2008-09 Top Ten: #1 - The Columbus Blue Jackets

When I decided to do this top ten countdown, there were a few items that I knew would be on the list, and some more that I had to dig for. Not only that, but it also took some time to finalize the order of the countdown. The one spot that was never in doubt, though, was at the top.


Since entering the NHL in 2000, the Columbus Blue Jackets have been my favorite team in my favorite sport. Before their existance I went through periods of time throughout my life rooting for different hockey teams, from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the San Jose Sharks to the Florida Panthers and some others in between. Despite hockey being my favorite sport, I never developed a really strong attachment to a team until one was founded in my backyard.

During their first seven seasons in the NHL, the Blue Jackets were irrelevant. Sure, they occasionally went on a winning streak and did draft one of the game's best young forwards in Rick Nash, but during those first seven years Columbus never even threatened to make the postseason and consistently finished near the bottom of the standings.

The 2008-09 season finally changed that trend. Head coach Ken Hitchcock had been in Columbus for a couple of years and was getting his players to buy-in to his system that won a Stanley Cup in Dallas. At the same time, the Blue Jackets finally had a decent mix of young talent and veteran leadership. The one thing they needed was a consistent number one goalie.

Pascal Leclaire was the Columbus's second first-round draft pick in its history and expected to develop into the Jackets' franchise goaltender. While anyone who watched Leclaire play could see he clearly has NHL talent, the first few years of his pro career were riddled with injuries. One of those injuries occured in November, early in the 08-09. This would completely change the complexion of the Blue Jackets' season, as Steve Mason made his first start between the pipes on November 5.

He never looked back.


Mason became the Blue Jackets' starting goalie, playing in 61 games as a rookie. He led the NHL with 10 shutouts and finished the year with a .916 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.29(for those of you who don't know, that's impressive for anyone, much less a rookie). After the season Mason won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, but more importantly he served as the top goalie Columbus needed.

Without Mason, the Blue Jackets would not have made the run they did last season. While they were still deeper than years past, the Jackets still had stretches of ineptitude on offense, and when they needed to win a game 1-0 or 2-1, Mason almost always gave them that opportunity.

Thanks to Hitchcock's defensive system, the play of Mason and the leadership of Nash, when March rolled around the Blue Jackets were firmly entrenched in the NHL playoff discussion. As the season wound down, the Jackets remained in the Western Conference's top eight and, on April 8 travelled to Chicago needing just one point to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

The game went back and forth and the Blue Jackets trailed 3-2 midway through the third period. Truthfully, I wasn't sure if they would be able to tie the game against a good Blackhawks team in a hostile environment. Thankfully, I was wrong. With 5:30 to play, Nash drove to the net and stuffed the puck past Nikolai Khabibulin to tie the game at 3. When regulation ended with a 3-3 score, it was the happiest I'd ever been to see the Blue Jackets go to overtime. The guaranteed point meant the Blue Jackets would play more than 82 games in a year for the first time in franchise history.


Not only was it a huge moment for the franchise, but I always thought it shouldn't have been anyone else other than Nash to score that goal. Since being drafted first overall in 2002, Nash came to Columbus and almost immediately became the face of the franchise. He's the team's most well-known player, its captain and has had a big impact on the Columbus community on and off the ice. I wouldn't have cared if Jared Boll scored that goal, but for how big of a role Nash has played in building up the Blue Jackets and making the franchise relevant and respected, he deserved that goal.

Now that the Jackets were in, the next question asked who they would play in the first round of their first Stanley Cup Playoffs. The answer: the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings finished second in the Western Conference, but I would have much rather had the Blue Jackets face the top-seeded Sharks than Detroit. The upside was that Columbus played Detroit tougher than they ever had during the 08-09 season, including an 8-2 win in Hockeytown. Unfortunately, that win may have been a wake-up call for the Red Wings, who jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the Jackets without breaking a sweat(Detroit outscored Columbus 12-2 in games 1-3). Game four marked the second playoff game at Nationwide Arena, and the first NHL postseason game I ever attended.

It did not disappoint.

The Jackets trailed 3-1 after the first and it looked like we could be in for another cruise control Detroit win. But then, something wonderful happened: the Blue Jackets fought back. With two goals in the first six minutes of the second period, Columbus was back in the game. Just over a minute after they tied the game, though, Marian Hossa got the lead back for Detroit. He scored again midway through the period to make the lead 5-3.

Then, with just over four minutes left in the period, Columbus got another surge. Defenseman Kris Russell showed the impact he can have, taking the puck coast to coast and beating Chris Osgood to cut the lead to one. The Jackets amped up the pressure and Fredrik Modin finished off a scrum in front of Osgood to knot the game back up at 5.

The highs and lows of this game made it easily the most intense experience of my life. If you read my last post about Ohio's visit to the Horseshoe, this trumped the feeling I had on that day(if you didn't read it, check it out).

After a six-goal second period, the third was a defensive battle. Both teams had chances but neither capitalized until the Blue Jackets were called for too many men on the ice in the period's final two minutes. I don't feel like revisiting this too much, but Detroit scored on the ensuing powerplay to win the game and the series.

