The Blue Jackets lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in a nine-round shootout in front of 15,713 in the RBC Center. But, this being the exhibition season, the score is merely an aside.
“We’re going to be the toughest team in the league this year,” Fritsche said. “What this should tell everybody is that we’re not going to back down from anybody. If there’s an issue, our five guys are going to be right in the middle of it before their five guys are. That’s just the way it’s going to be.
“So, I’d say, yeah, we’re going to have a lot of nights like this.”
There were 39 penalties for 142 penalty minutes, including eight fighting majors, 12 roughing minors, three 10-minute misconducts and two game misconducts.
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Boom- More Rumors Shot Down
by Paul on 09/27/07 at 11:03 AM ET
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from Puck-rakers at the Columbus Dispatch,
A certain Web site has suggested the Blue Jackets are in hot pursuit of a Vancouver Canucks center. Also, that the Blue Jackets are fixin’ to trade Nikolai Zherdev to the Edmonton OIilers for a draft pick.
Let’s break this down: Which Canucks center? Brendan Morrison? Doubt it. He centers Markus Naslund on the Canucks’ No. 1A line. If they trade him, who’s the No. 1 center? That creates a huge hole in the lineup of a club that already struggles to score goals.
read on & thanks to Spector for the pointer…
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Columbus Searching For #1 Center
by Paul on 09/26/07 at 07:09 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Asked yesterday if he were any closer to finding one, he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
“We are still looking at things right now,” Hitchcock said.
Eight days from the season opener against the Stanley Cup-champion Anaheim Ducks, Hitchcock remains uncertain who will play between wingers Rick Nash and David Vyborny.
more on the Blue Jackets…
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Rookie Dman Impressive In Columbus
by Paul on 09/25/07 at 06:15 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Kris Russell, the Blue Jackets’ prized 20-year-old defenseman, has what they call “hockey sense.” What is this rare quality? It’s difficult to give a complete answer, but for those who possess the quality, the game seems logical.
“It’s amazing watching him,” Rick Nash said as he watched Russell from the press box in Nationwide Arena on Sunday night, when the Jackets played an exhibition against the Buffalo Sabres….
Russell is in his third Blue Jackets camp, trying to make the big club right out of juniors. He’s dealing with bigger, faster players coming at him at a speed he has rarely encountered. Most defensemen need years of seasoning before their decision-making processes, and their confidence, are up to NHL standards. Russell is an exception. He has a cool head. And he has been the Jackets’ best defenseman, bar none, to this point in training camp. They can’t cut him. He won’t be in Syracuse. Watch.
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Columbus Owner Discusses His Team
by Paul on 09/23/07 at 07:05 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
With a new leadership group intact, and with the Blue Jackets’ seventh NHL season drawing near, McConnell sat down with The Dispatch last week for his first public comments since MacLean’s firing.
Question: What are your expectations for the 2007-08 season?
Answer: I say the same thing every year, but I think we’re going to win, I think we’re going to be better. Better than last year, for sure.
Q: Blue Jackets fans have never had a chance to watch a winning hockey club. How tenuous do you feel the fan base is right now?
A: It might be a little bit. But I think with the changes we’ve made, the fans are going to stick with us. They want to see how the new regime works out….
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Bouchard Making His Own Breaks
by Paul on 09/21/07 at 08:55 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Joel Bouchard lay in a Dallas hospital seven years ago with his mother at his side and doctors working to stave off an infection that nearly killed him.
Some details remain sketchy, Bouchard said, but while fighting off a 105.1-degree temperature he distinctly recalled feeling angry.
Not at fate. Not at God. Not even at the physician who misdiagnosed the spinal meningitis days earlier.
“I was mad at myself,” said Bouchard, a 33-year-old hockey journeyman. “I didn’t feel like I was where I wanted to be in life—personally or professionally. I felt like I had become complacent and underachieving and I told myself, ‘If I get out of here, I’m going to do something about it.”
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Foote & Fedorov Hope To Define Their Roles
by Paul on 09/16/07 at 06:29 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
Last week, both acknowledged frustration with their Blue Jackets careers, and they shouldered some of that blame. But in the wake of front-office shuffling in the offseason, Foote and Fedorov vowed that different days lie ahead, both for their own careers and for the Blue Jackets’ success on the ice.
“I want to have more fun here,” Foote said. “I want to win.”
Fedorov put it another way: “I came to training camp excited as hell.”
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