January 13

Five consecutive wins at home and still rolling… but… have the CBJ taken that next step in their development as a contender?

From the vantage point as a fan of the game, it becomes obvious the implementation of structure and organization in every aspect of team building becomes apparent with this team. With Fedorov out of the lineup with a tweak, Westcott a healthy scratch, Tollefson an injured neck and Modin still unavailable, this team has not missed much of a beat.

Could Freddy Modin be the best trade that the CBJ could make during this second half by adding him to the lineup?

Vyborny is starting to show his credentials as the all time leading scorer of the franchise. Three assists against St. Louis and a solid 20:33 of impressive effort and play against Nashville were warming to all who observed.

Leclaire sent a statement this weekend. He may not be an All-Star (this year), but he proved he can play back-to-back and stymie the opposition when called upon. A solid game against Nashville was what the team needed.

"Z" continues his endeavor as being part of the basement floor and taking the elevator to the penthouse. His growth as a person off the ice is only taking a back seat to his skills as a game breaker on the pond in the desperate times of need. Dynamic and dependable continue to illustrate to the hockey fan, that this illustration of his play is the definition of skill and desire. Keep it up Niki, you are fun to watch, and thank you for your newly acquainted effort and production.

The monkey that has been on the shoulders of the CBJ against the Predators turned into a Gorilla in Nashville on Dec. 27th. A loss late in the game made that ape ugly and wanting to devour players, coaches and fans… well… the primate jumped off with a parachute with the 2-1 SOW at NWA in front of 16, 230. It is the hope of all that he will not be back anytime soon.

Hitch's "isms" have added the terms, "hard and bizarre" to describe the play of his captain Adam Foote vs. STL… "Darth Vador" to describe the rivalry with Nashville… "a track meet" to describe the win over STL… "keep pace" to describe the position the CBJ in the playoff race… "composure" to describe the play of Russell and the CBJ team play when the game was on the line… "heavy players" to analyze the effective play of Stempniak, McClement and Backes with STL who keep the pressure on in the hard areas of the ice… it will be an effort to keep the readers updated on Hitch's ability to paint a picture with every media scrum. There are not many coaches any better in keeping everyone's attention each day! He rarely says the same thing twice!!

Hockey fest is today and it will be a true carnival and celebration for the fans to share time. There will be player's coaches and broadcasters on hand to entertain in a manner to raise money for the CBJ Foundation… have fun!

*Throughout the season, AAA will bring you the Broadcaster's Blogs - "Davidge Dishes" and "Rimer Ramblings". The Columbus Blue Jackets broadcasters will try to keep you update on all the behind the scenes action through their blogs, especially when the Blue Jackets hit the road. The next road game is 1/17/08 @Phoenix.