Friday's post is sponsored by the letter A, and the number 52.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Uni Watch digs the Jackets' new threads
Here's a dandy of an article from Uni Watch, courtesy of their ESPN.com affilitation. What does it say? Well, I'm glad you asked:
He does have a point about the clunky appearance of the socks, however that could very well be more a matter of player preference. But then again, Tapeleg noticed the same thing when he snapped some shots of the new jersey and pants/socks on a mannequin during the draft. You would think sock slippage would be an easy thing to remedy, though.
Overall, Uni Watch gives the new Jackets' jersey a spiffy A-. I wonder if that includes a shiny star sticker on the nose, too!
Foote regrets leaving Colorado; I yawn
You know, for the life of me, I just can't will myself to get all that worked up over this. Like I said in Kukla's post where he posted this article, I am just very apathetic to Adam Foote's public declaration of regret and remorse that he left for Colorado for the money in Columbus.
The only thing that really makes my interest perk up just a bit as I read this, is whether or not this will lead Ken Hitchcock or other members of the organization to question Foote's role as captain of the Blue Jackets. Irregardless of whether or not Foote is a good leader, questions are going to now hang all around Foote as to whether he has the energy or the enthusiasm to lead a team that he wishes he hadn't joined.
If not, who becomes the new captain? To me, Rick Nash and David Vyborny may be the only two options available on this team ... however Dan Fritsche, being the Ohio native and seemingly one of the team's emotional leaders, could be an outside candidate (though if Veebs or Nash is promoted, that does open up an available Alternate Captain slot, so long as Foote is outright stripped of the 'C' and not simply demoted to an 'A').
Jackets' tab Claude Noel as new assistant coach
Apparently the Predators' fire sale isn't limited just to players (yeah, I doubt this has anything to do with that, but still). Claude Noel, who up until now had been the the head coach of the Nashville Predators' AHL farm team -- the Milwaukee Admirals -- for the past four seasons, has been brought on as a new Blue Jackets' assistant coach.
So, just who is Claude Noel? A quick overview shows us that he's ...
Here's a dandy of an article from Uni Watch, courtesy of their ESPN.com affilitation. What does it say? Well, I'm glad you asked:
Actually, maybe this is what a hockey uniform should look like. This version of the team's logo (inspired by Ohio's state flag, don't ya know, which of course is the coolest of all state flags because it's the only one that isn't rectangular) has always been miles better than the club's letter- and insect-based insignia. Although the streamlined look isn't very traditional, Uni Watch likes it, right down to the thin hemline piping. Only problem is that the jersey is so clean and crisp that the breezers and socks look clunky by comparison. Uni Watch is just thinking out loud here, but is it possible that this jersey would actually look better with Cooperalls? Just askin'.
He does have a point about the clunky appearance of the socks, however that could very well be more a matter of player preference. But then again, Tapeleg noticed the same thing when he snapped some shots of the new jersey and pants/socks on a mannequin during the draft. You would think sock slippage would be an easy thing to remedy, though.
Overall, Uni Watch gives the new Jackets' jersey a spiffy A-. I wonder if that includes a shiny star sticker on the nose, too!
Foote regrets leaving Colorado; I yawn
You know, for the life of me, I just can't will myself to get all that worked up over this. Like I said in Kukla's post where he posted this article, I am just very apathetic to Adam Foote's public declaration of regret and remorse that he left for Colorado for the money in Columbus.
The only thing that really makes my interest perk up just a bit as I read this, is whether or not this will lead Ken Hitchcock or other members of the organization to question Foote's role as captain of the Blue Jackets. Irregardless of whether or not Foote is a good leader, questions are going to now hang all around Foote as to whether he has the energy or the enthusiasm to lead a team that he wishes he hadn't joined.
If not, who becomes the new captain? To me, Rick Nash and David Vyborny may be the only two options available on this team ... however Dan Fritsche, being the Ohio native and seemingly one of the team's emotional leaders, could be an outside candidate (though if Veebs or Nash is promoted, that does open up an available Alternate Captain slot, so long as Foote is outright stripped of the 'C' and not simply demoted to an 'A').
Jackets' tab Claude Noel as new assistant coach
Apparently the Predators' fire sale isn't limited just to players (yeah, I doubt this has anything to do with that, but still). Claude Noel, who up until now had been the the head coach of the Nashville Predators' AHL farm team -- the Milwaukee Admirals -- for the past four seasons, has been brought on as a new Blue Jackets' assistant coach.
So, just who is Claude Noel? A quick overview shows us that he's ...
- 51 years old.
- Has been coaching in different capacities since 1990 in the AHL, IHL and ECHL.
- Has a history with Ken Hitchcock from Hitch's days in Kalamazoo.
- Recently led the Admirals to two Calder Cup Finals, winning one in 2003-04.
The strength of Nashville's farm system aside, leading a team to a Calder Cup is nothing to sneeze at. I'm actually surprised that he'd come on board with us, considering we already have your standard duo of assistants and a goalie coach. But Hitchcock had been saying during the town hall meetings and elsewhere that he was on the look-out for a new assistant coach, and it looks like both he and Scott Howson were able to find quite a pick.
