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No sooner did I mention that this week is a big one for player arrivals did more new faces show up at the OhioHealth Ice Haus this morning.
Comparatively speaking, the weather outside was much better today than yesterday, but when you're inside an ice rink and hearing the familiar sound of skates carving up ice, there's no place I would rather be. It's even better than a round of golf on a sunny day beside the ocean, which in my book, is second only to a new jar of Nutella.
May have been kidding about that last part. But, alas.
A few more guys joined the ranks today at the Ice Haus, and the total now sits somewhere between 13 and 15 players who have arrived in town. Forward Cam Atkinson, who will be living with the Umberger family this season, is due to arrive sometime this evening and is expected to skate with the group later in the week.
Adrian Aucoin, James Wisniewski, Steve Masonand Artem Anisimov were additions to the Wednesday group after being absent for the prior day's session. Mason, sporting some new-look leg pads featuring the club's third jersey color scheme, skated for the full hour-plus and looked good in his first action.
Click here to read the full story >>
The start of the 2010-11 regular season was pretty darn exciting.
Columbus opened the season in Sweden and split a pair of contests with the San Jose Sharks, then returned home to a disappointing home opener loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. But from there, the Blue Jackets found themselves on a quite the run through the first 20 games of the year.
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., the Blue Jackets were locked in a back-and-forth showdown with the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. They rallied to tie the game in the third period, and eventually won the game in overtime -- a victory that propelled Columbus to a 14-6-0 record just before the quarter mark of the season.
Today's question is rather straightforward: who scored the goal to tie that game?
Click here to submit YOUR official entry form!
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It's usually right about this time each year that the hockey bug starts to show up, and NHL players are no different.
While the players enjoy spending time at home during the summer months and going about their offseason workout regimens, "home" comes beckoning in the form of a frozen sheet of ice and several of their teammates once the calendar turns to September.
And despite a busy and fun holiday weekend for several Blue Jackets, many have settled into Columbus in recent weeks and are gearing up for the 2012-13 season.
"Busy and fun" could also describe the offseason for the Blue Jackets, who were one of the league's most active teams during the summer. They added (and upgraded) at every position on the ice: forwards, defense, and goaltending. Listening to coach Todd Richards speak last week, you get the sense that he's starting to envision how these players are going to fit together.
Though training camp isn't officially slated to begin for another two weeks or so, a sizable group of Blue Jackets players (and others from around the NHL) have been gathering at the OhioHealth Ice Haus for informal skates a few times each week.
Read the full story here >>
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Cam Atkinson wasn't afraid to admit that, going into his first-ever charity event, there were some unsettling unknowns.
Did they do enough advertising? Was there adequate publicity? Did the word get out? These things weren't important for him personally, but crucial to the success of the event which benefited a charitable cause very close to his heart.
All the pieces were in place: he had the support of the Marty Lyons Foundation, which aims to grant wishes to children who have terminal or life-threatening illnesses. The town of Greenwich, Conn. was fully behind him, and he had the backing of his family and friends from around the National Hockey League.
When 4 p.m. rolled around on August 19, Atkinson could breathe a little easier.
Click here to read the full story >>
ARE YOU READY?!?!
The countdown is over and it's time to join the battle together and #DefendNWA. Today marks the final Mystery Opponent contest -- are YOU ready to defend Nationwide Arena and our home ice beginning right now?
This has been a blast to put on for you all, and we hope that you've enjoyed the Mystery Opponent as much as we have. Like we said yesterday in the Trivia Tuesday blog post, it's *really* hard to fool Blue Jackets fans. They know their stuff.
All you have to do is fill out the form provided below (and make sure you have the correct answer!) to enter the contest. The prize? Winner and a guest get to enjoy the game against said opponent from either a luxury suite or glass seats, depending on the game.
Click here to submit YOUR official entry form!
We're getting closer to the final countdown. Today marks the penultimate Mystery Opponent contest -- are YOU ready to defend Nationwide Arena on August 29th at noon?
We're continuing today with the sixth (can you believe it?) installment of the mystery opponent "scavenger hunt" on CBJ Today.
All you have to do is fill out the form provided below (and make sure you have the correct answer!) to enter the contest. The prize? Winner and a guest get to enjoy the game against said opponent from either a luxury suite or glass seats, depending on the game.
(Looks at calendar, realizes it's Tuesday)...we're back again!
Thanks to you all, Trivia Tuesday on the CBJ Today blog has become wildly popular and makes us enjoy giving away prizes even more than we already do. It has also confirmed that you folks are pretty sharp - but we already knew that.
It's pretty tough for us to stump you, especially when there's a giveaway on the line.
So let's get down to business with this week's question.
Click here to submit your Trivia Tuesday entry >>
Only a couple of days left -- are YOU ready to defend Nationwide Arena on August 29th at noon?
We're continuing today with the fifth installment of the mystery opponent "scavenger hunt" on CBJ Today.
All you have to do is fill out the form provided below (and make sure you have the correct answer!) to enter the contest. The prize? Winner and a guest get to enjoy the game against said opponent from either a luxury suite or glass seats, depending on the game.
Without further ado, let's get it started.The rules are the same as yesterday, and the prize is similar: the winner gets two (2) tickets in a luxury suite to a game against today's mystery opponent at Nationwide Arena this upcoming season. Fill out the form completely, hit "submit" and you're good to go.
Tim Erixon was a player that the New York Rangers did not want to include in a Rick Nash trade, but in order to get the deal done, he was a crucial piece.
The 21-year-old Swedish defenseman was drafted in the first round (21st overall) by the Calgary Flames in 2009, and was traded to the Rangers last July. He's a second-generation NHLer, as his father Jan was a premier shutdown forward for the Rangers in the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike his dad, Tim is regarded as an elite prospect and a strong two-way defenseman.
He was a steady performer for Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League over parts of four seasons, beginning his professional career at age 17. He has represented Sweden four times in international competition and just completed his first North American pro season with the Connecticut Whale, the Rangers' AHL affiliate.
Erixon joins a revamped and fortified stable of defensemen in the Blue Jackets pipeline and will no doubt compete for a roster spot when training camp begins. We caught up with Tim via email (he's at home, training in his native Sweden and there's a sizeable time difference), and he answered a handful of assorted questions for BlueJackets.com and the CBJ Today blog.
Read the full interview with Erixon here >>
We're about halfway through. Are you ready to defend Nationwide Arena on August 29th at noon?
We're continuing today with the fourth installment of the "scavenger hunt" on CBJ Today.
All you have to do is fill out the form provided below (and make sure you have the correct answer!) to enter the contest. The prize? Winner and a guest get to enjoy the game against said opponent from either a luxury suite or glass seats, depending on the game.
Without further ado, let's get it started.
The rules are the same as yesterday, and the prize is similar: the winner gets two (2) tickets in a luxury suite to a game against today's mystery opponent at Nationwide Arena this upcoming season. Fill out the form completely, hit "submit" and you're good to go.
HINT 1: This team's captain won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010.
HINT 2: Its GM was the former GM of the AHL franchise in the city referenced in Hint #1.
HINT 3: Its head coach once served in a coaching capacity with the Blue Jackets.
