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Category: Columbus-Blue-Jackets

John Davidson Impressed With Columbus

by Paul on 10/14/12 at 05:40 PM ET
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from Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers,

After a "whirlwind" weekend in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, John Davidson has returned to St. Louis to contemplate his next step.

"It was a good weekend," Davidson told The Dispatch today via text message. "My wife and I were treated very well. All first class. No decisions yet, as this has been a whirlwind. This will be an important decision for myself, my family and for the Blue Jackets. They have a great set-up there, and we were very impressed with the city."

Davidson would not say if the Blue Jackets had extended him a contract offer.

continued

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Report- Davidson Meeting With The Blue Jackets This Weekend

by Paul on 10/12/12 at 09:13 AM ET
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from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,

John Davidson, one of the NHL’s most respected figures during 40 years as a player, broadcaster and executive, will travel to Columbus this weekend for follow-up interviews with Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell and president Mike Priest, sources told The Dispatch.

The three first gathered on May 29 in Nationwide Arena, while Davidson was president of the St. Louis Blues. Just last week Davidson agreed to a contract buyout with the Blues, and in an interview last weekend expressed interest in the possibility of working for the Blue Jackets.

Apparently, the feeling is mutual. In addition to the interview process, sources said Davidson and his wife, Diana, will be given a tour of Columbus neighborhoods and suburbs.

Both Davidson and Priest declined comment yesterday.

It’s unclear how Davidson would fit within the Blue Jackets’ hockey operations department, but it’s widely assumed around the NHL that he would need the promise of complete autonomy, just as he had with the Blues since joining them as president in 2006.

read on

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Morning Line

by Paul on 10/06/12 at 09:25 AM ET
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“If (my next stop) is Columbus, I can tell you this: That hockey club is better than the one we took over in St. Louis. That club was way, way down the ladder. But this Blue Jackets team is not that far off. There are some pieces there to work with, absolutely. They’ve got some real players there.”

-John Davidson,who recently parted ways with the St. Louis Blues.  More on Davidson from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.

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Finding Their Identity In Columbus

by Paul on 08/29/12 at 02:14 PM ET
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from Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News,

In the late 1980s, pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A. changed the face of hip hop with their us-against-the-world take on life. Nearly 25 years later, the Columbus Blue Jackets have echoed those three famous letters for that team's new marketing campaign and you couldn't find a more worthy franchise to identify with the hip hop crew's tales of alienation.

Now, the team’s “Defend NWA” battle cry has nothing to do with drive-by shootings and dice games and instead stands for “Defend Nationwide Arena,” home of the Blue Jackets. But the reason those outside of Ohio have taken notice of the campaign online is obviously because of the association with the group formed by Eazy-E in Compton, Calif.

And I say the Blue Jackets embrace it.

After all, this is Year Zero for the franchise. Hip hop's N.W.A. was effectively over when rapper Ice Cube left in a financial dispute, becoming a successful solo artist (later followed by Dr. Dre). Columbus just lost its greatest artist of all-time, Rick Nash – but instead of declining, the Jackets have a chance to rise up and stake a new identity.

continued

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Trying To Prepare For Camp

by Paul on 08/28/12 at 12:56 PM ET
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from Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers, 

It's a strange time for players.

Most of them are preparing as if the NHL and NHL players' association will get a deal done in advance of a lockout, even with the knowledge that they'll be barred from entering NHL rinks as of Sept. 15 if a deal is not in place. (Lockouts are ugly, folks.)

But some of them, especially the young guys it seems, are uncertain how to proceed.

Defenseman Ryan Murray has spent the last couple of days in Toronto at the NHLPA Showcase for prospects. By his estimate, he signed "2,000 or 3,000 autographs" on Monday, most of them going to charitable causes. As for when he'll head to Columbus, that's up in the air.

This is unusual, as young players usually try to arrive early and get to know their surroundings and future teammates as much as possible before camp. Murray said he's been here once since the draft -- development camp in early July.

continued

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The Blue Jackets Get A New Scoreboard

by Paul on 08/27/12 at 11:25 AM ET
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from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, 

Today, a tractor-trailer will pull slowly onto the arena floor carrying the “mother lode” pieces of the crown jewel in this summer’s $6.4 million renovation project: a state-of-the-art, high-definition scoreboard that dwarfs the old model in both size and capability.

