NHL Draft 2007 ... Part 2 of 2.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Notice:
With the NHL Entry Draft now over, and me being in desperate need of a more relaxed few weeks after the past several, I'm going to be scaling back Army of the Ohio posts to a M/W/F format instead of the full weekday format. Right about now, a break is looking real nice, and soon enough I'm going to be preparing to move in to my new place sometime in either mid/late-July to early August.
Besides, even with the free agent market on the horizon, I don't foresee too much to talk about on a near-daily basis that I couldn't touch on every other day instead. But if anything rather dramatic does happen on those off-days, I'll do my best to post.
With that out of the way, on to the conclusion of the draft!
---------------------
Saturday (full day): Let me preface the recap of Saturday's events by saying that the league should consider starting the draft around noon, and not at 10 am in the morning. Now given, I am sure that both Columbus and the NHL never, ever expected such a turnout for the first day, let alone the larger-than-expected turnout for the second day, so it's understandable that they presumed it best to just kick things off early, and get on out of Nationwide Arena before 3 pm in the afternoon. Still, for many people, a start just an hour or two later might've been appreciated.
Despite the turnout, the 2nd day was still modest and definitely a ton more low-key than the first, as teams had only a couple of minutes each time to make their draft picks. I was actually surprised that the final pick happened sometime around 2:30 pm; it seemed as though everything just went by so fast.
During the day, I actually ran in to a few people in particular. Besides seeing The Acid Queen, Sarah, Tapeleg, and Truth Serum one more time each, I also bumped in to a writer for ESPN the Magazine, who I spent some time talking with and feeling out for his opinion on the pick of Jakub Voracek as the Jackets' first round pick. I also ended up bumping in to Columbus' third pick (their additional 2nd round pick) Will Weber, who definitely seemed like a pretty cool guy. I know that he is taking part in the developmental camp down at the Dispatch Ice Haus this week with the likes of Jackets' prospects and players Marc Methot, Gilbert Brule, Derrick Brassard, and Adam Pineault. If you have the time and are around the Columbus area, head on down and check things out; the camp lasts from Tuesday to Saturday.
The rest of Saturday was somewhat uneventful; I took a glance at the trophy display, but just couldn't get too enthusiastic at any of them outside of the Stanley Cup. True, they're all very shiny, very pretty, and very big ... but they just aren't the Cup, which I spent a good few minutes just admiring.
I'm going to cut things off here. To be honest, I'm sort of preoccupied with a couple of things involving school preparation as well as a bit of an inventory check prior to boxing things up in my place over the next few weeks. Before I do go, though, the newest news from the Jackets' via The Columbus Dispatch ...
Jackets don't qualify Aaron Johnson
It really puts just how much this organization is looking to change in to perspective, when you see that Aaron Johnson isn't given a qualifying offer. Under Doug MacLean, we had been under the impression that A.J. would definitely be getting a qualifying offer. Under Scott Howson, we're seeing a completely different direction taken, with Johnson being shown the door to free agency.
Johnson just didn't live up to expectations, and they were unrealistic ones, at that. The contract that he and his agent managed to get out of GMDM is probably what ended up burying him, as it meant that a qualifying offer just wouldn't be fair to the Blue Jackets after seeing A.J.'s play this past season.
During one of the more injury-laden periods in January, Johnson found himself beginning to play some wing position on the 4th line, instead of just defense. This could very well have been a sign of things to come, as Ken Hitchcock may've been grasping at straws to find a place to put Johnson that would work for the player, for the team, and possibly even make Johnson more of a use for them the rest of the season and possibly the next.
Meanwhile, Howson did extended qualifying offers to Alex Svitov and O.K. Tollefsen, which was almost to be expected considering their play last season. It's true, I dogged on Hitchcock's decision to try and put Svitov up on the top line during the season, in large part because it was at the same time that Geoff Platt had that hot hand and even hotter stick. But regardless of that, Svitov has still made some great strides, reviving a career in the NHL that was on the brink before he was shipped from Tampa Bay a couple of years ago (thanks, Drew).
We'll see where things go from there. I'm out 'til Friday. I hope to have a modest player analysis of the Jackets' draft picks by then.
With the NHL Entry Draft now over, and me being in desperate need of a more relaxed few weeks after the past several, I'm going to be scaling back Army of the Ohio posts to a M/W/F format instead of the full weekday format. Right about now, a break is looking real nice, and soon enough I'm going to be preparing to move in to my new place sometime in either mid/late-July to early August.
Besides, even with the free agent market on the horizon, I don't foresee too much to talk about on a near-daily basis that I couldn't touch on every other day instead. But if anything rather dramatic does happen on those off-days, I'll do my best to post.
With that out of the way, on to the conclusion of the draft!
---------------------
Saturday (full day): Let me preface the recap of Saturday's events by saying that the league should consider starting the draft around noon, and not at 10 am in the morning. Now given, I am sure that both Columbus and the NHL never, ever expected such a turnout for the first day, let alone the larger-than-expected turnout for the second day, so it's understandable that they presumed it best to just kick things off early, and get on out of Nationwide Arena before 3 pm in the afternoon. Still, for many people, a start just an hour or two later might've been appreciated.
Despite the turnout, the 2nd day was still modest and definitely a ton more low-key than the first, as teams had only a couple of minutes each time to make their draft picks. I was actually surprised that the final pick happened sometime around 2:30 pm; it seemed as though everything just went by so fast.
During the day, I actually ran in to a few people in particular. Besides seeing The Acid Queen, Sarah, Tapeleg, and Truth Serum one more time each, I also bumped in to a writer for ESPN the Magazine, who I spent some time talking with and feeling out for his opinion on the pick of Jakub Voracek as the Jackets' first round pick. I also ended up bumping in to Columbus' third pick (their additional 2nd round pick) Will Weber, who definitely seemed like a pretty cool guy. I know that he is taking part in the developmental camp down at the Dispatch Ice Haus this week with the likes of Jackets' prospects and players Marc Methot, Gilbert Brule, Derrick Brassard, and Adam Pineault. If you have the time and are around the Columbus area, head on down and check things out; the camp lasts from Tuesday to Saturday.
The rest of Saturday was somewhat uneventful; I took a glance at the trophy display, but just couldn't get too enthusiastic at any of them outside of the Stanley Cup. True, they're all very shiny, very pretty, and very big ... but they just aren't the Cup, which I spent a good few minutes just admiring.
I'm going to cut things off here. To be honest, I'm sort of preoccupied with a couple of things involving school preparation as well as a bit of an inventory check prior to boxing things up in my place over the next few weeks. Before I do go, though, the newest news from the Jackets' via The Columbus Dispatch ...
Jackets don't qualify Aaron Johnson
It really puts just how much this organization is looking to change in to perspective, when you see that Aaron Johnson isn't given a qualifying offer. Under Doug MacLean, we had been under the impression that A.J. would definitely be getting a qualifying offer. Under Scott Howson, we're seeing a completely different direction taken, with Johnson being shown the door to free agency.
Johnson just didn't live up to expectations, and they were unrealistic ones, at that. The contract that he and his agent managed to get out of GMDM is probably what ended up burying him, as it meant that a qualifying offer just wouldn't be fair to the Blue Jackets after seeing A.J.'s play this past season.
During one of the more injury-laden periods in January, Johnson found himself beginning to play some wing position on the 4th line, instead of just defense. This could very well have been a sign of things to come, as Ken Hitchcock may've been grasping at straws to find a place to put Johnson that would work for the player, for the team, and possibly even make Johnson more of a use for them the rest of the season and possibly the next.
Meanwhile, Howson did extended qualifying offers to Alex Svitov and O.K. Tollefsen, which was almost to be expected considering their play last season. It's true, I dogged on Hitchcock's decision to try and put Svitov up on the top line during the season, in large part because it was at the same time that Geoff Platt had that hot hand and even hotter stick. But regardless of that, Svitov has still made some great strides, reviving a career in the NHL that was on the brink before he was shipped from Tampa Bay a couple of years ago (thanks, Drew).
We'll see where things go from there. I'm out 'til Friday. I hope to have a modest player analysis of the Jackets' draft picks by then.
Labels: contracts, Dis or Dat, nhl draft
NHL Draft 2007 ... Part 1 of 2.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Since it's now been at least a full day since the very last pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft was announced, I guess I've had enough time to rest, relax, and otherwise shirk my blogging duties. Not that I wasn't going to post sooner or later, or anything ... I just would prefer to post later, after what amounted to a wild/crazy/tedious/fun/interesting weekend.
That, and I got a little too into Resident Evil: Dead Aim while just unwinding today, since I hadn't used my light gun on my PS2 in forever. Don't tell Jack Thompson or any morally righteous politicians that, though ... they might try to arrest me for playing an ultraviolent videogame. Oh no!
