Thursday, January 14, 2010

Blowing away the Windy city

Wouldn't that be nice? Go into the United Center and just blow the Hawks away, leaving them with a sour taste in their mouth when they come visit on Saturday?

Hey, crazier things have happened, but the fact remains that Chicago is damn good and the CBJ have their hands full tonight.

That doesn't mean it can't be done though. Our last game against them was a nailbiter and a heartbreaker. The game brought out the best in our team though, and set a standard for how well we can play. Despite the loss to St. Louis I still believe this team can play like they did that night in Chicago; the same way they played that night in Calgary; the same way this team was built and taught to play.

As much as I would love for our team to be on a roll like that of Chicago I'm a firm believer in working for what you get. Let's face it; the CBJ are a blue collar team who can't expect anything to be handed to them without a paying a price for it.

That's fine with me. It keeps the boys level headed and more focused. We don't have the highlight talent like Chicago, but that doesn't mean we don't have talent. We don't have triple the wins that we do losses, but that doesn't mean we can't win. It only means the boys have to be work horses out there tonight and give a grinding effort full of grit and passion.

They can do it. They can win.

GO JACKETS! CARRY THE FLAG! I BELIEVE!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

The boys are back in town!

Hopefully the boys didn't party too hard after back to back wins, but who could blame them if they did? The win in Edmonton was a relief, but that win in Calgary felt damn good!

It's too early to say if things have turned around for this team but it is enough to say that the CBJ have given me a new hope, a new belief and a new reason to love them even more than I already do. If I could freeze frame some of the looks on their faces after the final horn last night I'd etch them into my mind and make them my happy place because that, to me, as a fan, is the best feeling in the world.

Sunday will bring a new challenge to meet and overcome, but I will be sitting right there in the arena rooting them on along with my CBJ posse! Here's to hopin' we pack the house!

GO JACKETS! CARRY THE FLAG! I BELIEVE!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Someone always has it worse

I thought I'd blog about a thought I just had while looking up at my CBJ wall.

The tension is so thick around the Blue Jackets these days and the feeling of something giving in is looming on the horizon. Whether it is a good or a bad thing has yet to be determined, but in the meantime I'd like for the fans to ponder something.

Let's face it, even the most positive fans (*raises hand*) are guilty of griping and moaning about the woes that surround the team right now, but as fans, even though we blindly pour our hard earned money into a season of questions, do we really have it that bad?

I think about the Red Wings game at home and how it must've felt for the boys to finally get that win and some pressure off their backs. Then they go into New York and bear the burden yet again. They come home for a New Years Eve nail-biter, putting so much energy and so much heart into winning that game....and come up short in OT. Suddenly, that Detroit game didn't mean as much.

We all went home disappointed that night. Some were angry, some were disgusted and some swore up and down they were through with the Blue Jackets. Fortunately for us as fans, we got to dwell on it for a while and then snap back to our own realities where it wasn't at the forefront of our issues.

Those players on the other hand, weren't able to forget about it. They had to sit in the locker room and soak up the disappointment. They had to go home and dwell on the misery. They had to come to work the next day and re-live the pain.

My point is they don't get to walk away from it. They have to carry that burden with them everywhere they go. Yes, it's their job and they get paid enough for us to justify that they should be able to handle it, but I know those players would gladly give up half of their salaries to be able to lift this jinx off of themselves and be the winning club they know they can be.

Here's to hoping that the fans are able to stride a mile in the players skates before passing judgment on them.

I wish the boys a determined work ethic, a calming presence and strong belief in themselves as they fight to stay out of last place tonight. I have no doubts that they have what it takes to start climbing the ladder again, even if it is one step at a time.

GO JACKETS! CARRY THE FLAG! I BELIEVE!