Now this is what I call Carrying the Flag!!

Brian and Julie from the Jacket Backers are in Minnesota tonight for the Jackets-Wild game.  They sent me these two pics of a pond hockey tournament going on.  How cool is this?

Looks like a total blast!

Keep on eye out for them on the broadcast tonight!

GO JACKET BACKERS!

-LTL

”We have veteran guys that have won the Stanley Cup, so not only are they good players but they’ve had the experience of winning,” “These are guys that can certainly go into any top team and help them this year. We’re going to get some interest in some of our unrestricted free agents.

“At this point it’s about building real good assets for the future,” he continued. “It’s not about trying to put the team together for next year. It’s about getting as many young assets as we can, and then in the off-season we’ll look at what our needs are and try to shape the team then.”

“I think teams ideally would rather wait until the deadline and let the team they’re acquiring the player from continue to pay the salary, which makes it easier to fit into their budget or their cap,” he said. “At the same time, if a team really wants a player, they don’t want to get in that flurry of a few days before the deadline and find that they may not get the player that they want.”

“We’re not as good as a bunch of teams and we could give 100 percent and still lose games, but as long as we give everything we’ve got for the remaining 35 games then we can accept that as an organization,” he said. “For the players that don’t, there’s not a future here for them.”

Sounds like Scott Howson is finally going down the right path eh?

Only one problem - those quotes belong to the Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford.

Now the Jackets are a bit better than Carolina who own the worst record in the entire league but both team's are more likely to end up in a hurricane than the NHL Playoffs this season.

What Rutherford said here is EXACTLY what Howson should be acknowledging weeks ago if not publicly then it better be privately.

Howson isn't a dummy and one would have to think he and his staff have been formalizing a similar strategy.  My biggest worry isn't that Howson understands this but the people he answers to don't.  I worry that the Priests of this organization still have some false belief this team still has a chance to make the big dance.

If they don't get on the same page and and accept this season for what it is and use this trade deadline to prepare for next season and beyond then the problems run deeper than I thought.

Assuming Howson and co. are fully aware of the situation let's take a quick look at what assets may be up for grabs at the trade deadline.

Howson won't have as juicy of trade bait that Rutherford has when it comes to impending unrestricted free agents but he does have some to dangle.  Here they are in order of most valuable to least:

RAFFI TORRES
STATS: 16g 10a 23p -3
SALARY: 2,750,000
WHY HE'LL BE TRADED: I'm a Torres fan and I don't think the Jackets make the playoffs without him last season but the Jackets just do not have enough room to re-sign this guy.  Assuming the Jackets budget stays at 50 mil Howson has already spent any available cash that may have been available for Torres on raises to Nash, Brassard, Vermette and Klesla.  On top of that the Jackets are deepest at wing and if they want to get serious about winning they need to get serious about filling their biggest holes and that continues to be a #1 center and #1 dman.  There entire focus this offseason should be in those areas.  The LAST thing they need is another 3 million dollar winger!  So as much as I'd love to have Torres back his situation is much like Jason Williams last year in that he'll be squeezed out of this organization not because of bad play but as a numbers casualty.  The best thing that Torres can do right now is to keep scoring to drive his value up!

RETURN: Torres will carry a decent amount of value at the deadline for a team in need of some veteran clutch goal scoring and gritty play.  He also has 26 games of playoff experience (including a finals appearance w/ Edmonton in 05-06) and is only 28.  I look for a 2nd round pick and/or B tier type prospect to come back in return.

MILAN JURCINA
STATS: 0g 4a 4p +2
SALARY: 1,375,000
WHY HE'LL BE TRADED: I don't believe the Jackets will re-sign this guy so why not put the "for sale" sign out and see if you can get anything in return?  It's no slam dunk anyone would want him but for a team that needs some depth and size on defense he's a guy that could draw some interest.  He's also got 21 games of playoff experience.  With Klesla due back shortly the Jackets have enough depth with Roy and Methot to finish off the year and if they do run into more injury trouble just call up a Clitsome or Holden and use this as an opportunity to evaluate how far away they are from full time NHL duty.

RETURN: I can see as high as a 4th round pick or as low as a 6th or C tier prospect.

FREDDY MODIN
STATS: 1g 1a 2p -5
SALARY: 3,500,000
WHY HE'LL BE TRADED: Not a whole lot of explanation here needed.  The question is if anyone would want him and what is left of his salary to bolster their lineup?  My guess is the Jackets are probably stuck with Modin due to his salary, lack of productivity, age and injury history.  The Jackets only chance at unloading this guy is a solid showing at the Olympics and then reminding anyone that will listen that he's got a cup ring and 51 games of playoff experience.