So, yeah. The 2007 NHL Entry Draft from Columbus, Ohio is officially over. The dust's only now starting to settle in and around Columbus, and more specifically the Arena District and its surrounding radius, because for those who didn't know, at least three other major events were happening near Nationwide Arena.
-Comfest, the Columbus community festival. Come for the beer ... stay because you're too blazed and/or hammered to get off the ground.
-The Columbus Ohio Pride Festival, which drew members of the LGBT community from far and wide in a show of gay pride.
-The Yu-Gi-Oh! playing-card national championship, where it was time to D-D-D-D ... D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DUEL!!
Talk about an eclectic gathering of people at an eclectic combination of events. Also, if you happen to read the Columbus Dispatch article that is linked to, you might even notice a quotation from our own Bethany at Bethany's Hockey Rants.
Today, I'm going to be covering the more personal aspects of the draft. So let's kick things off ...
June 22, morning: After a rather sporadic sleep schedule all night long, unable to shake that feeling that I was like a kid trying to go to sleep before Christmas, I headed down to the Arena District in the morning to take care of some responsibilities prior to the draft. Sometimes, you just have to do some things before you kick back and relax, and this was no exception. Still, being in and around the Arena District, I was able to see quite the rogue's gallery of NHL members and media members throughout the area. For example, I believe I saw members of the Edmonton Oilers chatting at Starbucks in the morning, including Craig MacTavish.
It was easy enough to tell who was a member of the media and/or a member of a team or the league, even without the lanyards around their necks with their credentials. Prospects were also easy to distinguish from for the most part, based off of their attire and also some of their builds. Seriously, Alexi Cherepanov looks like he could tear a phonebook in two with his bare hands if he really wanted to; then again, his shirt was also two times too small, so he might've looked more ripped than he really is ... aren't prospects usually told they need to bulk up, anyway?
Even in the morning, the entire place seemed to be buzzing with activity and life. As has already been reported on by several different people in the media, Columbus was as receptive to the NHL draft as could ever be hoped for, and then some. This much was apparent by the rush of people moving around the area even before the doors in to Nationwide Arena were supposed to open up to admission at 4 pm in the afternoon.
June 22, afternoon: Now we get to the blogger gathering.
After finishing up all the errands and things I had to take care of downtown, it was time to prep for the blogger gathering. Fortunately for me, I was able to get in to the Bud Light Arena Pub a good bit of time in advance. After speaking with whom appeared to be the manager at the BLAP -- or at least the head of operations that particular day -- it became apparent that no relocating would be required. The back booth was open, the place wasn't all that busy, and I had time to sit back and relax as the clock ticked towards 4:30.
As I watched a technician crew from 103.9 FM set up the booth at the front of the room for the 4:00 pm start of their radio show, I found out that some of the guests were going to be Gord Murphy, Gary Agnew, Ken Hitchcock, Rick Nash, Manny Malhotra, and Pascal Leclaire. All in all a pretty awesome cast of interviewees, although I was only able to catch some of Murphy's interview before the bloggers began to roll in.
In no particular order, here is who was able to come around ...
That, and I got a little too into Resident Evil: Dead Aim while just unwinding today, since I hadn't used my light gun on my PS2 in forever. Don't tell Jack Thompson or any morally righteous politicians that, though ... they might try to arrest me for playing an ultraviolent videogame. Oh no!
So, yeah. The 2007 NHL Entry Draft from Columbus, Ohio is officially over. The dust's only now starting to settle in and around Columbus, and more specifically the Arena District and its surrounding radius, because for those who didn't know, at least three other major events were happening near Nationwide Arena.
-Comfest, the Columbus community festival. Come for the beer ... stay because you're too blazed and/or hammered to get off the ground.
-The Columbus Ohio Pride Festival, which drew members of the LGBT community from far and wide in a show of gay pride.
-The Yu-Gi-Oh! playing-card national championship, where it was time to D-D-D-D ... D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DUEL!!
Talk about an eclectic gathering of people at an eclectic combination of events. Also, if you happen to read the Columbus Dispatch article that is linked to, you might even notice a quotation from our own Bethany at Bethany's Hockey Rants.
Today, I'm going to be covering the more personal aspects of the draft. So let's kick things off ...
June 22, morning: After a rather sporadic sleep schedule all night long, unable to shake that feeling that I was like a kid trying to go to sleep before Christmas, I headed down to the Arena District in the morning to take care of some responsibilities prior to the draft. Sometimes, you just have to do some things before you kick back and relax, and this was no exception. Still, being in and around the Arena District, I was able to see quite the rogue's gallery of NHL members and media members throughout the area. For example, I believe I saw members of the Edmonton Oilers chatting at Starbucks in the morning, including Craig MacTavish.
It was easy enough to tell who was a member of the media and/or a member of a team or the league, even without the lanyards around their necks with their credentials. Prospects were also easy to distinguish from for the most part, based off of their attire and also some of their builds. Seriously, Alexi Cherepanov looks like he could tear a phonebook in two with his bare hands if he really wanted to; then again, his shirt was also two times too small, so he might've looked more ripped than he really is ... aren't prospects usually told they need to bulk up, anyway?
Even in the morning, the entire place seemed to be buzzing with activity and life. As has already been reported on by several different people in the media, Columbus was as receptive to the NHL draft as could ever be hoped for, and then some. This much was apparent by the rush of people moving around the area even before the doors in to Nationwide Arena were supposed to open up to admission at 4 pm in the afternoon.
June 22, afternoon: Now we get to the blogger gathering.
After finishing up all the errands and things I had to take care of downtown, it was time to prep for the blogger gathering. Fortunately for me, I was able to get in to the Bud Light Arena Pub a good bit of time in advance. After speaking with whom appeared to be the manager at the BLAP -- or at least the head of operations that particular day -- it became apparent that no relocating would be required. The back booth was open, the place wasn't all that busy, and I had time to sit back and relax as the clock ticked towards 4:30.
As I watched a technician crew from 103.9 FM set up the booth at the front of the room for the 4:00 pm start of their radio show, I found out that some of the guests were going to be Gord Murphy, Gary Agnew, Ken Hitchcock, Rick Nash, Manny Malhotra, and Pascal Leclaire. All in all a pretty awesome cast of interviewees, although I was only able to catch some of Murphy's interview before the bloggers began to roll in.
In no particular order, here is who was able to come around ...
- The Acid Queen from Sweet Tea, Barbeque, and Body Checks
- Drew and his wife from End of the Bench
- Truth Serum from End of the Bench
- Tyler from The Jacket Times
- Sarah from The Neutral Zone Trap
- Tapeleg and his girl from Jerseys and Hockey Love
- Keith Instone, a reader and blogger at two technology-based blogs
- Eric McErlain from Off Wing Opinion
- Paul Kukla from Kukla's Korner
- Greg Wyshynski from both The Fourth Period and the AOL Fanhouse
- Myself!
And I can't help but feel as though I am forgetting someone. And if I am, please don't kill me.
In all, that makes 11 people that came around. And honestly, I'd say that's impressive. After what had happened with the linkage from both Paul and Spector, I thought there was the off chance that some people could very well wander up and scope things out, if not stay long, though that wasn't the case. In retrospect and some analyzing of my Google Analytics statistics, a lot of the traffic stayed on the draft guide I'd drawn up, but that's cool.
Conversation definitely wasn't at a premium, especially when we found out that Tomas Vokoun had been traded to Florida, at which point I was thankful that the technical folks with the NHL apparently don't know how to encrypt their wi-fi, since I was able to get on their Internet right there with my laptop to get the specifics of the trade.
The gathering lasted for about all of an hour, with people coming and going. Hearing about Eric's trials and tribulations when it came to getting press credentials for the draft was certainly very sobering, coming from someone who would like to apply for them some time during a Blue Jackets' game in the future.
To everyone who came to the gathering? Thank you very much for helping to make it successful.
After we dispersed, I gave Christy from Behind the Jersey a ring on her phone, after Paul had relayed that he'd received a note from her saying she'd not be able to make it to the gathering. Fortunately, I was right outside of Section 114, where both she and her friend were sitting down; and that's despite the fact that apparently that section was supposed to be closed off to everyone except officials and draft prospects and their families. I also didn't have a bit of trouble getting past the ushers there, who simply saw I had a ticket and let me on my merry way to meet up with the woman behind BtJ.
The seats, as luck would have it, were prime ... positioned just several yards away from the draft floor, with a perfect view of the Canucks', Red Wings', and Devils' tables. As an added bonus, we'd soon find out that sitting in the row of seats right ahead of us was quite the important people ... but I'll get to that soon.