I got to admit, this actually has me feeling a smidgen of optimism right now for the coming season. Just a smidgen, though.
---
So, okay. I know I promised a M/W/F format from now on, but seeing as how I find myself a bit preoccupied with some preparations for a vacation back home to New Jersey starting on Sunday, I am not going to be able to get up anything on the Jackets' picks today. Yes, I know, I keep procrastinating on that ... I apologize.
But I'll bend the rules on my format because of this, and have something up by sometime tomorrow afternoon. As it stands, I already have all I need for me to cook up an article on the picks ... I just haven't gotten it down on paper (or on keyboard) yet.
Until then, just hang tight!
I got to admit, this actually has me feeling a smidgen of optimism right now for the coming season. Just a smidgen, though.
---
So, okay. I know I promised a M/W/F format from now on, but seeing as how I find myself a bit preoccupied with some preparations for a vacation back home to New Jersey starting on Sunday, I am not going to be able to get up anything on the Jackets' picks today. Yes, I know, I keep procrastinating on that ... I apologize.
But I'll bend the rules on my format because of this, and have something up by sometime tomorrow afternoon. As it stands, I already have all I need for me to cook up an article on the picks ... I just haven't gotten it down on paper (or on keyboard) yet.
Until then, just hang tight!
Labels: coaches, Dis or Dat, jerseys
Retaining the baggage.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Aaron Portzline reports in The Columbus Dispatch this morning that both Gord Murphy and Gary Agnew are close to being re-signed by the Blue Jackets for an additional two years, as well as goalie coach Clint Malarchuk.
As some of you might recall, I took Murphy to task just after the All-Star break, when the Blue Jackets had that embarrassing string of games where the penalty kill was about on par with a Tier-III junior hockey team. During that time, they managed to give up a disgusting amount of goals on the PK against some of the league's worst power play units, causing many a Blue Jackets' fan to cringe and close their eyes from that point on whenever the Jackets were hit with a penalty during a game.
While I certainly respect Hitch's desire to see both Agnew and Murphy return, I don't agree with this decision. This team had one of the lowest ranked power play and penalty killing units, and was also shut out the most times in a season in the modern NHL era while scoring one of the lowest amount of goals. To me, this screams that whatever the coordinators of both the offensive and defensive aspects are doing, is not working.
Obviously part of the blame should also be levied on the team and the players themselves, and not just on the coaching staff. After all, the blue line really was a patchwork of players all trying to piece something together, Rick Nash should have had a more productive year, free-agent acquisition Anson Carter turned out to be a bust of astronomical proportions, and Nikolai Zherdev apparently forgot how to even play hockey after he got his wad of cash from Doug MacLean.
But a good coach, be it the head or assistant, should know how to take what he has and turn it into something good ... or at least something respectable. And frankly, I don't think either assistant coach was capable of it.
Notice how I've left Malarchuk out of my criticism of the assistant coaches. Well, that's because I do believe he earned his salary, by helping Fredrik Norrena transition from international play to NHL-style play, on his way to giving the Jackets their first ever goalie with a winning record in a season. Let's not forget that Malarchuk is also who impenetrable and near-unbeatable Canuck's goalie Roberto Luongo had demanded continue to be his goaltending coach during his attempts at working out a deal with the Florida Panthers. And honestly, who am I to disagree with disputedly the best goalie in the league at the moment when it comes to what (or who) helped to make him as good as he is now?
On that note, I leave you with your daily Dis or Dat!
As some of you might recall, I took Murphy to task just after the All-Star break, when the Blue Jackets had that embarrassing string of games where the penalty kill was about on par with a Tier-III junior hockey team. During that time, they managed to give up a disgusting amount of goals on the PK against some of the league's worst power play units, causing many a Blue Jackets' fan to cringe and close their eyes from that point on whenever the Jackets were hit with a penalty during a game.
While I certainly respect Hitch's desire to see both Agnew and Murphy return, I don't agree with this decision. This team had one of the lowest ranked power play and penalty killing units, and was also shut out the most times in a season in the modern NHL era while scoring one of the lowest amount of goals. To me, this screams that whatever the coordinators of both the offensive and defensive aspects are doing, is not working.
Obviously part of the blame should also be levied on the team and the players themselves, and not just on the coaching staff. After all, the blue line really was a patchwork of players all trying to piece something together, Rick Nash should have had a more productive year, free-agent acquisition Anson Carter turned out to be a bust of astronomical proportions, and Nikolai Zherdev apparently forgot how to even play hockey after he got his wad of cash from Doug MacLean.
But a good coach, be it the head or assistant, should know how to take what he has and turn it into something good ... or at least something respectable. And frankly, I don't think either assistant coach was capable of it.
Notice how I've left Malarchuk out of my criticism of the assistant coaches. Well, that's because I do believe he earned his salary, by helping Fredrik Norrena transition from international play to NHL-style play, on his way to giving the Jackets their first ever goalie with a winning record in a season. Let's not forget that Malarchuk is also who impenetrable and near-unbeatable Canuck's goalie Roberto Luongo had demanded continue to be his goaltending coach during his attempts at working out a deal with the Florida Panthers. And honestly, who am I to disagree with disputedly the best goalie in the league at the moment when it comes to what (or who) helped to make him as good as he is now?
