2007-08 Columbus Blue Jackets
Hmmm. What can one say about The Columbus Blue Jackets in ’07? The only thing to go on is improvement: they are the only team in the league to never make a post-season appearance – and that probably isn’t going to change anytime soon. They have not made any significant roster changes this season. It seems like the focus for Columbus is simply improving its on-ice product – meaning, they are developing the roster they currently have. And it’s a good start : top end and high pick players like Derick Brassard, Gilbert Brule, Rick Nash, Nikolai Zherdev and a number of other top-end high pick prospects create a solid core. Playoffs are unlikely, but improvement? Fans will definitely see it.
Previous Seasons
The year 2000 was a headline year for hockey in Columbus, OH as the Columbus Blue Jackets made their debut that October. In the Columbus Blue Jackets very first game they proved to be an impressive force against the Chicago Blackhawks, answering to a sold-out crowd. Still, their first home win would not come until 20 days later when they beat the Washington Capitals 3-1. This brand-new team went on to finish last in the Central Division with a 28-39-9-6 record, a respectable season for an infant NHL team. As a result, Columbus Blue Jackets tickets became an instant hit.
In the 2001-02 season they were awarded the honor of having Espen Knutsen become the first Blue Jacket to play in the All-Star Game for the Western conference. Knutsen proved his worth by scoring a goal and an assist for the later victorious World Team. Although this is a bright spot on the team's record, a darker one began to form as their entire season became overshadowed by the unexpected death of 13-year-old fan, Brittanie Cecil. She was tragically hit by a deflected puck while watching the Blue Jackets take on the Calgary Flames at Nationwide arena; two days later her young life was over and she became the first fan fatality in NHL history. Still, the Blue Jackets carried through the season by wearing a heart-shaped decal with her initials on their helmets throughout the rest of the year.
Trying to shake the notoriety the team had gained in the previous season, the Blue Jackets started strong in 2002 by drafting 18-year-old Rick Nash, who had an instant effect on the team, starting the season with a 7-5-1-1 record. The Blue Jackets now had a star player to orbit around and the team began to take shape at the end of the 2002-03 season. Nash's development turned heads throughout the NHL as he finished the 2003-04 season tied for the NHL lead in goals scored with Ilya Kovalchuck and Calgary's superstar, Jarome Iginla.
The 2005-2006 season has proven to fans to be a strong start. Columbus Blue Jackets hockey tickets are selling out and finding a seat at the Nationwide Arena has been difficult to come by. Fans have enjoyed watching this new team rise and fall and push forward to victories after four consecutive loses. The Columbus Blue Jackets is a team who are full of surprises.
With a fresh core of young hockey players, the Blue Jackets are looking at being able to enter the playoff race for the first time in their short history with the NHL. Despite their recent struggle coming out into the first half of this 2005-06 season, fans are buying up Blue Jackets tickets, eagerly awaiting the team's impending success this year.