June 22, evening (the draft begins!): Nationwide Arena was as packed as it could possibly be. Despite the fact that a section of the arena had to be closed down because of where the draft stage was, there must have at least been 12,000 filling the rest of the arena to a loud and enthusiastic capacity crowd. Like I said earlier when I said many media outlets were reporting the city's receptivity and excitement at the draft, this was the proof of such a claim right here. Cheers were erupting all over at all times as majority owner John H. McConnell spoke from his seat in a luxury box, thanking the Jackets' fans for their patience, and for sticking with the team through thick and thin -- "mostly thin," he was quick to joke.
Then came the unveiling of the Blue Jackets' new jerseys, made due to the league-wide introduction of the RBK Edge jerseys which will be implemented as of next season. After watching on the jumbotron something of a homage to Columbus, to Ohio, and to the state's and city's history in helping so much during the American Civil War, "Machinehead" was qued and Dan Fritsche and Jody Shelley came on stage a minute or so later, sporting both a dark and a white jersey. Lacking in a picture of the event, here's the image being used on the Jackets' website:
My opinion? It took a day or two to grow on me, but in the end ... I can dig it. I can dig it because I like the use of the kepi and Civil War-esque patches on each shoulder instead of just one. And also because I prefer this emblem to the CBJ emblem ... and while I understand that the CBJ logo will always be a part of the teams' history, I think this is the right move to make. If there's one thing I'm still a little let down about, it's the lack of any kind of ties at the top of the jersey. For a while I had heard from a person or two that using ties like on the (now defunct) third jersey would not be possible with the RBK Edge ... however I've now seen them on the jerseys for the Bruins, which seems to prove contrary.
Anyway, back to the draft itself ... after all of this is when the draft officially began!
Boos came pouring down from all areas of the arena as each of the other NHL teams choosing before the Jackets were told they were on the clock by Gary Bettman, only turning to cheers once or twice before Columbus picked, in particular when Phoenix Coyotes' coach Wayne Gretzky came up to announce his team's pick. Like Bob Hunter said in his commentary, "Think these fans don't know hockey?"
Then came the announcement that it was the Jackets' turn to choose, at which point the arena again grew loud with cheers and chants of "Let's go Jackets!" Even as Scott Howson and the rest of the Blue Jackets' members at their draft table took their time, the cheering never completely stopped.
Once Howson made his way to the podium, he had to patiently wait as the crowd cheered, and cheered, and cheered. Talk about an enthusiastic and electrically powerful reception from the fans, right? Although many of them may not have understood the impact that picking a player like Jakuk Vorachek 7th overall will hopefully have on the future of the franchise in a few years, they were still as happy as ever when they announced his name, welcoming him with proverbial open arms.
Throughout the rest of the draft, the crowd dispersed little by little, but a fair amount of people stayed from start to finish. Me and Christy spent much of the time chatting and talking about the prospects, peeking at her printed out list of top prospects from TSN, and pointing out familiar faces on the draft floor. We saw such things as Bob Hartley and Lindy Ruff chatting for at least a good five minutes, and Charles Wang chumming it up with Lou Lamoriello. Christy also was able to hop on down the seats and speak with Red Wings' assistant GM Jim Nill for a minute, which was cool to watch.
Now remember when I said that there were some important people sitting in front of us? At some point during the middle of the first round, we got to talking about how the Red Wings hadn't had all that many 1st round picks as of late, having traded them away more often than not. Teasingly, I said to her that we'd give the Wings Sergei Fedorov for their 27th overall pick, which she chortled at in response and declined.
"Did you say Sergei Fedorov?"
One of the two men in front of us had turned around to face us, his thick Russian accent quite obvious. I responded, albeit surprised, that I did. At this point, he then began to direct our attention to the man next to him.
"He's Fedorov's agent."
(Update: Turns out he was also his father ... which, when I think about the fact his ID tag said "Fedorov" on it, I should have remembered last night. But I was tired when I wrote this! Bah!)
At this point, I'm stumbling over myself to explain that I was kidding (... I think I was kidding, at least), which Christy was able to convey better than I was. But the guy was friendly enough, and soon enough he turned more towards us to show us his hand, on which was a Stanley Cup Ring! The guy was also an agent ... and damned if I can't remember the name of the player whom he said he is/was representing. Was it
The rest of the draft, I'll admit, I spent in a semi-state of interest and fatigue. The week had been long, my energy was sapped, and I was ruing the day after, where I'd have to be up as early as 6 am ... on a Saturday, no less! I parted with Christy and her friend outside the arena afterwards, and grabbed a cab home.
Man ... this post turned out to be epic in length, didn't it? Well, don't let the time stamp at the bottom fool you; I'm putting this up at 9:14 pm, meaning it's taken a while to write this today.
I'm going to turn in for the night, and then I'll continue with Saturday's ongoings sometime either tomorrow morning, or tomorrow evening.
Labels: nhl draft
Landing on my bed in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... *CRASH!*
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Less than 21 hours until the 2007 NHL Entry Draft!
Que the dramatic music and effects!
I am tired. Dead tired. I'm keeping this short, because I have an early wake-up tomorrow:
-The prospect clinic that took place down at the Dispatch Ice Haus was awesome to watch, and it was great to see some of the more notable ones such as Patrick Kane, Kyle Turris, Sam Gagner, Karl Alzner, and Keaton Ellerby all participate in a hockey clinic alongside not only Blue Jackets' players Rick Nash, Dan Fritsche, Manny Malhotra and Pascal Leclaire, but also with at least two dozen youth hockey kids from in and around Columbus who were given the opportunity to lace it up with them.
If you're curious to see some footage of all that happened, apparently the NHL has been uploading YouTube videos left and right of what went down:
NHLTube
-I've been getting hit with e-mails left and right, and for now, accept my apologies and bear with me as I tuck a majority of them away in to my archives for later responding. The draft, as well as my own personal ongoings, has taken away every waking hour of freedom from me, only allowing me time to make these daily posts on Army of the Ohio. I promise I'll do my best to respond.
-I said I'd get pictures of the area in the Bud Light Arena Pub I was referring to, and by damned I got pictures!:
The front of the Bud Light Arena Pub, just around Section 118 to 119. A key point for anyone entering the BLAP from inside. Sadly, I lacked the time to snag a shot or two of the exterior entrance. :-(
Rear side of the BLAP, left side. This spot is actually where the radio hosts and other media personalities do radio shows during games and during special events. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, there's the possibility of a show being set up there around the same time.
Alright, now this is key. You see that booth there? That's on the right side of the rear part of the BLAP. And that is where I intend to do my very damnedest to hunker down alongside Drew and any people who show up early, in an attempt to seize a perfect place for a good group of people. I don't know how easy it'll be, but it's worth a shot. And if push comes to shove, there's always the possibility of table linking, eh?
Remember that outer alcove I mentioned? Apparently I mis-remembered it, and instead of chairs and couches, it's a bar and stools. Irregardless of that fact, it can still work as a secondary option if need be.
And that's it. That's all. I am tired. I need sleep.
Good night, and see you tomorrow afternoon!
Que the dramatic music and effects!
I am tired. Dead tired. I'm keeping this short, because I have an early wake-up tomorrow:
-The prospect clinic that took place down at the Dispatch Ice Haus was awesome to watch, and it was great to see some of the more notable ones such as Patrick Kane, Kyle Turris, Sam Gagner, Karl Alzner, and Keaton Ellerby all participate in a hockey clinic alongside not only Blue Jackets' players Rick Nash, Dan Fritsche, Manny Malhotra and Pascal Leclaire, but also with at least two dozen youth hockey kids from in and around Columbus who were given the opportunity to lace it up with them.
If you're curious to see some footage of all that happened, apparently the NHL has been uploading YouTube videos left and right of what went down:
NHLTube
-I've been getting hit with e-mails left and right, and for now, accept my apologies and bear with me as I tuck a majority of them away in to my archives for later responding. The draft, as well as my own personal ongoings, has taken away every waking hour of freedom from me, only allowing me time to make these daily posts on Army of the Ohio. I promise I'll do my best to respond.
-I said I'd get pictures of the area in the Bud Light Arena Pub I was referring to, and by damned I got pictures!:
The front of the Bud Light Arena Pub, just around Section 118 to 119. A key point for anyone entering the BLAP from inside. Sadly, I lacked the time to snag a shot or two of the exterior entrance. :-(
Rear side of the BLAP, left side. This spot is actually where the radio hosts and other media personalities do radio shows during games and during special events. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, there's the possibility of a show being set up there around the same time.
Alright, now this is key. You see that booth there? That's on the right side of the rear part of the BLAP. And that is where I intend to do my very damnedest to hunker down alongside Drew and any people who show up early, in an attempt to seize a perfect place for a good group of people. I don't know how easy it'll be, but it's worth a shot. And if push comes to shove, there's always the possibility of table linking, eh?