On that note, I leave you with your daily Dis or Dat!
Labels: coaches, Dis or Dat
[Insert random title here]
Sunday, March 11, 2007
I found myself further vexed, as I watched last night's game, at the fact that Geoff Platt continued to be relegated to fourth line duty ever since Alex Svitov returned.
There's really only so much I can say about that situation before I go in to the blame game, or start to question who is responsible for this decision. While last night I did say that this was Hitchcock's move, I have to consider the possibility that other powers in the organization might be behind giving Svitov more time.
Remember earlier this year, when Joe Motzko started to receive a lot of praise from Hitch after being called up. It was only a little bit later that Motzko was traded away, along with Mark Hartigan, to the Ducks for Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross.
Remember that Svitov is a draft pick ... a high one at that, even if he was picked by another team (Tampa Bay). More is expected of Svitov, and so he might be given more opportunities to shine. I won't discount the possibility that this may all very well be a matter of Hitch's decisions, but I can't help but question whether Doug MacLean had a hand in this. This is all just presumptions and theories, of course ... so don't this all too seriously.
The point is that leading up to the Stars game, that top line was working so well. Why try to fix something that wasn't broken? And more suspicious is the fact that not only was Platt dropped from the top line, but that he was dropped to the fourth line, alongside Jody Shelley. That makes this whole situation even more curious. If he's scoring a goal and getting assists, why do that? Why not put him with some other scorers like Nikolai Zherdev or Fredrik Modin?
Well, there isn't much else to say about that, I guess. I can only hope that there's some method to this madness.
As for the game? I don't know. To tell you the truth, half of my attention was elsewhere, but the other half was on watching the game. And what I saw when it came to the two goals against the Jackets was frustrating. The first goal by Paul Kariya was a direct result of more than one miscue by Fredrik Modin, both in coughing up the puck, then not properly playing the puck in his own zone.
The other goal annoys me more, though. The one that David Legwand got. Legwand was all but left totally unmolested in front of the net. Admittedly, Legwand all but came streaking right in to the zone, and in less than five seconds of flashing across the screen from the neutral zone, he looped around the net, and knocked a rebound in past Fredrik Norrena. But even factoring in Legwand's speed, no one even tried to pick him up. Marc Methot was too busy diving to the ice to block a close shot, and so he never had a prayer when it came to getting up, and doing anything about the rebound.
Other than that, well ... it's already painful enough that the Predators, the hated expansion rivals, have swept the Blue Jackets this year. If anything, you could say that this is the most perfect, most prime example of the gap between the two teams in their development over the years. Where the Predators are threatening for a Stanley Cup, the Blue Jackets are threatening to take over Jack Niclaus' golf course here in Columbus yet again.
A couple of one-timers before I set to work trying to better update the draft post, and then watch tonight's NBC game.
-I was mistaken about FSN Ohio picking up the game against the Blues on March 25th just to be nice and help out. Or rather, they're still doing it to be nice and help out, but contractual obligations require FSN to now drop a game so that they continue to air only 75 games this season. The game they're dropping? This Wednesday's game at Anaheim.
I don't know. I don't really like that decision, to not air an away game, but pick up the home game. Now CBJ fans are stuck having to listen to 1460 The Fan or CD101 if they want to hear anything on the game. And while George Matthews and Bill Davidge are one-of-a-kind when it comes to their coverage of games, it's still not enough for the visual aspect that we'll be missing.
-On Friday, we happened to get some new types of memorabilia sticks in to sell at The Blueline! A month or so ago we'd run out of our other sticks, which were two CBJ sticks and two NHL Draft sticks (wooden, and a goalie stick and forward stick for each type). I'm not trying to advertise them, but I really like these sticks. Why? Because they have the Union Army cap logo on them now. There's also this new font used to write out "Columbus Blue Jackets" on the shaft of each stick, which I find really appealing. Which brings me to my final comment today ...
-With the retiring of the Jackets' "CBJ" logo at the end of this season (and the switch to the third jersey logo), what happens with the font that is used when writing out the team's name on things such as the jerseys, and on their helmets, and the like? For those not sure about what I'm talking about, I'm referring to this:
If the "CBJ" is being retired, it only stands to reason that this way of writing out the name would also be retired ... maybe. I know I'd like to hear about whether or not there'll be a change in the team's font use when writing out the name, just because I really liked what I saw on our new wooden sticks.
But that's it for me. With no games until Wednesday (and then no games I can even watch until Friday), things might be a little quiet. But that also means an opportunity to finally work on my draft post. Hurrah!
There's really only so much I can say about that situation before I go in to the blame game, or start to question who is responsible for this decision. While last night I did say that this was Hitchcock's move, I have to consider the possibility that other powers in the organization might be behind giving Svitov more time.
Remember earlier this year, when Joe Motzko started to receive a lot of praise from Hitch after being called up. It was only a little bit later that Motzko was traded away, along with Mark Hartigan, to the Ducks for Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross.
