madamhockey_31

Yes I made another username for that puropse.  I figured it was easier than trying to sift through my hockey and other blogs to find the ones about that.

bypassme_61 

So yea I FINALLY get a Blue Jackets game via FSN OHIO [stupid ass Cavs!] and boy is it a game to be watching!  [Ok just need to throw this in cause Nasher just scored...4-0!!]  Anyway, this has to be one of the best games I've seen them play in a while.  Now mind you I haven't been able to see a lot of the games because of the whole "I live in North-East Ohio, therefore if the Cavs are on I get them while the rest of the state gets the Jackets!" thing!  That is the dumbest thing in the world.  I hate it.  I really do.  It irks me to no end - or when the Lake Erie Monsters are on, we miss the Jackets.  Though it is nice to have a hockey team back in Cleveland, but they're horrible!  As my brother put it - "I know why they suck so badly.  They're a bunch of freckin' Billy Madison's out there!"  Which works in movies but not in REAL hockey.

Alright I'm so off track right now.  BACK to the Jackets.  This is a GREAT game and they're putting the Wild to shame as they did to the defending Stanley Cup Champs Ducks back on Opening Night in Columbus.  As of right now the Jackets are at the bottom of the Central but this is a great group of guys and I know that come the All-Star break they'll be back close to the top of the division.  This is not hockey related BUT, in 1976 baseball season the Cincinnati Reds were 13 1/2 games back in thier division at the All-Star break and they came back to win, not only the division, but also the World Series!  Though everyone likes to overlook that and just focus on Fisk's homerun that - only kept the Red Sox alive for another day - but the Reds WON!  Which gives me hope for the Jackets, though I've always been behind them no matter what.  I guess it's what you get from being a fan of ANY team in Ohio - well aside from the Buckeyes, but I'm talking professional sports here.

We have a great group of guys in Columbus - that I'd put up against any team at any time.  Well it's a hard fought battle with the Hurricanes or Senators, but you know - these guys could take them.  I really wish that we could see more of the Eastern Conference teams than just 4 or 5 a season.  It's so dumb.  Every team should play every other team at least once a season.  It's the same with baseball, you get sick of seeing the same teams over and over.  It does help if you like some of the teams you're always playing - but after a while you're just like "Oh god, not them again!  We just played them!"  Really I never think that way unless the Jackets are playing the Predators or the Wings.  Ugh.  Both those teams annoy the hell out of me.  I can't tell you why, they just do.  As do the Ducks.  They cheated thier way to the Stanley Cup just as the Pittsburgh Steelers did to win the Super Bowl two years ago!

But back to hockey.  There's 4:49 left in a 4-0 game with a power play coming up for the Jackets [JACKETS....ON THE POWER PLAAAAAAY!  Sorry I couldn't help myself!]  Maybe there's some magic up in the State of Hockey and it seems to be working in the Jackets favor and hopefully this will continue.  And my final note in this blog Pascal Leclaire leads ALL Western Conference goalies in All-Star voting - which kudos to the fans who are voting for noticing his spectacular play this season thus far!  But also mucho kudos to Pascal!  He just looks amazing out there on the ice.  Even if we loose he still plays superbly and I am glad he's our goalie.  I hope he does win the starting postion for the Western Conference All-Stars because ANYONE in this conference who deserves it, it's Pascal.

And yet more Jackets in the penalty box.  WTF?  I swear the refs just seem to have a Vendetta against the Jackets.  They ALWAYS seem to get called on stupid penalties.  Thankfully though they've been able to kill off most of them - which isn't an easy thing to do, but they've made it look like an art form.

...JACKETS WIN!!!  MACHINEHEAD TIME!!!  && 6 SHUT OUTS FOR PASCAL...WHOO NEW FRANCHISE RECORD!!