Remember that outer alcove I mentioned? Apparently I mis-remembered it, and instead of chairs and couches, it's a bar and stools. Irregardless of that fact, it can still work as a secondary option if need be.
And that's it. That's all. I am tired. I need sleep.
Good night, and see you tomorrow afternoon!
Hully gone, and contingency plans revised.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
So Brett Hull wasn't invited back for another season alongside Ray Ferraro and Bill Clement at the NHL on NBC, as has been reported by a few media outlets, as well as other bloggers. What was originally celebrated and trumpeted as a way to add a bit of an edge to the pre-game, intermission, and post-game coverage down at "30 Rock", turned out to be one of the more awkward and seemingly annoying parts of any NHL coverage on NBC.
Now before anyone jumps on me and defends Hull, let me make it clear that I liked a lot of what Hull tried to do in adding controversial and/or important topics to the mix. Clement's a great lead host, however he can lack passion at time ... and Ferraro, while articulate and emotive, still seems to be as threatening as a cardboard cutout when put in to a position where he needs to explain his opinion. With Hull thrown in to studio, Clement and Ferraro were forced to think quicker, actually put up a more lively debate, and deal with something of a Devil's advocate for the NHL's status quo.
But there's a lot to be said for chemistry between co-hosts, and on numerous -- numerous -- occasions, it seemed as though Hull just did not click well with either Ferraro or Clement. A personality conflict, perhaps? Or maybe it was simply the way that Hull presented his side of things. Regardless of why, Hull didn't seem to fit the role of an in-studio commentator.
I think, in large part, one issue was Hull's method of humor: scathing, and sometimes hard to tell whether he was kidding or being sarcastic, or if he was actually being serious and/or malicious. There's a fine line between the colorful, animated yet civil debates between the 3 - 4 panel of hosts on NFL Live on ESPN, for example ... and something of a combative environment, a la the NHL on NBC.
What NBC needs to do is find someone with a similarly inquisitive personality as Hull has, but who is more easily deciphered in terms of body and verbal language, and who may also have an even more amicable personality. To that end, I'd be all for seeing Jeremy Roenick send in a resume.
We've all seen Roenick as he's made the rounds on TSN, Sportscenter, ESPNews, Pardon the Interruption, TBDSSP, and the like. The guy has a very sociable personality and most every show host seems to just love to have the guy on; but he's also not at all afraid about giving people a piece of his mind.
So, yeah. That's just my take on that issue.
A small note on Friday's draft gathering: a helpful Anonymous has informed me that a radio show may be hosted at the Bud Light Arena Pub just around the same time as me and Drew are planning things. At the moment, everything is still "GO" in terms of where we meet, when we meet, and the like. However, if things turn out to get too crazy or things are much too packed at the BLAP by 4:30 pm, there will be a backup plan.
Outside of the back entrance/exit of the Bud Light Arena Pub, where the stairs leading down to Cotters are, there is something of a lounge area: seats, couches, a TV, a table ... pretty much a nice, comfy, cushy spot for people to lounge in. While it isn't in the pub, per se, it's just a mere several paces from the doors into the pub. If we are unable to find any room at all in the pub, this'll be the perfect place to relocate to.
I'm going to do my very damnedest to get some photos of the places in question I am referring to during the day today so that no one is left lost or confused, since I have a bad habit of explaining directions in the worst ways imaginable. So just hang tight, folks.
Now before anyone jumps on me and defends Hull, let me make it clear that I liked a lot of what Hull tried to do in adding controversial and/or important topics to the mix. Clement's a great lead host, however he can lack passion at time ... and Ferraro, while articulate and emotive, still seems to be as threatening as a cardboard cutout when put in to a position where he needs to explain his opinion. With Hull thrown in to studio, Clement and Ferraro were forced to think quicker, actually put up a more lively debate, and deal with something of a Devil's advocate for the NHL's status quo.
But there's a lot to be said for chemistry between co-hosts, and on numerous -- numerous -- occasions, it seemed as though Hull just did not click well with either Ferraro or Clement. A personality conflict, perhaps? Or maybe it was simply the way that Hull presented his side of things. Regardless of why, Hull didn't seem to fit the role of an in-studio commentator.
I think, in large part, one issue was Hull's method of humor: scathing, and sometimes hard to tell whether he was kidding or being sarcastic, or if he was actually being serious and/or malicious. There's a fine line between the colorful, animated yet civil debates between the 3 - 4 panel of hosts on NFL Live on ESPN, for example ... and something of a combative environment, a la the NHL on NBC.
What NBC needs to do is find someone with a similarly inquisitive personality as Hull has, but who is more easily deciphered in terms of body and verbal language, and who may also have an even more amicable personality. To that end, I'd be all for seeing Jeremy Roenick send in a resume.
We've all seen Roenick as he's made the rounds on TSN, Sportscenter, ESPNews, Pardon the Interruption, TBDSSP, and the like. The guy has a very sociable personality and most every show host seems to just love to have the guy on; but he's also not at all afraid about giving people a piece of his mind.
So, yeah. That's just my take on that issue.
A small note on Friday's draft gathering: a helpful Anonymous has informed me that a radio show may be hosted at the Bud Light Arena Pub just around the same time as me and Drew are planning things. At the moment, everything is still "GO" in terms of where we meet, when we meet, and the like. However, if things turn out to get too crazy or things are much too packed at the BLAP by 4:30 pm, there will be a backup plan.
Outside of the back entrance/exit of the Bud Light Arena Pub, where the stairs leading down to Cotters are, there is something of a lounge area: seats, couches, a TV, a table ... pretty much a nice, comfy, cushy spot for people to lounge in. While it isn't in the pub, per se, it's just a mere several paces from the doors into the pub. If we are unable to find any room at all in the pub, this'll be the perfect place to relocate to.
I'm going to do my very damnedest to get some photos of the places in question I am referring to during the day today so that no one is left lost or confused, since I have a bad habit of explaining directions in the worst ways imaginable. So just hang tight, folks.
Labels: Dis or Dat, NBC, nhl draft
Blindsided!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
So here I am, all settled in after a long but gratifying weekend where my mom stopped on over for a visit (and in the process reminded me that I need to do a better job keeping my apartment tidy ... pfft, mothers), and I was about to get to work on making some dinner and getting to my evening exercising before preparing for the next two, long, work-filled days before the NHL Entry Draft.
I hop on over to Sitemeter to check on my traffic, and what do I find?
Good golly, Miss Molly! I've been Zerg Rushed!
I feel ... I feel so claustrophobic!
I also have the sneaking suspicious that I might have to make an extra batch of Betty Crocker brownies (or ten) for the blogger gathering on Friday, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.
Bad jokes and equally bad references to real-time strategy video games aside, a metric ton of 'Thank you!' to Paul at Kukla's Korner for linking to both me and Drew at End of the Bench in your blog post at NHL.com, as well as to Trade Rumor-meister general Spector over at Spector's Hockey, where I'm getting absolutely barraged from. I'm definitely feeling positively over whelmed right about now ... but again, positively!
But, yeah. Okay. Honestly, I sort of feel like the guy caught with his trousers down at his ankles, because I wasn't at all ready to post anything today, instead readying to post on Wednesday like I said I would on Friday. But let me toss out a few things before I go and make sure I don't overcook my chicken breasts on the grill:
Scott Howson was officially introduced as the GM of the Blue Jackets on Friday, and Jackets' fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief that no last-minute change of heart came to hit Howson a la Bob Murray. Now all people in Columbus have to do is hope that he doesn't pull a Billy Donovan, but I'm pretty sure that won't happen.
I was able to see Howson's press conference in full, and liked what he had to say when he was answering questions from the modest contingent of media that was there. Although he did what was expected in dancing around some questions, you had the feeling that he takes this opportunity very seriously, and will be going about the evaluation of the franchise, both in terms of the players and the front office, in an efficient manner.
This includes, of course, what to do with former Doug MacLean hires such as Jim Clark and Don Boyd (who both interviewed for the GM position as well), the majority of the scouting staff, assistant coaches Gord Murphy and Gary Agnew (and it is given that Hitchcock will have a fair share of say in what happens with them), and the like. But with the draft just a measly 72 hours away from now, it'd be folly to do a giant shake-up now. Save that for after the draft, either during the free agency period, or just before the start of the pre-season.
Then there is the speculation about both Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov, whose contracts leave the Jackets in a bind in terms of their own, team-enforced salary cap. The general consensus seems to be that Foote, at $4 million for this year, might not be worth buying out at two-thirds value over the course of two seasons. Fedorov, however, has a $6 million contract that wraps up this year, meaning a two-thirds buyout spread over this year and next equals $2 million per year against the salary.
Here's the million dollar question, though: is there anyone out there on the free agent market that ...
-Is a capable center.
-Can be bought for about $4 million a year.