RETURN: Late round pick or future considerations.

Something else to keep in mind about Torres is that it is possible for the Jackets to move him and then turn around and sign him this summer as a UFA.  They would have to move another veteran contract or two before I think they'd explore that but it could happen (think Tkachuk with St. Louis a few years back).

Those are the UFAs but what about the rest of the roster?

Howson does have a couple of RFAs to be in Stralman, Roy and Boll on the horizon. There is no need to rush to sign these guys but if the organization doesn't plan on signing one or all of these three then put them on the table and see if they can get some assets back they can use to fill bigger holes later.

As far as signed guys I don't see any major contracts moving like a Commodore or Juice but it would be a no brainer to listen to any offers that may take those off your hands.  Perhaps a guy with a shorter term deal like a Methot could be thrown in to even out a deal.

Rarely do you see impact NHLers with contracts longer than this season change hands at the deadline but it could happen (think Brad Richards a few years back).  For that reason Howson has to keep one eye open in case someone that can fill that #1 center or dman role becomes available (Phaneuf anyone?).  If that does happen he has to jump.

NHL deadline deals come in all shapes and sizes but by in large the sellers sell vets who are impending UFAs and the buyers send back picks and prospects to acquire them.  So why we can all dream that a major hole can be filled don't expect anything more than a deal or two involving the 3 impending UFAs (Torres being the biggest chip) with picks or prospects coming back in return.

Obviously the team is going to continue to try and play hard and win to finish off the season and then as Rutherford says to open this post, the offseason is when rosters are shaped (or re-shaped).

For those interested here is a list of the # of trades made since the trade deadline was instituted.

-LTL

These were taken by a Flyers fan when the Jackets were in Philly.  He posted them over on HF and I wanted to share here:

-LTL

I really wish there was a good shot of Russell's mouth but alas this is all I could find.

The Jackets took everything the Bruins could dish out last night.... an early goal, a waived off goal, a bad goal, an elbow to the chops, a puck to the face, a bloody nose, a bloody mouth and down by a goal not once but twice!

Result?

Believe it or not a late period regulation win on the road!

STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
@ Boston
01.21.10
SCORE: Jackets 3 Bruins 2

GREEN
* Voracek and Russell for coming back after getting all bloodied up.  Jake didn't miss a shift and I still don't know how Russell made it back after that shot he took to the jabber.  Both guys cowboy'd up that's for sure.

* Best 3rd period I've seen the Jackets play this season.

* PP with a timely game winning goal.  There have been many nights were the PP has failed to deliver at the critical points of the game -- tonight was not one of those.

* Umberger is finally getting rewarded for all his tough work in front of that cage.

* Vermette's sweet revenge on his waived off goal.  Like Umberger he worked his ass off for that goal by getting his nose dirty in that paint.

* Russell is really starting to find his groove.  He didn't make the play on the cross ice pass on the first goal (defensemen is always responsible for taking the guy without the puck and leaving the puck carrier to the shooter) but I didn't see him lose a lot of battles after that.  Had a nice feed to Vermette on his goal and is really using that skating ability.  Shame his potential game winner rang off the post.

* Was kind of nice to see that Jackets NOT take a late penalty and NOT lose this game in the final minute eh fans?

* Jackets dads.  You gotta admit - it's pretty cool to see all those dads together drinking it up and having the time of their lives watching their sons play at the highest level.  Nice touch with them all wearing the sweaters with their names on the backs.

* Love the way Hejda was giving it to Chara.  Man that dude is a monster.

* Clark comes up big with -- what's that?? -- a one timer off the rush?  Why yes it was.  Great play by Raffi to get to that loose puck and make a pretty cross ice feed.

* Chalk up two more even strength goals.

YELLOW
* Two goal posts.  It would have been criminal if they lost after those two chances.

* Mase would get a green but that 2nd goal is a goal he's got to have.  He played well though and made some nice stops... especially with this legs and especially through traffic.  In fact he stopped 32 of 34 shots.

* First two periods were not great.  Lots of sloppy play especially in their own zone.  They got a little lucky and survived it and stole a couple of points for maybe the first time this season. It's about time they had one fall their way.

* FSN Ohio would get a red for cutting away from that Boll fight but they did show two replays and made up for it.  That was Boll's 2nd fight with Lucic and he fared much better this go around.

* Roy had a tough night.  He got caught pretty bad out of position on that first goal and finished a team high -2.

* Nice fight by Boller with Lucic.

RED
* Two posts in the 3rd period -- are you kidding me?  Fortunately they were able to sneak one through at the end there.  Thanks for the PP Lucic!

