Insert foot(e) in mouth...

I woke up this morning totally pumped for the game tonight! You might ask why? The team is in a slump and it seems like everything is falling apart in the organIzation, right?

Maybe to some, who have a hard time staying on the fan wagon, but not to me! It's Saturday night, the weather just screams 'HOCKEY SEASON' and tonight we host the Colorado Avalanche!

Here's where the title of my blog comes in to play...

I know the fans in Nationwide Arena have waited entirely too long for this night to happen. Adam Foote will be back for the first time since he seeminly ditched the team for selfish reasons. I am ashamed to say that this is part of my motivation for tonight. Not because I wouldn't attend the game otherwise, because I definitely would, but because I'm going to go against everything I typically believe in and 'boo' the hell out of him along with the 18,000 fans that need to be there!! I'm not usually one to boo the opponent, hell, in the playoffs I kept slapping my husbands arm for chanting 'OSGOOD, OSGOOD' because I thought it would jinx the boys in what should've been their first playoff win......the result speaks for itself......but tonight it's more personal than that. I'm not mad that Adam didn't want to be here, because frankly I didn't want him here if he felt that way and to be honest I never cared for him much- but the team did. The boys in the locker room looked up to him and admired his leadership and when he left, he took a piece of momentum with him, leaving the boys to try and understand why their captain would, or how he could, do such a thing. I hear a lot of people yap about how Rick Nash isn't an ideal captain; how he's not vocal enough or not emotional enough, but at least Rick is loyal. Rick took on the 'C' to show the team that a true leader doesn't just wear the letter, he respects the letter. Sure, I'd love to see Rick Nash come out of his reserved state and lay it to the bench every once in a while, but I'll take his loyalty and his heartfelt desire to do what's right over someone who could just so easily tear a group apart without any remorse. That's where it gets personal. More than him letting the fans down, he let his team down. OUR TEAM! A team that struggles with enough adversity and scrutiny as it is. A team that struggles to stay consistent, yet a team that never makes excuses for their faults. They are a resilent group of boys though and they fight to overcome such obstacles. I'm sure most of them have moved on from the shock and have let it go to a great extent, but you know the boys that remain from that season are going to be smiling on the inside when Nationwide Arena erupts with unwelcoming chants and relentless boo's.

So I will boo him for the boy's sake and try to explain to my five year old that mommy isn't necessarily right in doing it, but maybe-hopefully-it will instill in him a passion for what he believes in, much as his mom believes in the Jackets!

Carry the flag tonight Jackets fans. Believe in this team and what they can do. I challenge everyone to wear the 'C' tonight and let these boys know that we are behind them through it all!

GO JACKETS! I BELIEVE!