As it stands, the Jackets are in desperate need of a centerman who is of a higher quality, but it's already been beaten in to our heads that a Daniel Briere, a Chris Drury, or even a Scotty Gomez is just not within the Jackets' salary. So where do you look for a poor man's version of these players?
Then there's the search for a top tier defenseman, but I don't even want to get in to that just yet.
Anyway, I've got to get going. I still have dinner to make and eat, exercise to do, and one or two other errands to run before it gets to be too late. The draft gathering is still set for 4:30 PM on Friday at the Bud Light Arena Pub, in the rear of the pub. And if that doesn't work? Once again, re-converge outside of the R-Bar at 4:45 PM ... but trust me, I'll be as shocked as a fly hitting a bug zapper if the BLAP isn't a possibility.
I hop on over to Sitemeter to check on my traffic, and what do I find?
Good golly, Miss Molly! I've been Zerg Rushed!
I feel ... I feel so claustrophobic!
I also have the sneaking suspicious that I might have to make an extra batch of Betty Crocker brownies (or ten) for the blogger gathering on Friday, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.
Bad jokes and equally bad references to real-time strategy video games aside, a metric ton of 'Thank you!' to Paul at Kukla's Korner for linking to both me and Drew at End of the Bench in your blog post at NHL.com, as well as to Trade Rumor-meister general Spector over at Spector's Hockey, where I'm getting absolutely barraged from. I'm definitely feeling positively over whelmed right about now ... but again, positively!
But, yeah. Okay. Honestly, I sort of feel like the guy caught with his trousers down at his ankles, because I wasn't at all ready to post anything today, instead readying to post on Wednesday like I said I would on Friday. But let me toss out a few things before I go and make sure I don't overcook my chicken breasts on the grill:
Scott Howson was officially introduced as the GM of the Blue Jackets on Friday, and Jackets' fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief that no last-minute change of heart came to hit Howson a la Bob Murray. Now all people in Columbus have to do is hope that he doesn't pull a Billy Donovan, but I'm pretty sure that won't happen.
I was able to see Howson's press conference in full, and liked what he had to say when he was answering questions from the modest contingent of media that was there. Although he did what was expected in dancing around some questions, you had the feeling that he takes this opportunity very seriously, and will be going about the evaluation of the franchise, both in terms of the players and the front office, in an efficient manner.
This includes, of course, what to do with former Doug MacLean hires such as Jim Clark and Don Boyd (who both interviewed for the GM position as well), the majority of the scouting staff, assistant coaches Gord Murphy and Gary Agnew (and it is given that Hitchcock will have a fair share of say in what happens with them), and the like. But with the draft just a measly 72 hours away from now, it'd be folly to do a giant shake-up now. Save that for after the draft, either during the free agency period, or just before the start of the pre-season.
Then there is the speculation about both Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov, whose contracts leave the Jackets in a bind in terms of their own, team-enforced salary cap. The general consensus seems to be that Foote, at $4 million for this year, might not be worth buying out at two-thirds value over the course of two seasons. Fedorov, however, has a $6 million contract that wraps up this year, meaning a two-thirds buyout spread over this year and next equals $2 million per year against the salary.
Here's the million dollar question, though: is there anyone out there on the free agent market that ...
-Is a capable center.
-Can be bought for about $4 million a year.
As it stands, the Jackets are in desperate need of a centerman who is of a higher quality, but it's already been beaten in to our heads that a Daniel Briere, a Chris Drury, or even a Scotty Gomez is just not within the Jackets' salary. So where do you look for a poor man's version of these players?
Then there's the search for a top tier defenseman, but I don't even want to get in to that just yet.
Anyway, I've got to get going. I still have dinner to make and eat, exercise to do, and one or two other errands to run before it gets to be too late. The draft gathering is still set for 4:30 PM on Friday at the Bud Light Arena Pub, in the rear of the pub. And if that doesn't work? Once again, re-converge outside of the R-Bar at 4:45 PM ... but trust me, I'll be as shocked as a fly hitting a bug zapper if the BLAP isn't a possibility.
Labels: front office, insanity, nhl draft, You Don't Know Jack
Almost ready for take-off!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I'm going to get to the newest Blue Jackets' news sometime later tonight or tomorrow, as right now I have to run around and take care of a few things this morning. I also want to focus on the final decision made on where and when every one who is coming to the blogger bash should meet, as I can now say without a doubt that this is the choice:
Where: The Bud Light Arena Pub inside of Nationwide Arena
In the end, the best possible location turned out to not be one of the places around Nationwide Arena, but a spot inside of the arena itself. Why? Well, there were a few factors. First, there was the fact that it was practically the best location for people who were going to be going directly to the arena via their directions or MapQuests or whatever, or who preferred to not spend any time trying to figure out how to get to one place or another around the Arena District, especially since it's going to be extremely busy throughout much of the day outside. Additionally, we didn't want to run in to any complications with younger bloggers (I agree with what Drew said as this was brought up ... saying 'younger bloggers' makes me feel like an old man), if we had decided to choose a spot like a bar. And while the BLAP is a bar to an extent, it's also open to people of all ages.
So worry not, kiddies! Uncle Mike had you in mind!
So the next question is ... "Where in Nationwide Arena is the Bud Light Arena Pub?"
Well, there are two ways to get to the Pub when entering Nationwide Arena ...
1) Not too many people I know tend to notice this method of getting into the Arena during game days, but at the rear of the Arena, there is another restaurant called Cotters; a fancier, more upper class sort of shindig that is attached to the arena, and is next to the ticket office and rear entrance. The doors which lead in to Cotters also lead to a set of stairs that you can take directly to the Bud Light Arena Pub. Will these doors be open? I couldn't really say, but I'd reckon they will be.
2) If you decide to enter the arena the old-fashioned way, via the rear or front entrances that most people file in to during events, just remember to turn left, and keep going left, until you see the entrance to the Bud Light Arena Pub. Rear entrance people will be going up an escalator first, at which point you'll be around Section 118. Just hang a left around the concession area. People coming from the front entrance will want to take a left after they've passed by The Blueline -- the team store -- and keep going that way until they see the BLAP.
As for where in the pub to find us? I am leaning towards the rear of the pub, where there are more tables, and would allow for more flexibility in moving around and where people can relax. The front of the pub where the bar is and there's a great view of the Dispatch Ice Haus from inside is nice and all, but it wouldn't be conducive to a group of people all gathering together, unfortunately.
When: 4:30 PM
Although this might seem like a pretty late time, remember that we'll be in the arena itself already, meaning no rush to get inside from outside. Additionally, seating for non-season ticket holders only begins around 6:15 pm, and the draft itself isn't going to start until 7 pm.
The doors in to the arena will not be opening until 4 pm, as well. Feasibly, we could kick things off right away at 4, but then we'd be in a mad dash to get to the BLAP right as the doors opened.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
In the unfortunate event that, for some reason or another, the Bud Light Arena Pub is not open by 4:30 pm, a secondary gathering spot will be just outside of The R Bar, where the patio is, by 4:45 pm (this allows for some wiggle room for people to head from Point A to Point B when they find that the pub is closed, if it really is). How do you find the R Bar? Well, if you're standing at the front of Nationwide Arena and looking at the arena, simply look to your left, and you'll see a vertial sign that says "R Bar". Just cross the street and head in that direction; it'll be to the right of the parking building you'll also see, and behind the brick building with the "Darz" sign.
So, the next question is, who are you looking for? Well, just follow the bouncing the Union Army kepi!
Where: The Bud Light Arena Pub inside of Nationwide Arena
In the end, the best possible location turned out to not be one of the places around Nationwide Arena, but a spot inside of the arena itself. Why? Well, there were a few factors. First, there was the fact that it was practically the best location for people who were going to be going directly to the arena via their directions or MapQuests or whatever, or who preferred to not spend any time trying to figure out how to get to one place or another around the Arena District, especially since it's going to be extremely busy throughout much of the day outside. Additionally, we didn't want to run in to any complications with younger bloggers (I agree with what Drew said as this was brought up ... saying 'younger bloggers' makes me feel like an old man), if we had decided to choose a spot like a bar. And while the BLAP is a bar to an extent, it's also open to people of all ages.
So worry not, kiddies! Uncle Mike had you in mind!
So the next question is ... "Where in Nationwide Arena is the Bud Light Arena Pub?"
Well, there are two ways to get to the Pub when entering Nationwide Arena ...
1) Not too many people I know tend to notice this method of getting into the Arena during game days, but at the rear of the Arena, there is another restaurant called Cotters; a fancier, more upper class sort of shindig that is attached to the arena, and is next to the ticket office and rear entrance. The doors which lead in to Cotters also lead to a set of stairs that you can take directly to the Bud Light Arena Pub. Will these doors be open? I couldn't really say, but I'd reckon they will be.