3 BRIGHT LIGHTS ON THE NIGHT
1 A late regulation win on the road.
2. PP comes through with a critical goal.
3. Hockey dads unite!

Now for the downer -- according to Matt the Mask's calculations the Jackets will have to go 22-4-3 to sneak into the 8th seed.

We all know this season is lost so all we can do is enjoy each win individually and hope there is something to build from for next season.

Next up Minnesota on Saturday night.

-LTL

In case you missed it on FSN Ohio here is the Boll vs. Lucic fight:

These two have met once before back in 2007 (I was actually at this game in person in Boston) -- Boll didn't fare quite as well in this one:

More on the game later!

-LTL

Interested in giving hockey a whirl?  If so you don't want to miss this:

The Chiller is participating in this effort by hosting a free hockey clinic for beginners ages 6 and up at Chiller North from 11am-Noon on Saturday, January 30.

This clinic is for first time participants only and will give them the opportunity for basic skating and hockey instruction with our professional coaches.  Skates, helmets and sticks will be provided.

Interested participants will need to register below.  Space is limited and registration is first-come-first-served.

Click this link to register now!

Thanks Paul for the reminder on this one.

Check this one out sent in from Ryan via an ESPN.com chat:

jacketsbearsbucks: What happened to the Jackets? They started off the season right where they left off. Then ... something happened. I really like the Hitch, but something happened to get in their heads, and I can't help but wonder that it's the coaching. This team should have loads of young talent for years to come. And letting Filatov get away ... grrr! Is it true the Hitch can't coach young talent?

My take: No, it is not true. I'm pretty sure there were young players on the team last season when the Jackets surprised everyone in hockey and clinched their first playoff berth in franchise history. The man didn't get stupid overnight. First of all, I think this team overachieved last season, making this season's expectations a dangerous target.

Secondly, and I hate to single out one player in a team sport, but goalie Steve Mason is redefining "sophomore slump." His .889 save percentage is 46th out of 47 NHL goalies and his 3.33 goals-against average is 45th. Listen, I love the kid and he's only 21, but he's clearly the biggest reason for the problems this season. You can't win a game without goaltending. And backup Mathieu Garon is just that, a backup. I think Mason will be fine next season and have the kind of bounce-back campaign Carey Price is having this season in Montreal. Until there's any sign of a turnaround in net, it doesn't matter what the coach does. You can't win in this league without a puck stopper.

I know it's ESPN but they've got a great point about the goaltending and the stats back that up.

Scott Howson via the NHL Live radio show said yesterday  that 5 on 5 has been the Jackets problem all season long.  That stats also back this one up as the Jackets have given up the most 5 on 5 goals in the league (116) and have scored 21st most (85).

Of course the question that is now asked is if the Jackets were getting the goaltending would they have given up so many even strength goals?

Chicken before egg?  Goals against before goals scored?

As you can see no gamebox today (too busy bitching about goal-gate).

Not a whole lot to say about tonight.

Boston is beatable at home owning just a 13-9-3 record.  However like every team the Jackets seem to face of late they will be a motivated bunch coming out of the gate as they've lost 2 in a row and 3 straight on home ice.

Rest assured that this Bruins team will want to get back on track on home ice and are viewing this as a must win.  I don't see a team as fragile as the Jackets having enough fight in them to prevent it but you never know.

The Jackets will have to sustain the first 10 min onslaught and hope Mason can stop more than a dodgeball.

I just hope Hitch plays the hell out of the kids so their evaluation and development can continue through the final 30 games of this season.

As it stands now the Jackets are 10 points away from the playoffs and 12 points away from the #1 pick.

The R Bar will be giving away a couple of lower bowl tickets tonight and their kitchen is completely open.  Check out the full menu here!

GO JACKETS!

-LTL

Wanted to take a break from goal-song-gate to pass along a little info relating to a special event called "Dude, Where's My Hair?"

So what is Dude?  Well instead of me babbling I'll let the good folks at their official web site break it down for you:

Dude! Where's My Hair?!!! is an entertaining, fun, inspiring, and heartfelt show featuring our team of young survivor Dudes, a few Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pat Wynn Brown (the Peggy Fleming of comedy). Dude! sells out so get your tickets today!

If you are feeling like you could use a good heart warming laugh or two, and need a little spirit re:adjustment....this is the show for you!

And because hats play a big part in our Dudes' recovery we will repeat our MEXICAN HAT DANCE finale!

If you have a favorite hat, WEAR IT TO THE SHOW!!!!! Hats are fun!

Sponsored by the Columbus Blue Jacket Foundation.