Was it disappointing that the Blue Jackets didn't win one game during their first postseason action? Absolutely. But after following this team through years of futility, seeing them make the postseason and get the opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had as a hockey fan.

As cliche as it may sound, words literally cannot express how I felt watching game four against Detroit and the emotional roller coaster it was. I was at the first game this team ever played(October 7, 2000 if you're curious) and have watched them ever since. Being in the arena to see the Blue Jackets play a postseason game, to see them never quit and to see and hear how much Columbus fans have embraced this team was amazing.

Now I just hope they get back there this year.

For those of you who followed this countdown, thank you. It may have taken longer than I expected to finish, but I enjoyed writing about these sports moments/players/achievements, as I hope you enjoyed reading about my thoughts and experiences.

Who knows what I'll write about now...

2008-09 Top Ten: #2 - The Bobcats Visit the Horseshoe

One of the few downsides to attending Ohio University was its sub-par athletic programs. I'm not saying no good athletes go to school in Athens (here's proof that some do), but the fact is Ohio is a MAC school and just doesn't compete on the same level as schools from bigger conferences.

I also don't want to give the impression that I loathed covering Ohio sports. During my four years in college I grew to enjoy MAC football, basketball and even volleyball. Getting to cover the MAC basketball tournament in Cleveland for two years was some of the most fun I had working for WOUB. In fact, I think it's becuase Ohio is a MAC school that journalism students get so much hands-on experience covering Ohio athletics. At a Big Ten or SEC school, you'd have to battle with tons of local media for press passes and access to coaches and players. In Athens, the Athens Messenger and Ohio students compose most of the media covering sporting events. MAC sports will always hold a special place in my heart, but when you return to the real world as I have now, you remember that college sports are played on a different level in the bigger conferences.

This brings me to number 2 on my countdown. While working for WOUB, the chances to see Ohio teams compete on the big stage were rare at most. The football team had an impressive 2006 season, winning the MAC-East and playing in the GMAC Bowl. Unfortunately, I was still a sophomore and therefore too low on the totem pole to get to cover either of the team's postseason games. The 2007 season saw the Bobcats visit Lane Stadium to take on Virginia Tech, but again I was snubbed from making the trip to Blacksburg. As frustrated as that made me, I had a trump card waiting for me during my senior year: Ohio's trip to Columbus to play Ohio State at the Horseshoe.

Growing up in the Columbus area, I had been fortunate enough to attend a handful of Buckeye football games at Ohio Stadium. Usually these trips had me watching the game from C-Deck or high in the south stands of the stadium, where you can almost tell who the players are. Still, attending a game at one of the biggest stadiums in the country is a great experience and an atmosphere unlike any other.

Except for covering a game at the same stadium.

The Bobcat Blitz crew (me, Joe Flannery and Jake Young) made the trip to C-Bus on the first Saturday in September excited for what we were about to experience. Once we got to the stadium, our first stop was the press box to get some lunch (I feel like I need to mention the fact that they serve McDonald's iced coffee and McFlurries in the press box...that's how you know you're big-time). After we finished eating, we made the trek to the field...and it was amazing.

As impressive as Ohio Stadium is to watch a game in as a fan, it's exponentially greater to be on the turf. Being on field level and looking up at the stands made me feel smaller than I ever have in my life.

Once the game started, the intensity was incredible. The stadium got so loud I could feel it, and when the Bobcats faced a third down it jumped to an even higher level. Hearing hell's bells over the audio system and the ensuing spike in crowd noise literally gave me chills.

As impressive as the atmosphere was to experience, on that day the Bobcats were just as good. The Ohio defense played inspired football and seemed completely un-phased by its surroundings. Thanks to this stout defense and a Donte Harden touchdown run, the 'Cats led 7-6 at halftime and, despite the odds stacked against them, had a legitimate chance to win the game.

That chance got more realistic early in the second half. After Ohio's opening drive stalled, Matt Schulte booted a punt that pinned Ohio State at its own six-yard line. Buckeye QB Todd Boeckman then fumbled a snap that Curtis Meyers recovered in the end zone, giving the Bobcats an eight-point lead.

Unfortunately, things then started to unravel for Ohio. Daniel "Boom" Herron found the end zone and cut the Ohio lead to 14-12, before the Bobcats finally showed some jitters on the big stage.

After an impressive defensive stop, Ohio was set to get the ball back late in the third quarter. But Marc Parson muffed the Ohio State punt and the Buckeyes took over deep in Ohio territory. Brandon Saine scored in the fourth to give Ohio State the lead and Ray Small (who I hate) scored on a punt return later to finish off the 26-14 Ohio State victory (made me hate him more).

I went to the game excited to experience the atmosphere of an Ohio State football game on a whole new level, but the day was made even better by the game itself. The Bobcats seemingly had no chance entering the game, but the game played out in a much different way. Aside from the muffed punt and a couple poor throws, the Bobcats did not seem at all out of place on the field with the Buckeyes. They hung with one ofthe top-five football teams in the country (at the time) in a hostile environment, almost pulling out an incredible victory. I'm just glad that I got to experience the entire game first-hand.


And so, only one item remains on my countdown. If you know me very well, you probably already know what it is. If not, shame on you.