Remember that Svitov is a draft pick ... a high one at that, even if he was picked by another team (Tampa Bay). More is expected of Svitov, and so he might be given more opportunities to shine. I won't discount the possibility that this may all very well be a matter of Hitch's decisions, but I can't help but question whether Doug MacLean had a hand in this. This is all just presumptions and theories, of course ... so don't this all too seriously.
The point is that leading up to the Stars game, that top line was working so well. Why try to fix something that wasn't broken? And more suspicious is the fact that not only was Platt dropped from the top line, but that he was dropped to the fourth line, alongside Jody Shelley. That makes this whole situation even more curious. If he's scoring a goal and getting assists, why do that? Why not put him with some other scorers like Nikolai Zherdev or Fredrik Modin?
Well, there isn't much else to say about that, I guess. I can only hope that there's some method to this madness.
As for the game? I don't know. To tell you the truth, half of my attention was elsewhere, but the other half was on watching the game. And what I saw when it came to the two goals against the Jackets was frustrating. The first goal by Paul Kariya was a direct result of more than one miscue by Fredrik Modin, both in coughing up the puck, then not properly playing the puck in his own zone.
The other goal annoys me more, though. The one that David Legwand got. Legwand was all but left totally unmolested in front of the net. Admittedly, Legwand all but came streaking right in to the zone, and in less than five seconds of flashing across the screen from the neutral zone, he looped around the net, and knocked a rebound in past Fredrik Norrena. But even factoring in Legwand's speed, no one even tried to pick him up. Marc Methot was too busy diving to the ice to block a close shot, and so he never had a prayer when it came to getting up, and doing anything about the rebound.
Other than that, well ... it's already painful enough that the Predators, the hated expansion rivals, have swept the Blue Jackets this year. If anything, you could say that this is the most perfect, most prime example of the gap between the two teams in their development over the years. Where the Predators are threatening for a Stanley Cup, the Blue Jackets are threatening to take over Jack Niclaus' golf course here in Columbus yet again.
A couple of one-timers before I set to work trying to better update the draft post, and then watch tonight's NBC game.
-I was mistaken about FSN Ohio picking up the game against the Blues on March 25th just to be nice and help out. Or rather, they're still doing it to be nice and help out, but contractual obligations require FSN to now drop a game so that they continue to air only 75 games this season. The game they're dropping? This Wednesday's game at Anaheim.
I don't know. I don't really like that decision, to not air an away game, but pick up the home game. Now CBJ fans are stuck having to listen to 1460 The Fan or CD101 if they want to hear anything on the game. And while George Matthews and Bill Davidge are one-of-a-kind when it comes to their coverage of games, it's still not enough for the visual aspect that we'll be missing.
-On Friday, we happened to get some new types of memorabilia sticks in to sell at The Blueline! A month or so ago we'd run out of our other sticks, which were two CBJ sticks and two NHL Draft sticks (wooden, and a goalie stick and forward stick for each type). I'm not trying to advertise them, but I really like these sticks. Why? Because they have the Union Army cap logo on them now. There's also this new font used to write out "Columbus Blue Jackets" on the shaft of each stick, which I find really appealing. Which brings me to my final comment today ...
-With the retiring of the Jackets' "CBJ" logo at the end of this season (and the switch to the third jersey logo), what happens with the font that is used when writing out the team's name on things such as the jerseys, and on their helmets, and the like? For those not sure about what I'm talking about, I'm referring to this:
If the "CBJ" is being retired, it only stands to reason that this way of writing out the name would also be retired ... maybe. I know I'd like to hear about whether or not there'll be a change in the team's font use when writing out the name, just because I really liked what I saw on our new wooden sticks.But that's it for me. With no games until Wednesday (and then no games I can even watch until Friday), things might be a little quiet. But that also means an opportunity to finally work on my draft post. Hurrah!
Labels: Blue Jackets, coaches, post-game, Predators, ranting
P stands for "Pathetic". K stands for "Killing myself".
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Those of you who read my blog know I am actually pretty good at avoiding calling for the heads of both players and coaches. Yeah, I'll get on their case, and I will most definitely rip in to them if they appear to be failing harder than my grades in high school (ooh! Self-deprecation ... painful), but I've only ever asked for Doug MacLean's head on a platter once, and that was just around the time that Gerard Gallant was fired.
Around the time that Ken Hitchcock was finally brought in as the new head coach, there was some idle, passing comments about how MacLean wished for the two assistant coaches -- Gary Agnew and Gord Murphy -- to stay on, and for Hitchcock to not actively shop around for a new coaching staff. It was a fair enough request by MacLean, for a few reasons ranging from trying to keep a little team stability, to the fact that back around that time in November, the penalty kill was still puttering along, and the power play was at the very least trying, albeit ineptly.
Like I touched on a few posts back, Agnew reportedly was brought up to handle the power play after a good stint as head coach in Syracuse, while Murphy -- who handles defensive matters and the penalty kill -- goes back with MacLean during his days as a defenseman with the Florida Panthers during their mid-90s Stanley Cup Finals run. MacLean, as has also been mentioned by the media and other bloggers, has been known to keep his buddies a little on the close side, as was the case with keeping "Turk" (Gallant) around, and then lobbying a bit hard for Agnew to become the new head coach despite a winless interim coach stint which saw some pretty humiliating defeats.