Proceeds go to the Hair Theater Wig Fund at the Columbus Foundation (to donate: www.columbusfoundation.org)

Come see our Dudes!

According to Cathy (whose daughter Coryn will be performing) "more than half of the tickets are already gone and there are still three weeks until show time!   It is almost sure to sell out in advance so it's looking doubtful at this point that there will still be tickets available at the door the day of the show. So, last call, if anyone out there in cyberland is interested, they can be ordered from the website here: http://www.hairtheater.myevent.com/".

Tickets are $15 dollars in advance or $20 at the door.  As mentioned all proceeds are donated to the CBJ Foundation.

A great event with a great cause.

...and....hhhmmmmm.. I think I may be able to locate a hat that is appropriate for this.

-LTL

I received a response back from "someone" at the Jackets regarding the Chicago-goal-song-gate:

Dear Fan,

Thank you for taking time to share your concern. The particular song to which you are referring is a random selection in a computer program utilized by our Game Entertainment staff. Following the Blackhawks' goal, the music operator chose the next song in the rotation and, unfortunately, it happened to be a song identified as the opponent's goal song. Please be assured this was nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence and completely unintentional. The Blue Jackets organization takes great pride in providing a very engaging and entertaining game
experience for all fans and we regret that this incident impacted your enjoyment of that particular game.

Sincerely,

Columbus Blue Jackets Organization

Did Doug MacLean write this?  I'm shocked it didn't end with "we look forward to seeing you for the playoffs!".

Speaking to another Jackets fan who inquired this is the same response he got as well.

Man I hate being so negative but when I read bullshit like that above I am left with no choice.

First off, in all my years of attending Jackets games I have never heard The Fratellis (name of artist who performs said song) played -- not once... On top of that what are the chances that they are played for the first time ever after the only team in the entire NHL who uses that as their goal celebration song scores a goal?  I'd have a better chance at powerball.  Furthermore, from what I am told (as I was not at this game in person) this song was played at a lower level than the other songs that were played post 'hawks goals.

I'm no Sherlock Holmes and I'm no crime scene investigator but you don't have to be Angela Lansbury to interpret the evidence here.

Then to get a "canned" response like the one above which essentially is saying absolutely nothing?

Well let's just say what goes around comes around.  The last time I received a canned response like this was from the politicians I emailed about the arena lease issue.  We've all seen how far that issue has gotten towards resolution.

Bottom line, at least to me, is someone got their hand caught in the cookie jar and this is the best those behind the scenes could come up with.  A simple "sorry" and acknowledgment that steps will be taken to ensure this will not happen again would have been suffice.

What do we get?  More spin and lack of accountability.

FIRE AWAY - are you buying into what they are selling here?

-LTL

Here is a very interesting stat I read over on HFBoards.com via this website:

We all know who the big hitters are, but have you ever wondered who gets hit the most?

I'm not at all surprised to see Tyutin on that list and it's even more surprising how durable he's been considering the beating he takes.

One name that has to be up there though is Jan Hejda.  That dude takes a healthy punishment  digging pucks out himself.

There are some other good hit ratios listed on that site so give it a look.

-LTL

I received a terrific email from Paul that I wanted to share regarding the first ever Ice Hockey Club's Martin Luther King Mini-Mite Jamboree that took place this weekend in Columbus.

The CAHA Capitals went 5-0 to win the first ever Columbus Ice Hockey Club's Martin Luther King Mini-Mite Jamboree this weekend.  (team pictured above)

Four teams of 5,6 and 7 year olds battled out 5 back-to-back games Sunday afternoon at the fairgrounds.  The teams were:

CAHA Capitals - http://www.cahahockey.com/

CCYHA Flames - http://www.ccyha.org/

CIHC Eagles - http://www.leag1.com/?org=columbushockeyclub.com

Newark Dragons - http://www.newarkhockey.com/

I can't tell you how much I love to read stories like these about grassroots hockey in Columbus.  I just don't think folks in this city hear enough about it and this is where it all starts if you want to build a long, loyal and lasting fanbase.

There is nothing like playing the game and I encourage everyone who has an interest to take the plunge , go lace em up and give it a whirl!!  We all started somewhere -- heck I didn't start playing until I was 28 years old and have loved every second of it!!

My only regret is that I didn't have or create the opportunity to do so earlier!

It's never to late folks!

Anyhow to echo Paul's comments in his email to me - congrats to the CAHA Capitals and to all the boys and girls who participated in what looks to be a wonderful event this weekend!

If anyone out there who reads this blog would ever like to me share other stories about youth hockey in this area please don't hesitate to shoot me an email @ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thank you for sharing this Paul!

-LTL