“There’s going to be a huge ‘Wow!’ factor,” said Blue Jackets director of game operations Derek Dawley. “I can’t wait to see the look on people’s faces when they experience this for the first time.”
It will be hard to miss, although a potential NHL lockout could delay its unveiling.

The new scoreboard, built by Brookings, S.D.-based Daktronics, will have 2,630 square feet of viewing space vs. the old one’s 576 square feet, a 357 percent increase. The main board on each of the four sides will be 25 feet wide and 15.5 feet high (387.5 square feet) vs. the old 16-by-9 (144 square feet).

It’s all in high-definition, too, which — like electric cars and iPods — wasn’t available when Nationwide was being built in the late 1990s.

read on

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Huselius Says He Was Rushed Into The Columbus Lineup

by Paul on 08/23/12 at 12:47 PM ET
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from Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers,

As of last week, former Blue Jackets left winger Kristian Huselius still had not been medically cleared following an injury he suffered last December. But a stranger situation developed this summer, when Huselius stopped returning the Blue Jackets phone calls or other attempts to reach him….

In a story published today in Sweden’s Aftenbladet, Huselius said he was forced to return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup last season before his body was ready for the rigors of NHL play.Here is his direct quote, translated from Swedish to English via Bing! translator.

“I had not a single practice with the team before coming back,” Huselius said. “I had one game to get acclimated. Then I went into (the next) NHL game and played 21 minutes. I think they acted wrong against me. My groin broke in the second game. I had not built up muscle mass and was not fit or ready to play.

“Columbus was in a vulnerable position and was out of playoffs. Perhaps it was this situation that made that they wanted to bet everything on one card.“s.

read on

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Finishing Last

by Paul on 08/07/12 at 04:18 PM ET
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from The Hockey News,

Starting today, we’ll unveil our predictions for the 15th-ranked teams in each conference, as well as short explanations of our rationale for the decision. Each day thereafter – excluding weekends – the next two teams will be posted online, until we get to the top two from each conference.

15 NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Why: Eventually this team is going to take a step forward and it’s probably going to come out of nowhere to surprise everyone. That’s the general feeling around this team and though a few THN staffers feel the Isles are on the cusp of moving on up, it always comes back to the fact they’re stuck in the difficult Atlantic Division….

15 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Why: More accurately, the explanation here should be preceeded by “why not?” The Blue Jackets traded away their only star and didn’t inspire any fans with the return; Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky don’t provide any more security as a tandem than Mason did alone; and the depth of talent on this team is lacking….

more on each team…

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Evening Line

by Paul on 07/29/12 at 08:01 PM ET
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No matter where you choose to place the blame for Nash’s departure – management or player – trading the franchise player is a sad day for any franchise. It’s not the end of the world, and certainly not the end of the franchise. But it represents the end of an era in Columbus, one that held such promise but never quite delivered. Over the last few days, more than a few people have reached out via email or Twitter to say that their family members – sons, daughters, moms, etc. – actually cried last Monday when he was traded. Most hardcore sports fans will understand that type of emotional response to sports (especially if you root for the Browns). The sun will rise again for the Blue Jackets. In fact, it already has risen, with the arrival of three promising players and a first-round draft pick. But Nash is moving on, and a few young hearts are hardened. The lost generation of Blue Jackets fans has now lost its guy.

-Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers where you can read 60 more thoughts on Rich Nash.

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  Tags: rick+nash

Afternoon Line

by Paul on 07/26/12 at 04:49 PM ET
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What’s most exciting for me is that the Blue Jackets won’t be a flashy or glamorous group. It may sound odd, but glitz can sometimes be dangerously confused with a guarantee (what’s the line from “Tommy Boy” about a guarantee?). From a fan’s perspective, the one guarantee I would be looking for is that my team shows up every night and competes like crazy—win or lose.

This edition of the Columbus Blue Jackets is going to be aggressive, combative, hard-working, and above all else, entertaining as hell to watch.

-Rob Mixer of BlueJackets.com where you can read more to find out why.

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