But I'm getting sidetracked. My point is that Murphy was apparently kept on as a favor to MacLean.
Now, I want you folks to take a look at the penalty kill results for the past five games, showing just how successful the teams were that played against the Blue Jackets when they had the man advantage.
Let's put this further in to perspective, by pointing out each team's individual power play rank, much like I did a couple days ago:
Buffalo - 20th
Minnesota - 22nd
Vancouver - 11th
Edmonton - 26th
Calgary - 24th
With the exception of Vancouver, these teams are bad on the power play. And in the case of Edmonton and Calgary, they're not only bad, but just plain pathetic. So pathetic, that they may as well be given an extra skater without having to sacrifice the goalie, so that they can be 6-on-4 during power play opportunities.
These are, for the most part, teams that you should not be allowing multiple goals against during the penalty kill. Leading up to last night, the floundering PK could easily be overlooked due to the fact that even though two goals were let in against Edmonton, they still only had three chances in all (you could assume it was an off-night due to the short layover between games). And prior to that, the CBJ had a four game winning streak going on, concealing this weak link.
But what happened in Calgary was, both literally and figuratively speaking, the shoe falling off of the other foot. On 10 different attempts on the power play, the Flames managed to slaughter the Jackets, succeeding on four of those.
It has gotten to the point where you can actually tell when the opposing team is going to score on the power play against the Jackets a whole few seconds before they do. You can see that players -- and this is pretty much every one on the PK, not just a specific few -- are not setting themselves up in the right spots, and the box scheme of four players in front of the goalie is looking like a slipshod piece of work. Players are not efficiently pressuring the point men, who have all the time in the world to play catch with the puck not just with themselves, but with cherry pickers such as Ryan Smyth and Daniel Briere, which was painfully obvious during the games against the Oilers and the Sabres.
The Jackets are playing soft on the power play, just hoping that the presence of a warm body in front of the shooting lane is going to somehow stop opposing players from firing howitzers that either go in, or rebound to a player gliding around casually without anyone noticing them.
This is no longer just an issue of bad luck, or a lackadaisical play. The players are getting angry, and looking extremely frustrated with what they're doing ... and I think the biggest part of why that is, comes from Gord Murphy.
Yes, I'm calling Murphy out over the players. Why? Because it is his role as defensive coach to handle the penalty kill, and what the players should do during it. If the players are told to play in a specific manner, then they are obligated to follow his penalty killing blueprints. And to me, the "blueprints" I have seen on the ice the past five games allow for very little efficient pressure on the opposing team. The box format can be good, but not if the players literally just stand there and not do anything but stand there.
It was a nice gesture for Hitchcock to not laugh at GMDM and tell him to wave good-bye to his former Florida player, but it's time to look for a new defensive coach. Someone who has an inkling of an idea about how the PK works, and also how to break out of your own zone when being pressured.
Then again, it might be too late now, and the team might be stuck with what they have in the coaching department until the off season.
Around the time that Ken Hitchcock was finally brought in as the new head coach, there was some idle, passing comments about how MacLean wished for the two assistant coaches -- Gary Agnew and Gord Murphy -- to stay on, and for Hitchcock to not actively shop around for a new coaching staff. It was a fair enough request by MacLean, for a few reasons ranging from trying to keep a little team stability, to the fact that back around that time in November, the penalty kill was still puttering along, and the power play was at the very least trying, albeit ineptly.
Like I touched on a few posts back, Agnew reportedly was brought up to handle the power play after a good stint as head coach in Syracuse, while Murphy -- who handles defensive matters and the penalty kill -- goes back with MacLean during his days as a defenseman with the Florida Panthers during their mid-90s Stanley Cup Finals run. MacLean, as has also been mentioned by the media and other bloggers, has been known to keep his buddies a little on the close side, as was the case with keeping "Turk" (Gallant) around, and then lobbying a bit hard for Agnew to become the new head coach despite a winless interim coach stint which saw some pretty humiliating defeats.
But I'm getting sidetracked. My point is that Murphy was apparently kept on as a favor to MacLean.
Now, I want you folks to take a look at the penalty kill results for the past five games, showing just how successful the teams were that played against the Blue Jackets when they had the man advantage.
Let's put this further in to perspective, by pointing out each team's individual power play rank, much like I did a couple days ago:
Buffalo - 20th
Minnesota - 22nd
Vancouver - 11th
Edmonton - 26th
Calgary - 24th
With the exception of Vancouver, these teams are bad on the power play. And in the case of Edmonton and Calgary, they're not only bad, but just plain pathetic. So pathetic, that they may as well be given an extra skater without having to sacrifice the goalie, so that they can be 6-on-4 during power play opportunities.
These are, for the most part, teams that you should not be allowing multiple goals against during the penalty kill. Leading up to last night, the floundering PK could easily be overlooked due to the fact that even though two goals were let in against Edmonton, they still only had three chances in all (you could assume it was an off-night due to the short layover between games). And prior to that, the CBJ had a four game winning streak going on, concealing this weak link.