2) If you decide to enter the arena the old-fashioned way, via the rear or front entrances that most people file in to during events, just remember to turn left, and keep going left, until you see the entrance to the Bud Light Arena Pub. Rear entrance people will be going up an escalator first, at which point you'll be around Section 118. Just hang a left around the concession area. People coming from the front entrance will want to take a left after they've passed by The Blueline -- the team store -- and keep going that way until they see the BLAP.
As for where in the pub to find us? I am leaning towards the rear of the pub, where there are more tables, and would allow for more flexibility in moving around and where people can relax. The front of the pub where the bar is and there's a great view of the Dispatch Ice Haus from inside is nice and all, but it wouldn't be conducive to a group of people all gathering together, unfortunately.
When: 4:30 PM
Although this might seem like a pretty late time, remember that we'll be in the arena itself already, meaning no rush to get inside from outside. Additionally, seating for non-season ticket holders only begins around 6:15 pm, and the draft itself isn't going to start until 7 pm.
The doors in to the arena will not be opening until 4 pm, as well. Feasibly, we could kick things off right away at 4, but then we'd be in a mad dash to get to the BLAP right as the doors opened.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
In the unfortunate event that, for some reason or another, the Bud Light Arena Pub is not open by 4:30 pm, a secondary gathering spot will be just outside of The R Bar, where the patio is, by 4:45 pm (this allows for some wiggle room for people to head from Point A to Point B when they find that the pub is closed, if it really is). How do you find the R Bar? Well, if you're standing at the front of Nationwide Arena and looking at the arena, simply look to your left, and you'll see a vertial sign that says "R Bar". Just cross the street and head in that direction; it'll be to the right of the parking building you'll also see, and behind the brick building with the "Darz" sign.
So, the next question is, who are you looking for? Well, just follow the bouncing the Union Army kepi!
I'll try to update this a little bit later tonight. I got to bolt for the bus downtown now!
Labels: Dis or Dat, nhl draft
Just give him even more money; maybe he'll like Columbus then.
Monday, June 04, 2007
A whole bunch of things to touch on after a crazy weekend, but let's start off with the more important Blue Jackets news.
Prima donna Zherdev strikes again
You know, I just can't help but feel disgust after seeing what Nikolai Zherdev's "adviser" Sasha Tyjnch told Aaron Portzline and The Columbus Dispatch over the weekend. But then the other thing I feel is this great sense of apathy.
Zherdev backers will quickly jump to his aid, I'm sure, saying how this isn't Z making these comments but just an adviser of his who may be looking to stir the pot. To them, I say that unless I see Zherdev comes out publicly and states that he wants to play for the Blue Jackets, then there's nothing defendable here. What Zherdev and his camp don't seem to understand is that he is not in any position to start "suggesting" a trade. Z, as most people will recall, is not coming off one of his best seasons ... 10 goals in all, when this kid is supposed to be such a brilliant goal scorer?
At one point, Tyjnch says this about Zherdev's mind-set:
Being of the mind-set that one will remain a Blue Jacket, and wanting to play for the Blue Jackets, are two wholly different things based off of manipulative semantics. Much like when one says they apologize "if they offended you", compared to when someone says they apologize "for offending you", if that makes any sense.
Remember that months ago, there was an article that The Dispatch published concerning the opinion of other players in the Blue Jackets' organization on Zherdev, too, where at least a handful of unnamed CBJ players denounced Zherdev's behavior, while at the same time lamenting his work ethic. It's that very work ethic which has also led to Z being benched at times during the season, as well as chased off of the ice during practice skates not just by Ken Hitchcock, but also Gary Agnew.
I've heard plenty about how Hitch has thrown Zherdev under the bus at several occasions, including during the town hall meetings that took place back in late April and throughout May. Here's the thing, though ... Hitch has also called out other players, too. But the thing is that with those other players, such as Pascal Leclaire, he wasn't outright venomous or offensive. And that's because, in my humble opinion, Hitch knew that those players were doing the best they could to play better, more responsibly, and conform to a system which is supposed to help this team. Zherdev, instead, has tried to play the maverick ... the cowboy who plays by his own rules.
Does he, or his advisers, really think they'll be able to swing a favorable trade? Considering his poor production this past season, the Jackets' would be fortunate to get a 2nd round pick for this upcoming draft for him. And if I was team management, I wouldn't want to let go of Zherdev unless the team that he was going to gave the Blue Jackets, at the least, a 1st round pick and said they'd take responsibility for every penny left on his salary. This team could use an additional $2-3 million off of the books prior to the start of free agency to put to a better, if not long-term replacement tucked away in the FA market in a month.
Let Zherdev rot, I say. Like I said, unless he comes out publicly and states something contrary to Tyjnch's comments, then I have no reason to believe that Z isn't actively looking for a trade. Then again, I recall hearing how he wasn't doing too hot at learning the English language despite the requirements in his contract that he make a concerted effort to do so, so maybe that'd be expecting too much from him, right?
Blue Jackets' RBK Edge jerseys to be unveiled at the NHL Entry Draft
While Bethany broke this news last week, I wanted to wait until there was some sort of news link or word from a direct source that the Blue Jackets would be unveiling their own version of the RBK Edge jerseys at the NHL Entry Draft. Most signs had been pointing towards trying to get them ready for an unveiling, but nothing was officially announced until the end of last week, when the Jackets did so on their website.
It's my understanding, though, that this will only be an unveiling, which will take place just prior to the start of the draft itself onstage inside of Nationwide Arena. Unless I hear otherwise, the current plan is to take pre-sales for the jerseys at the draft. Even so, I'm happy to hear about this, and excited, too!
So this now means that at least two teams -- the Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals -- have publicly announced that they'll be unveiling their new jerseys at the draft. Does anyone out there know of any other teams that have announced the same? It'd be a shame if only 2 of a whole 30 teams were doing so, and while I'm sure there's some teams just not announcing it until the draft edges closer, you never know.
GM search wraps up; waiting on the final decision
In the article posted to earlier concerning Zherdev, there's also a mention of how Don Boyd, the Blue Jackets' director of player personnel, has either had his second interview today, or did so yesterday. Bob Murray was also in during the time between games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, meaning that by the end of today, all of the final four candidates will have gotten their opportunity to show Mr. Mac (majority owner John McConnell) and Mike Priest why they should be his beloved team's head hockey man.
So what do we do now? Well ... we wait. And we wait, and we wait. And the longer we wait, the more that you get the feeling that the previous speculation about Murray being the top candidate is no mere speculation. I have no problem with that ... nothing like a little SCF to keep me pre-occupied while waiting for the Blue Jackets' knight in shining armor to come to the rescue, right?
Drew enacts Plan Alpha Delta Omega; bloggers plan to converge on Columbus faster than a blitzkrieg
... or at least that's what I hope will happen, now that Drew's gotten a plethora of e-mails sent out, we're seeing a lot of interest in a blogger get-together. Unfortunately for The Sailor, I don't have enough money to buy a round of frosty (or even warm) brewskis; but I did recently buy some yeast recently while attempting to make my own homemade pizza from scratch (dough making and all), so maybe I can dabble in some beer making of my own!
Or not. I wouldn't want to be held responsible for the death of anyone due to my own adventures in beer fermentation. Oiy.
I'm going to do my damndest to update anything that needs updating on that big post on the blog by the end of this week. Additionally, with the draft itself 18 days away, we still have some time to try and pick the perfect spot for people to gather at. If the other CBJ bloggers such as Sarah, Beth, Herringbone (even though he's stuck all the way in Seattle), or Tyler (or even the more Columbus/OSU-centric bloggers) want to help in the brainstorm process when it comes to picking the gathering place, then go nuts! The help would be appreciated!
Beyond my own NHL Entry Draft Primer, Sarah at Neutral Zone Trap has also done an amazing job herself at giving a massive rundown about Columbus, where to go, what to do, and everything else you can think of. Considering she's been here longer than me, I'd say she does a much more bang up job than I do when it pertains to covering all the bases on things you can partake in beyond just the draft while you're here.
Lastly, the Blue Jackets have been kind enough to put up a page on their website where you can get a good rundown on what to expect during the draft, and when things will be going on, so check it out!
I'm out for now. But not before I forget the weekly You Don't Know Jack!
Prima donna Zherdev strikes again
You know, I just can't help but feel disgust after seeing what Nikolai Zherdev's "adviser" Sasha Tyjnch told Aaron Portzline and The Columbus Dispatch over the weekend. But then the other thing I feel is this great sense of apathy.
Zherdev backers will quickly jump to his aid, I'm sure, saying how this isn't Z making these comments but just an adviser of his who may be looking to stir the pot. To them, I say that unless I see Zherdev comes out publicly and states that he wants to play for the Blue Jackets, then there's nothing defendable here. What Zherdev and his camp don't seem to understand is that he is not in any position to start "suggesting" a trade. Z, as most people will recall, is not coming off one of his best seasons ... 10 goals in all, when this kid is supposed to be such a brilliant goal scorer?
