Posted by 2008-2009 was a season we all can be proud of.
By Rick Gethin
The Hockey Writers
Blue Jackets – Ladies and Gentlemen (Video courtesy of and produced by Skraut)
My hat is off to Skraut, as he would give any Game Operations crew in any arena a run for their money.
Tenacity, determination and perseverance. All are words to describe the Columbus Blue Jackets 2008-2009 season. We witnessed a team that wasn’t given a chance of making the playoffs early in the season, prove the pundits wrong by climbing their way into the 7th seed in the Western Confernce Quarterfinals. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas just getting there. But what a ride! Coach Ken Hitchcock said this would be a rollercoaster, and he wasn’t kidding.
The Blue Jackets started the season 4-6 through the first month. Thoughts of “oh no, here we go again” permeated the atmosphere in Columbus. Half of the roster was new to the team and the chemistry was slow in coming. Then, it started to turn around. The early months were dominated with three straight NHL Rookie of the Month honors (Brassard once and Mason twice). The Jackets picked up the pace starting in November. Calder and Vezina finalist Steve Mason was called up to ostensibly “help” an injured goaltending corps. He did more than help. Prior to his call-up, Columbus was 4-6-2. With Mason in the line-up they went 37-25-8. Amazing numbers for a 20 year old rookie goalie with miniscule AHL experience.
December 23rd, 2008 brought the game against the L.A. Kings that was the low point in how they played; but was also a wake-up call for them. They responded to that horrible loss by going 5-2 over their next seven games; including a six game road trip. This was THE turning point to their season. This was also a time of a severely depleted team due to injury (foremost, Mason battling through a bout of mononucleosus). Lo and behold, the Columbus Blue Jackets now had depth they could call upon. The call-ups from the AHL Syracuse Crunch performed admirably to help keep this team in the hunt for their first playoff appearance. They continued to steadily improve their play and move up the standings.
March of 2009 brought them their toughest month to date, with 15 games in 31 days. Over that stretch they went 9-4-2. What used to be a month of playing out the string, saw the Blue Jackets playing meaningful hockey as the weather turned warmer. They were coming down to the wire as the season was winding up. April 8th, 2009 was the day the Blue Jackets made history. That night, Rick Nash scored a late goal to send the game against the Chicago Blackhawks into overtime, thus cementing their first playoff berth with the one point that was needed. Fedor Tyutin scored the game-winning shootout goal to put the exclamation mark on this historic occasion.
The Jackets needed just one point to keep the 6th seed going into the playoffs. Alas, it was not to be. By dropping their last two games (and dropping to 7th), they drew the defending Stanley Cup Champions as their first round opponent. The cry went out all over Columbus, “Anyone but the Red Wings”. Detroit showed up, ready to play and the Blue Jackets learned just how much tougher the “second season” is. The end result? Columbus swept in four games. Not quite the way they wanted to go out, but arguably the most amazing season of hockey in the relatively short history of this franchise.
The Blue Jackets ended the season with a club record 41 wins. 25 of those wins came on home ice, with only San Jose and Detroit posting better home records in the Western Conference. Once again, Rick Nash was named to the All Star team. Three Rookie of the Month honors and a Calder and Vezina nominee in goal. The list of accomplishments this club had goes on and on.
Needless to say, the Blue Jackets hit the golf course a little earlier than they expected, yet later than most thought would happen. Columbus has much they can be proud of this season. The future is looking brighter by the day. This year was truly a team effort, with the fans being that all important “7th man”. You all “Carried The Flag”, and for that, you should hold your heads high. This blue collar team never gave up and brought you your first taste of playoff hockey. That left you wanting more, and this Blue Jackets club looks to deliver this fall.
Is September here yet?
Carry The Flag.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
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An open letter to the Columbus Blue Jackets
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