But what happened in Calgary was, both literally and figuratively speaking, the shoe falling off of the other foot. On 10 different attempts on the power play, the Flames managed to slaughter the Jackets, succeeding on four of those.
It has gotten to the point where you can actually tell when the opposing team is going to score on the power play against the Jackets a whole few seconds before they do. You can see that players -- and this is pretty much every one on the PK, not just a specific few -- are not setting themselves up in the right spots, and the box scheme of four players in front of the goalie is looking like a slipshod piece of work. Players are not efficiently pressuring the point men, who have all the time in the world to play catch with the puck not just with themselves, but with cherry pickers such as Ryan Smyth and Daniel Briere, which was painfully obvious during the games against the Oilers and the Sabres.
The Jackets are playing soft on the power play, just hoping that the presence of a warm body in front of the shooting lane is going to somehow stop opposing players from firing howitzers that either go in, or rebound to a player gliding around casually without anyone noticing them.
This is no longer just an issue of bad luck, or a lackadaisical play. The players are getting angry, and looking extremely frustrated with what they're doing ... and I think the biggest part of why that is, comes from Gord Murphy.
Yes, I'm calling Murphy out over the players. Why? Because it is his role as defensive coach to handle the penalty kill, and what the players should do during it. If the players are told to play in a specific manner, then they are obligated to follow his penalty killing blueprints. And to me, the "blueprints" I have seen on the ice the past five games allow for very little efficient pressure on the opposing team. The box format can be good, but not if the players literally just stand there and not do anything but stand there.
It was a nice gesture for Hitchcock to not laugh at GMDM and tell him to wave good-bye to his former Florida player, but it's time to look for a new defensive coach. Someone who has an inkling of an idea about how the PK works, and also how to break out of your own zone when being pressured.
Then again, it might be too late now, and the team might be stuck with what they have in the coaching department until the off season.
Labels: coaches, penalty kill, ranting, special teams
Every day should be Civil War reference day!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
The optimism out of The Columbus Dispatch ever since Saturday night's win against the Minnesota Wild has been so thick you could cut it with a knife. Seriously, you could just drown in how much praise Hitchcock seems to be getting!Don't take what I'm saying the wrong way or anything, though. It isn't like General Hitch of the Union Army doesn't deserve it; and I got to admit, the liberal dose of Civil War references that The Dispatch writers have been using makes me grin like a total history nerd, considering this blog's name inspiration and my own interest in the American Civil War. But right now, the team is eight games below .500, and has a long climb upwards to make before I'm ready to start talking about how amazing the team's new 'work ethic', 'motivation', or 'fighting spirit' is.
But I can't deny it; Saturday's win over Minnesota, in dominating fashion no less, made it feel like a whole half a dozen cases of Labatt Blue have been lifted from my shoulders, which have been in a perpetual state of slumped depression since around the early part of November when this whole losing streak started.
What's more surprising, and what's been pretty much the majority of conversation concerning the 5-3 win over Minnesota, is the outright total offensive explosion that came from the Carter/Fedorov/Zherdev line. Nine points, 17 shots, +10 plus/minus rating, and more hustle than you can shake a stick at is what the line combined for.
It's pretty hard to compare the line's output to any possible time they may have had together prior to the past week, in large part because lines changed regularly and sporadically when under Gerard Gallant's watch. Surely the three of them did have time together at one point or another in the first 15 games under Gallant, or a game or two under Agnew during his five-game stint as interim head coach ... but it's almost impossible to pinpoint any specific games where they did, and to gauge how long they were kept together.
Either way, it's about as plain as day that Hitch will not be breaking that line up for now. It'll be good to see how they do in more than just one game. Should they be expected to have the same output against Vancouver tonight that they had against Minnesota? Probably, if they're as good as a line as we're being led to believe ... but I don't expect another nine point outing tonight. Let's keep expectations to something more along the lines of 'cautious excitement/optimism' concerning the projected success for the three of them.
Tonight's game in Vancouver starts a pretty long, five game trip across Canada and then to Colorado and St. Louis. Let's see if Columbus' favorite new Civil War-loving head coach can lead his Blue Jackets to a few victories on the road, and instill a bit of fear and respect into some opponents while they're at it. I leave you with three burning thoughts and/or questions:
Modin is Mod-out: The 'lower body injury' that has been bothering sniper Fredrik Modin finally got the best of him, and so Freddy is staying in Columbus to recuperate during the CBJ's road swing. The guy has been a trooper the past few games, putting pucks on the net in a seriously stunning fashion from all angles. Here's hoping that whatever ails him is able to be remedied by the time the team marches back to Columbus, and in time for the October 10th game against Ottawa.
Goalie controvery? Or just healthy competition?: It isn't like Fredrik Norrena and Pascal Leclaire don't get along. On the contrary, past articles in The Columbus Dispatch and elsewhere have led me to believe that the two actually get along pretty well ... and there's a lot to be said for your two goalies being on good terms. However Norrena recently getting the nod to start in four of the last eight starts must have numerous Jackets fans wondering if we've reverted back to the way the team did things last year with Leclaire and Marc Denis, setting up a back and forth tandem.