At one point, Tyjnch says this about Zherdev's mind-set:
But, Sasha Tyjnych said, Zherdev is spending this summer with the mind-set that he'll remain with the Blue Jackets.
Being of the mind-set that one will remain a Blue Jacket, and wanting to play for the Blue Jackets, are two wholly different things based off of manipulative semantics. Much like when one says they apologize "if they offended you", compared to when someone says they apologize "for offending you", if that makes any sense.
Remember that months ago, there was an article that The Dispatch published concerning the opinion of other players in the Blue Jackets' organization on Zherdev, too, where at least a handful of unnamed CBJ players denounced Zherdev's behavior, while at the same time lamenting his work ethic. It's that very work ethic which has also led to Z being benched at times during the season, as well as chased off of the ice during practice skates not just by Ken Hitchcock, but also Gary Agnew.
I've heard plenty about how Hitch has thrown Zherdev under the bus at several occasions, including during the town hall meetings that took place back in late April and throughout May. Here's the thing, though ... Hitch has also called out other players, too. But the thing is that with those other players, such as Pascal Leclaire, he wasn't outright venomous or offensive. And that's because, in my humble opinion, Hitch knew that those players were doing the best they could to play better, more responsibly, and conform to a system which is supposed to help this team. Zherdev, instead, has tried to play the maverick ... the cowboy who plays by his own rules.
Does he, or his advisers, really think they'll be able to swing a favorable trade? Considering his poor production this past season, the Jackets' would be fortunate to get a 2nd round pick for this upcoming draft for him. And if I was team management, I wouldn't want to let go of Zherdev unless the team that he was going to gave the Blue Jackets, at the least, a 1st round pick and said they'd take responsibility for every penny left on his salary. This team could use an additional $2-3 million off of the books prior to the start of free agency to put to a better, if not long-term replacement tucked away in the FA market in a month.
Let Zherdev rot, I say. Like I said, unless he comes out publicly and states something contrary to Tyjnch's comments, then I have no reason to believe that Z isn't actively looking for a trade. Then again, I recall hearing how he wasn't doing too hot at learning the English language despite the requirements in his contract that he make a concerted effort to do so, so maybe that'd be expecting too much from him, right?
Blue Jackets' RBK Edge jerseys to be unveiled at the NHL Entry Draft
While Bethany broke this news last week, I wanted to wait until there was some sort of news link or word from a direct source that the Blue Jackets would be unveiling their own version of the RBK Edge jerseys at the NHL Entry Draft. Most signs had been pointing towards trying to get them ready for an unveiling, but nothing was officially announced until the end of last week, when the Jackets did so on their website.
It's my understanding, though, that this will only be an unveiling, which will take place just prior to the start of the draft itself onstage inside of Nationwide Arena. Unless I hear otherwise, the current plan is to take pre-sales for the jerseys at the draft. Even so, I'm happy to hear about this, and excited, too!
So this now means that at least two teams -- the Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals -- have publicly announced that they'll be unveiling their new jerseys at the draft. Does anyone out there know of any other teams that have announced the same? It'd be a shame if only 2 of a whole 30 teams were doing so, and while I'm sure there's some teams just not announcing it until the draft edges closer, you never know.
GM search wraps up; waiting on the final decision
In the article posted to earlier concerning Zherdev, there's also a mention of how Don Boyd, the Blue Jackets' director of player personnel, has either had his second interview today, or did so yesterday. Bob Murray was also in during the time between games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, meaning that by the end of today, all of the final four candidates will have gotten their opportunity to show Mr. Mac (majority owner John McConnell) and Mike Priest why they should be his beloved team's head hockey man.
So what do we do now? Well ... we wait. And we wait, and we wait. And the longer we wait, the more that you get the feeling that the previous speculation about Murray being the top candidate is no mere speculation. I have no problem with that ... nothing like a little SCF to keep me pre-occupied while waiting for the Blue Jackets' knight in shining armor to come to the rescue, right?
Drew enacts Plan Alpha Delta Omega; bloggers plan to converge on Columbus faster than a blitzkrieg
... or at least that's what I hope will happen, now that Drew's gotten a plethora of e-mails sent out, we're seeing a lot of interest in a blogger get-together. Unfortunately for The Sailor, I don't have enough money to buy a round of frosty (or even warm) brewskis; but I did recently buy some yeast recently while attempting to make my own homemade pizza from scratch (dough making and all), so maybe I can dabble in some beer making of my own!
Or not. I wouldn't want to be held responsible for the death of anyone due to my own adventures in beer fermentation. Oiy.
I'm going to do my damndest to update anything that needs updating on that big post on the blog by the end of this week. Additionally, with the draft itself 18 days away, we still have some time to try and pick the perfect spot for people to gather at. If the other CBJ bloggers such as Sarah, Beth, Herringbone (even though he's stuck all the way in Seattle), or Tyler (or even the more Columbus/OSU-centric bloggers) want to help in the brainstorm process when it comes to picking the gathering place, then go nuts! The help would be appreciated!
Beyond my own NHL Entry Draft Primer, Sarah at Neutral Zone Trap has also done an amazing job herself at giving a massive rundown about Columbus, where to go, what to do, and everything else you can think of. Considering she's been here longer than me, I'd say she does a much more bang up job than I do when it pertains to covering all the bases on things you can partake in beyond just the draft while you're here.
Lastly, the Blue Jackets have been kind enough to put up a page on their website where you can get a good rundown on what to expect during the draft, and when things will be going on, so check it out!
I'm out for now. But not before I forget the weekly You Don't Know Jack!
Labels: GM search, jerseys, nhl draft, Nikolai Zherdev, You Don't Know Jack
The dog days of summer are a total b***h ... and it isn't even June!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
You know, this 91 degree weather hitting Columbus right now is killing me. And it isn't going to be ending anytime soon, either, with the weekly forecast predicting equal to -- if not hotter -- weather up until Saturday. I'd kill for some rain right about now, or even a mild cold front to bump the temperature down 20 degrees.
Sigh. I long for winter, and it isn't even fall yet.
But enough whining; new news on the search for a general manager has come to light, as Aaron Portzline has once again seemingly picked the lock on the Blue Jackets' and Mike Priest's seemingly impenetrable information vault for the second time in less than a week, coming out with the strongest declaration yet on who is going to be the Jackets' next GM: Anaheim Ducks' Vice President of Hockey Operations, Bob Murray.
When you look back on who the final four candidates were revealed to be, this seems like the obvious and best choice to be made by the organization ... of course, remember that this article isn't so much a confirmation that Murray has been given the job; merely that Murray is the one who is the leading candidate. And even then, if Murray isn't able to sneak in an interview in Columbus sometime during the Stanley Cup Finals (something that is possible when the series shifts back to Ottawa due to a two day break, like Portzline speculated), that lead in the chase for the job might be given up. Doubtful, but you never know.
The Dispatch also has a small capsule report on Murray, which doesn't give you much information, but just enough to know what he's done in the NHL and how long he's been a part of the league in some capacity, from being a player to someone in a team's front office. If you're looking for some even deeper information on Murray, the HFBoards have been their usual, busy self, with numerous Jackets' fans running expeditions into the depths of the Hockey Database and other websites for information on his history. Some specific posts to peek at are here, here, and here.
Before I head out for the afternoon, I just want to remind everyone that yes, me and Drew at End of the Bench are still hammering out some final details for a draft get-together for people who are interested. Hopefully some time by the end of the week we should be looking into contacting a few people about helping out with getting the word spread so that this doesn't turn out to be some dud. Or at least by sometime in the middle of next week. But with the draft now just a little over three weeks away, we really should wrap up some plans and fast.
With that, I bring you a Dis or Dat. Adios!
Sigh. I long for winter, and it isn't even fall yet.
But enough whining; new news on the search for a general manager has come to light, as Aaron Portzline has once again seemingly picked the lock on the Blue Jackets' and Mike Priest's seemingly impenetrable information vault for the second time in less than a week, coming out with the strongest declaration yet on who is going to be the Jackets' next GM: Anaheim Ducks' Vice President of Hockey Operations, Bob Murray.
When you look back on who the final four candidates were revealed to be, this seems like the obvious and best choice to be made by the organization ... of course, remember that this article isn't so much a confirmation that Murray has been given the job; merely that Murray is the one who is the leading candidate. And even then, if Murray isn't able to sneak in an interview in Columbus sometime during the Stanley Cup Finals (something that is possible when the series shifts back to Ottawa due to a two day break, like Portzline speculated), that lead in the chase for the job might be given up. Doubtful, but you never know.
