Learn To Play!


chiller_ice_rinks

Trust me when I say there is nothing like playing hockey!

Follow this link to get started!

Calendar

CBJ Booster Club

jacketbackers

Email Feed

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Syndication
The First Noel E-mail
Written by LTL   

claud_noel_first_game_as_jackets_head_coach

The Jackets delivered Claud Noel his first win in his first game as an NHL coach last night by a final of 2-1 over the Stars.  Granted it was against one of the worst road teams in the NHL but a win is a win.

stoplight
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
vs Dallas
02.04.10
SCORE: Jackets2 Stars 1

GREEN
* Congrats to Noel on this first win.  There is always a 10 game bump when a new coach takes over so I'm not getting too excited but it's always a special night for a coach when he coaches that first game at the highest level and gets a 'W'.

* Ice time.  The most interesting part for me going into last night's tilt was how was the ice time was going to get distributed.  Again it was just one game but I like what I saw.  The young guys got their time with Brassard and Voracek getting close to 15 mins.  Russell checked in with over 18.  The most interesting part was Marc Methot teamed with Jan Hejda carried the load the load defensively with over 22 mins each which led the team.  While still getting their minutes Tyutin's load was eased with close to 20 as well as Nash who just over 17.  The only guy without double minutes in time was Chris Clark with 8:45.  I really liked the distribution.

* Stralman finally got a goal off a seeing-eye knuckle ball to get the Jackets on the board first.

* How about that effot by RJ Umberger on that empty net?  He worked harder for that goal than most guys do when there is a goalie in the cage.

* Nash has the best shift of his season on one of the PKs.  Need much more of that from the captain.

* There just seemed to be a differently feeling in the arena last night from the players to the fans.  Like it was a breath of fresh air or something.  The team looked loose.  The young kids looked re-energized.  It was just one game but it felt refreshing.

* Mase looked good.  Played his angles well.  Didn't give up many rebounds.  Same he didn't get the shutout but I'm happy with a solid start.  He needs to build off that game.

* Turco was pretty good himself.  I think he's a Wing at the deadline.

YELLOW
* Modin actually looked like he had some hop in his strides.  Had to laugh at my buddy who said he's just getting in game shape for the Olympics.. he'll play well there and come back in a boot and be untradeable.  Jaded? Yes.  Possibly some truth in there?  Yes.

* PK was good killing off both penalties.

* 14k in attendance was better than I thought we'd see.  Crowd was pretty loud too!

* Not really a good or bad thing but I didn't quite realize how small Brad Richards was until I saw him next to Vermette... Of course the "official" NHL stats say he's over 6 ft... if that is the case then so am I.

* Quite game in terms of the rough stuff which was a bit surprising.  Both teams were physical with the Jackets throwing 36 hits to the Stars 35.  Marc Methot led the way for the Jackets with 6 thumpers.

* Speaking of hits -- but I think I saw Jake Voracek throw a hit.  In fact he was credited with two of em.

* Lots of chatter about that Kovalchuk trade -- Oduya is a nice player but thought they'd would get a higher price tag.  Thrasher's GM Don Wadell must have some dirt on someone in Atlanta to keep his job as long as he has.  As I mentioned via twitter last night that probably close the kind of return Rick Nash would have gotten if he didn't re-sign this summer.

RED
* Giving up that late goal to kill the shutout and put Jackets fans back on the edge.

* Not one PP for the Jackets.  C'mon - the Stars weren't perfect.

3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1 Noel's debut and first 'W' as an NHL coach
2. Umberger diving empty netter.
3. Mase looked good

A nice start to Noel's interim coaching career and a congrats and his first "W".

Not to end on a sour note but what I really don't want to happen is for Noel to win a bunch of games and this franchise not go through a thourough coaching search.  Again that 10 game bump with a new coach can be a mirage.  For me I'll judge his performance based on how the team plays the last 10 games over the first 10.  That will be a truer barometer of how focused he can keep them when all they will be truly playing for is tee times.

...and I couldn't resist that headline!!

-LTL



Digg! Reddit! Facebook! Technorati! StumbleUpon! BallHype: hype it up!
Comments (3)Add Comment
feedSubscribe to this comment's feed
...
written by LTL, February 05, 2010
Well it looks like Eric Smith over at HockeyBuzz grabbed this headline first.... Oh Noel...

-LTL
...
written by jimmer22, February 05, 2010
Didn't get to see the whole game last night because of somethings that came up, but liked what I did see. RJ's goal was pretty sweet. By the way I love the site. Long time bluejackets fan who is finally in an area where I get to see alot of games on TV. Actually made it to a game this year, first pro hockey game ever it was amazing even though the jackets lost.
...
written by LTL, February 05, 2010
Thanks jimmer22!

There is nothing like watching hockey in living color!!!

I'm one of the guys where if you offered me free tickets to an OSU / Michigan game or a pair of free upper bowls to a regular season Jackets / Nashville game on the same day/night -- it's not even a decision, I go Jackets every time.

Look forward to your future comments!

-LTL

Write comment
You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

busy
 

Countdown Clock

Time to @ Atlanta (pre-season)

Poll

What is your favorite hockey movie?
 

Hits for Hockey

$163.00

The Buzz Behind the Light

LTL

Eplagge

Mase1

CateLeigh

Follow Light the Lamp

Blue Light Special

2010 Salary Commitments

$7,500,000 - Rick Nash
$4,750,000 - Kristian Huselius
$4,000,000 - RJ Umberger
$3,800,000 - Mike Commodore
$3,750,000 - Antoine Vermette
$3,000,000 - Fedor Tyutin
$2,975,000 - Rusty Klesla
$2,800,000 - Derick Brassard
$2,650,000 - Samuel Pahlsson
$2,500,000 - Chris Clark
$2,000,000 - Jan Hejda
$1,950,000 - Anton Stralman
$1,750,000 - Ethan Moreau
$1,300,000 - Kris Russell
$1,200,000 - Mathieu Garon
$1,050,000 - Marc Methot
$845,800 - Nikita Filatov
$787,000 - Jakub Voracek
$765,000 - Steve Mason
$700,000 - Jared Boll
$650,000 - Andrew Murray
$610,000 - Duvie Westcott (BO)
$550,000 - Derek Dorsett

$51,893,500 - TOTAL

$50,000,000 - EXPECTED PAYROLL

22 - PLAYERS SIGNED

KEY RFA - None

KEY UFA - None


Sponsors

rbar
_______________________________

Check out SB3 for great sportsbook reviews and other sports betting information. When you're taking a night off from hockey, don't forget about College and NBA basketball betting. Alternatively, you can read all about the best online casinos at Jaxcasinos.com.

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Bloggers Wanted

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!