I still have as much confidence as I did at the start of the season in Pascal Leclaire, and even considering flaws he has in his game at times, he is still who I feel is this team's best hopes for the future. But that doesn't mean I'm against the two goalies swapping games. If it works, it works, and Norrena is a proven contender who has had to deal with a series of unfortunate events when it comes to the support the team has given him in a majority of the games he has played (five started, seven counting times when he has come in, in relief).
No longer last in goals scored? Unpossible!: After Saturday's five goal output, the Blue Jackets jumped from dead last in goals scored to 29th, a whole one goal ahead of Chicago. This also puts them behind St. Louis by four goals, who will also be playing tonight. Don't expect to see them breaking in to the top 20 (or even top 25) any time soon when it comes to goals for, but if the recent upswing in shots for is any indication (106 in three games!?), expect to see them getting out of the basement sometime soon.
And with all that said and done? CHAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGEEEEEE!!! ... and stuff.
Labels: Blue Jackets, Canucks, coaches, Wild
Game #22: Blue Jackets vs. Wild
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Columbus Blue Jackets (5-14-2)vs.
Minnesota Wild (13-8-1)
Uh oh! I vanished again for another few days, didn't I? Forgive me, the few readers who check in here every day or other day, but even though I didn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving this year, I just didn't have the time or the energy to come around the blog and get the ball rolling with any new entries. I've been juggling a wide variety of things from my usual class assignments to Christmas shopping, as well as getting back in to an exercise routine after taking a near month hiatus from anything exercise-heavy.
But enough about me. The Blue Jackets have been extremely busy since Kenny Hitchcock was hired on Wednesday, losing in OT to the St. Louis Blues (nice parting gift before Agnew took over his role as assistant coach again, huh?), having a Thanksgiving morning practice to get to know the players and run through a few things, and then a very spirited effort against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, which ultimately ended in a painful loss.
The Columbus Dispatch ate up that loss to Philly, though; both Bob Hunter and Aaron Portzline speak of how even though the team didn't come away with two points (or even one point), the Jackets looked like a team that was trying, and how the whole team seemed to have an extra bounce in their step, so to speak. And I mean trying. Throughout the game the team outshot, outhit, and out-[insert several things here] the Flyers. But it just wasn't enough. One key thing that stood out to me was the power play, which still looked as lost as ever at some points, and just plain unlucky with bounces at other times. Adam Foote had me ready to tear out my hair at the numerous opportunities during the PP in which he would have been better off just shooting the puck.
Hunter and Portzline are on the mark, and I can say that with certainty a day later, having let my emotions run their course from the game. The Blue Jackets were a team last night that despite fatal errors leading to a loss, worked much more cohesively than they have practically all season so far.
The big question is whether or not this was energy from trying to please a new coach, or something more. Remember the first game of Gary Agnew's interim coach tenure, where the Jackets went blow for blow with the Nashville Predators before losing a heart breaker in the third period, 5-4. After that game, they futily flailed and were crushed by the Preds twice, and the Avalanche once in the next games.
Which is why tonight's game against the Northwest Division leading Minnesota Wild is so important. We need to see if last night was just a fluke. We also need to see how this team responds to now having Hitch behind the bench and running practices for three whole days now, and whether or not any tangible changes will reveal themselves.
The one thing the Jackets have going for them right now is that the Wild are coming in looking sort of dazed, just by the look of their recent record. The team is 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, and a shaky 2-5-0 on the road during the month of November so far. This is as good a time as any to take advantage of a team that is most likely going to be going to the playoffs, but is currently looking a little worn down.
I'm going to be at tonight's game, by the way; I am very eager to see Hitch coach his first game here at Nationwide, and it'd be a shame if I missed it. Win or lose, I want to see in person how he coaches and what he'll do tonight.
But enough about me. The Blue Jackets have been extremely busy since Kenny Hitchcock was hired on Wednesday, losing in OT to the St. Louis Blues (nice parting gift before Agnew took over his role as assistant coach again, huh?), having a Thanksgiving morning practice to get to know the players and run through a few things, and then a very spirited effort against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, which ultimately ended in a painful loss.
The Columbus Dispatch ate up that loss to Philly, though; both Bob Hunter and Aaron Portzline speak of how even though the team didn't come away with two points (or even one point), the Jackets looked like a team that was trying, and how the whole team seemed to have an extra bounce in their step, so to speak. And I mean trying. Throughout the game the team outshot, outhit, and out-[insert several things here] the Flyers. But it just wasn't enough. One key thing that stood out to me was the power play, which still looked as lost as ever at some points, and just plain unlucky with bounces at other times. Adam Foote had me ready to tear out my hair at the numerous opportunities during the PP in which he would have been better off just shooting the puck.
Hunter and Portzline are on the mark, and I can say that with certainty a day later, having let my emotions run their course from the game. The Blue Jackets were a team last night that despite fatal errors leading to a loss, worked much more cohesively than they have practically all season so far.
The big question is whether or not this was energy from trying to please a new coach, or something more. Remember the first game of Gary Agnew's interim coach tenure, where the Jackets went blow for blow with the Nashville Predators before losing a heart breaker in the third period, 5-4. After that game, they futily flailed and were crushed by the Preds twice, and the Avalanche once in the next games.