The Dispatch also has a small capsule report on Murray, which doesn't give you much information, but just enough to know what he's done in the NHL and how long he's been a part of the league in some capacity, from being a player to someone in a team's front office. If you're looking for some even deeper information on Murray, the HFBoards have been their usual, busy self, with numerous Jackets' fans running expeditions into the depths of the Hockey Database and other websites for information on his history. Some specific posts to peek at are here, here, and here.
Before I head out for the afternoon, I just want to remind everyone that yes, me and Drew at End of the Bench are still hammering out some final details for a draft get-together for people who are interested. Hopefully some time by the end of the week we should be looking into contacting a few people about helping out with getting the word spread so that this doesn't turn out to be some dud. Or at least by sometime in the middle of next week. But with the draft now just a little over three weeks away, we really should wrap up some plans and fast.
With that, I bring you a Dis or Dat. Adios!
Labels: Dis or Dat, GM search, nhl draft
Out with the old, in the with new ... team website!
Friday, May 18, 2007
So I'm going to be moving the daily Dis or Dats to the bottom of every new post from now on. Sounds good, right? After all, this is a hockey blog first and foremost, and so the start of each post should involve the Blue Jackets, the NHL, or just hockey in general.
Or in this case ... the website of a hockey team!
Just yesterday, the new Columbus Blue Jackets website went live. Personal opinion on it? It works just fine. Obviously the template is of the same mold as the other new team sites that the NHL is putting out, but I'm pleasantly surprised that "local" banners and links were permitted on the new site.
For a little while, I was concerned that links to things such as the Dispatch Ice Haus and The Chillers, as well as links to the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets and The Blueline would be removed, because they were local aspects. But I get the feeling that if the NHL had done that a lot of teams, including the Jackets, would have balked at the uniform method of making team pages. After all, how can you promote your partners or other endeavors if you can't have a website that'd allow you to?
The larger headline picture/box on the left is appreciated, compared to the original version which had a smaller image and less space for text. I also like how they've now implemented the new team name font, as you can see with the top banner. The new font type might be standard fanfare, but when you compare it to the old font type with the wavy name? Well, it definitely looks a lot better.
One thing that is a boatload of failure, and this is the NHL's doing and not the Blue Jackets, is the Mobile Jackets page under Multimedia (you can see it's the NHL's doing by the fact that the link takes you to a site with the NHL.com scheme). Only one wallpaper (which will soon be obsolete, anyway), and some of the cheesiest mobile ringtones I've ever heard. I mean ... wow. Just, wow. Listening to those things is like digging a rusty spoon into my ear to scoop out my brains with. If they're going to make these ringtones, the NHL may as well put a little effort in to it.
But then again, maybe enough people out there like some random yutz yelling "BLUE JACKETS RUULLLLE!" as a ringtone, for the low, low price of $1.99!
Or in this case ... the website of a hockey team!
Just yesterday, the new Columbus Blue Jackets website went live. Personal opinion on it? It works just fine. Obviously the template is of the same mold as the other new team sites that the NHL is putting out, but I'm pleasantly surprised that "local" banners and links were permitted on the new site.
For a little while, I was concerned that links to things such as the Dispatch Ice Haus and The Chillers, as well as links to the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets and The Blueline would be removed, because they were local aspects. But I get the feeling that if the NHL had done that a lot of teams, including the Jackets, would have balked at the uniform method of making team pages. After all, how can you promote your partners or other endeavors if you can't have a website that'd allow you to?
The larger headline picture/box on the left is appreciated, compared to the original version which had a smaller image and less space for text. I also like how they've now implemented the new team name font, as you can see with the top banner. The new font type might be standard fanfare, but when you compare it to the old font type with the wavy name? Well, it definitely looks a lot better.
One thing that is a boatload of failure, and this is the NHL's doing and not the Blue Jackets, is the Mobile Jackets page under Multimedia (you can see it's the NHL's doing by the fact that the link takes you to a site with the NHL.com scheme). Only one wallpaper (which will soon be obsolete, anyway), and some of the cheesiest mobile ringtones I've ever heard. I mean ... wow. Just, wow. Listening to those things is like digging a rusty spoon into my ear to scoop out my brains with. If they're going to make these ringtones, the NHL may as well put a little effort in to it.
But then again, maybe enough people out there like some random yutz yelling "BLUE JACKETS RUULLLLE!" as a ringtone, for the low, low price of $1.99!
Before I wrap up, I just wanted to throw out that I'm hammering out some final details with a friend or two about how to go about setting up things for a blogger gathering at the NHL draft. Hard to believe it's just a little over a month away! I'm hoping that by sometime in the middle of next week I'll have something new to let everyone know about concerning it. Hopefully everyone's gotten their tickets! And don't worry, I have four spare ones for anyone who didn't want to deal with the registration process at Ticketmaster/the Blue Jackets website:
In any event, that's it from me. Here's the daily Dis or Dat, for everyone who stuck around through this post:
In any event, that's it from me. Here's the daily Dis or Dat, for everyone who stuck around through this post:
I have a full plate of things to do this weekend. Be back on Monday!
Labels: Dis or Dat, nhl draft
Of jerseys, the draft, and ... George W. Bush invading an orchestra!?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Hey, a Dis or Dat about George W. Bush! This should be fun!
There isn't a damned thing to talk about when it comes to the Blue Jackets this morning. The lockdown of news coming about interviews for the vacant GM job continues (and so does Stan Fischler's man crush on Jim Clark over at The Maven's blog, which I still don't understand), meaning not even Lupin the III could sneak out with any information before being caught. I'd do anything right now to find out which outside candidates are scheduled to come to Columbus later this week. Even if the list I linked to yesterday by Michael Arace is indicative of who to expect, you never know who may pop up out of nowhere for an interview.
Beyond that, the NHL draft is just a little over a month away! ... and I still haven't updated the draft post, like I said I would! Crap, crap, crap!
But fortunately, my buddy and fellow CBJ blogger Drew at End of the Bench has recently informed me that he will be around for the draft, meaning I will be forcing him to help me with setting up this blogger get together. I'll be damned if I don't take his offer of help, since this whole idea was his in the first place. And besides, why waste a perfect opportunity for a wide variety of bloggers from all over to get together and ... well ... fight about which team is the superior team, right? One of the benefits of the draft being in Columbus, of course, is just how centrally located it is to a wide variety of other NHL teams. Just off the top of my head when it comes to bearable drives from Point A to Point B, you have ...
-Pittsburgh, PA (3 hours)
-Detroit, MI (3-4 hours)
-Chicago, IL (5-6 hours)
-Buffalo, NY (5-6 hours)
-Nashville, TN (6-7 hours)
-St. Louis, MO (6-7 hours)
-Toronto, ON (7 hours)
-North New Jersey (7-8 hours)
-Philadelphia, PA (7-8 hours)
-Raleigh-Durham, NC (8 hours)
-New York, NY (8-9 hours)
-Atlanta, GA (8-9 hours)
-Ottawa, ON (10-11 hours)
So right there you have half of the league when including Columbus! Eat your heart out, "I'm stranded nearly 13 hours by car from the closest other NHL team" Vancouver!
One final musing thought about the draft, though: as most people have probably read via Off Wing, the Washington Capitals are planning to have their new duds, with the heralded "Rbk EDGE Uniform System" technology, ready for an unveiling at a draft party. But besides that, this part of Eric's post about the unveiling piqued my interest when I saw it a couple weeks ago:
"The Capitals are the first team planning to have their new uniforms on hand at the NHL Entry Draft."
Reason enough to wonder about the rest of the league. In truth, the league lacks any sort of uniform policy (get it? Uniform policy about uniforms? Haha ... ha ... yeah ...) when it comes to team's unveiling of the new threads. In my opinion, this could seriously put the league in a bind come draft time, where one or two teams may have their jerseys ready to sell -- or at least enough to put on their draft picks -- while others won't even have a single jersey to give to their first round pick on the first day of the draft.
In all honestly, I think the league is seriously missing a perfect opportunity here by not getting right on this issue. Even if Rbk can't churn out the new jerseys quick enough to sell at the draft, how difficult is it to just make a couple jerseys for each team to have for their picks at the draft? It's the best opportunity for each team to unveil their new uniforms, especially when you consider just how perfectly located Columbus is and how accessible it is compared to other places where the NHL Entry Draft could be held. People coming from so many locations just to be there, first hand, to see their team's new uniforms? Imagine how awesome that'd be, not to mention the business it'd bring to the City of Columbus as a whole!
But again, just my opinion. Who knows, right? Maybe as time winds down and we get even closer to the draft, more teams will publicly and officially announce plans to unveil their uniforms at the draft, as well. We just have to wait and see.
Labels: Dis or Dat, jerseys, nhl draft