Which is why tonight's game against the Northwest Division leading Minnesota Wild is so important. We need to see if last night was just a fluke. We also need to see how this team responds to now having Hitch behind the bench and running practices for three whole days now, and whether or not any tangible changes will reveal themselves.
The one thing the Jackets have going for them right now is that the Wild are coming in looking sort of dazed, just by the look of their recent record. The team is 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, and a shaky 2-5-0 on the road during the month of November so far. This is as good a time as any to take advantage of a team that is most likely going to be going to the playoffs, but is currently looking a little worn down.
I'm going to be at tonight's game, by the way; I am very eager to see Hitch coach his first game here at Nationwide, and it'd be a shame if I missed it. Win or lose, I want to see in person how he coaches and what he'll do tonight.
Labels: Blue Jackets, Blues, coaches, Flyers, pre-game, Wild
Hitch gets hitched by the Blue Jackets; honeymoon ends Friday.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
So here we are, folks. The Blue Jackets have a new coach, and all is right in the world! Welcome to the bottom floor, Kenny; hopefully you know which buttons to press in the elevator of hockey to get this team moving upwards.Things are still very fresh, so just two points of interest that stick out to me, then I'm off to have some dinner while watching Ice Breaker:
1) A three-year contract? Wow. I'm actually a little surprised at the length.
2) Hitchcock will officially join the team for a Thanksgiving practice on Thursday, and his first game with the Blue Jackets? ... why, it's against the Philadelphia Flyers, in Philly! Talk about your comedic yet tragic twists. There doesn't seem to be a lick of animosity known of between Hitch and his now former team, whom he'd been working for as a scout after his firing last month, but that doesn't mean he might not want to make a statement. Question is if he can light a fire under the CBJ's collective posterior with just two days to prepare.
Labels: Blue Jackets, coaches
Game #16: Blue Jackets vs. Predators
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Columbus Blue Jackets (5-9-1)vs.
Nashville Predators (10-4-1)
So, I heard that there's this team in Columbus. Apparently they play hockey, or some sort of sport with discs and sticks?
Sort of crazy to finally be sitting down and getting out a pre-game overview for the first time since just a few days shy of three weeks ago. When I got in to Columbus, the first thing I did? Took in how cold it is! Seriously, I'd been molting like a frikken' bird in the summer while over in New Jersey, and then for the few days I was in Carolina ... but let's not get in to that. Either way, I'm glad to finally be back in some more hockey-friendly weather.
What happened while I was away, anyway? Apparently not much, as the Blue Jackets went 2-3 between the 3rd of November and now, notching their 4th utterly offensive failure (see: shut out) out of 15 games against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. You know you've got it bad when you get shut out by the Blackhawks ... and who is supposed to be their back-up, no less (Brian Boucher)! Then again, our own backup -- Fredrik Norrena -- was just as much on the ball if the 1-0 result is any indication, even if the shot count was low against him (just 19 in all).
Besides the total ineptitude when it comes to the Jackets' offense right now (the three losses all involved 1 goal or less), we've all heard and read the news about Gerard Gallant's unceremonial firing, seemingly against the wishes of Doug MacLean. But then again, regardless of MacLean's possible shortcomings as a GM, he was smart enough to know if he didn't listen to the McConnells and their desire to see Gallant gone, that GMDM would've been run out on the same rail at the same time.
In his place, Gary Agnew has been promoted to interim coach, but anyone except for MacLean would be a fool to believe he'll be keeping that position. I give the guy credit, as he's at times made the Blue Jackets' power play modestly potent. Despite the total power outage Sunday in Chicago, the PP still ranks 14th in the league, in large part thanks to Agnew's methods. But that doesn't mean he should be given a permanent spot behind the bench as head coach.
I also want to point out that the Blue Jackets penalty kill has actually been pretty respectable as well, currently ranking 11th in the league. And then all one has to do is look at how the defense is working (11th in goals allowed and 12th in shots allowed), and you're really left scratching your head.
These Blue Jackets were supposed to be a total bomb when it came to defense and a wild card goaltending card, right? And yet here they are with an above average defense, while the heralded offense has about as much firepower as a 9mm handgun compared to a howitzer, ranking dead last in goals and 26th in shots per game. It doesn't add up!
I'm not going to spend any time right now projecting who I hope or think will get the coaching job. For all I know, maybe Agnew's power play touch carries over to the offense as a whole now that he has the reigns of the team, and he makes the coach decision for management and ownership a lot harder after winning a few games from the get go.
Not that that is an easy task or anything. Opponents over these next four games in six nights? The Predators for breakfast (today), with a portion of Predators for dinner (Saturday), and a little Predator a la mode for dessert (Sunday). Oh, and toss in a little Colorado Avalanche for lunch (Friday).
Mmm-mmm-mmm! Sure makes my stomach get all rumbly!
But analogies to food and daily meals aside, Agnew has got his work cut out for him. We'll see what he's got hidden up his sleeves this evening, though.
Labels: Blue Jackets, coaches, hockey, Predators, today's game
