OFFICIAL Columbus Blue Jackets Thread

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

AVALANCHE 3 BLUE JACKETS 0
Klesla?s decisions costly to Jackets in lackluster loss
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Manny Malhotra dives as he makes a shot from close range on Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj in the second period.


NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Rick Nash falls in front of goaltender Peter Budaj after being pulled down by Karlis Skrastins, who was called for a penalty.


The Colorado Avalanche beat the Blue Jackets, as usual, and the story of the latest meeting might best be told in a tape of Nikolai Zherdev on a foray through the middle, an attempt to beat three men in the neutral zone, and the inevitable turnover.
"We had the puck a lot," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said.
Indeed they did. The Avalanche played a terrific road game and rolled to a 3-0 victory in front of an announced crowd of 16,375 in Nationwide Arena. Half the folks left the building long before the postgame turkey shoot, which offered fans a coupon for a free turkey if they could shoot a puck through a slot at the bottom of a piece of plywood. There?s a good joke in there somewhere.
The Avs are 19-1-2 all time against the Blue Jackets. They snapped a four-game losing streak. Paul Stastny, Ossi Vaananen and Marek Svatos had the goals. Peter Budaj, at this point far superior to Jose Theodore, was in the Colorado net. For the fifth time in 17 games this season, the Blue Jackets were shut out.
The Jackets have lost five in a row and 11 of 14. They have a 5-11-1 record and the fewest points (11) in the league. On Wednesday night, they put forth a strong offensive effort in the debut of interim coach Gary Agnew. Last night, they walked into Colorado?s traps and coughed up the puck.
"What was the difference between last game and this game?" Agnew posed. "Passion, emotion, intensity. We talked a lot about the game plan and for whatever reason, we refused to execute. ? We weren?t going to the paint like we were the other night. We weren?t paying the price to score."
It was a tough night for Blue Jackets defenseman Rostislav Klesla, whose instant decisions were cursed by hard luck.
Goal No. 1: This one came on a power play at 7 minutes, 29 seconds of the first period. Klesla cleared the puck from the top of the crease and it went directly onto the blade of Stastny, who was stationed on the inside of the right circle. Stastny snapped off a wrist shot that pinged the inside of the near post.
Goal No. 2: This one came at 9:18 of the second period, after Klesla left his own zone to chase a puck through the middle. The play quickly transited the other way. Andrew Brunette pulled up and hit the second trailer, Vaananen, who put some excellent torque on a wrist shot that got Fredrik Norrena through the wickets.
Goal No. 3: This one came with 92 seconds remaining in the second period. Klesla tried to clear the zone from up high and Tyler Arnason intercepted at the blue line. Arnason stepped in and left a pass for Svatos, who had space to take the puck low ? and put an excellent wrist shot high above the glove and inside the far post.
The victim in all of this was Norrena, who was making his third start of the season and his first in Nationwide Arena. There was a palpable feeling, from the earliest stages, that his mates still didn?t have any offense for him.
"They played better than us, maybe smarter, too," Norrena said. "Hopefully, everyone wants to get better in here. Then we can start turning it around."
Some credit is due the Avs, who did a good job of stunting the Jackets? attack. They won fights, picked off passes, blocked shots and got a good night of goaltending from Budaj (25 saves). As the game wore on, those who hung around were rocked to sleep.
marace@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

PREDATORS 4 BLUE JACKETS 2
Losing skid reaches 5 games for Jackets
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> The Blue Jackets? Adam Foote tries to clear the puck from in front of goalie Pascal Leclaire as the Predators? Scott Hartnell closes in.


NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? At a time when the Blue Jackets are in such turmoil, when a search is on for a coach, when the fans are clamoring for a frontoffice housecleaning, the only thing that seems sure is this:
Next June 23, someone will step to the microphone in Nationwide Arena and say, "With the first pick in the 2007 NHL draft, the Blue Jackets select ? "
Right now, that?s the way the Blue Jackets are tacking. They have fewer goals and points than any team in the league. Last night, they lost for the second time in as many days when they were defeated 4-2 by the Nashville Predators in the Gaylord Entertainment Center. It was the Jackets? fifth consecutive loss, their 12 th in 15 games and it dropped the record of interim coach Gary Agnew to 0-3.
To top it off, star forward Rick Nash, suffering from a sore groin, did not play in the third period. He will be reevaluated this morning. The Jackets and Predators meet again in Nationwide Arena on Monday night.
"You stick your finger in one hole in the dike, and another leaks spouts somewhere else," Agnew said. "Tonight, we were taking bad penalties. The game before that, it was D-zone coverage. The game before that, we didn?t score any goals and got shut out. What we?re looking for is a systematically complete game, and we?re not there at this point.
"I still think we?re close to breaking out, but right now ? it?s tough."
The Predators are 12-1-2 after losing their first three games. Last night, they converted 3 of 10 power plays. They got two goals from Jason Arnott, a monster with the man advantage, and one goal each from J.P. Dumont and Shea Weber. For the Blue Jackets, Sergei Fedorov and Dan Fritsche scored in the third period, after the Predators were out of reach.
There is an acknowledged enmity shared by these teams. On the first shift of the game, Jackets center Manny Malhotra got into a shoving match with Vernon Fiddler. On the second shift, Jackets defenseman Ron Hainsey dumped Scott Hartnell. On the third shift, Jackets winger Steven Goertzen fought the infamous Jordin Tootoo, and they gave it to one another pretty good.
The Blue Jackets went on to take five penalties in the first period. They gave the Predators more than nine minutes of man advantage. Remarkably, the game was scoreless after 20 minutes, which is a credit to Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire.
The Blue Jackets weren?t as fortunate in the second period, when the Predators scored four goals, three on the power play. In the middle of the period, the Preds scored thrice in a span of just 3 minutes, 51 seconds.
"They have a good power play, and we kept getting into penalty trouble ? and we got burned," Leclaire said. "That?s the game, right there. We?ve got to stop with the excuses and find a way to win a game."
The Predators? dominance, and the Blue Jackets? negligence, was cemented like this: At 10:28 of the second, Arnott scored a power-play goal on a delayed penalty, David Vyborny came out of the penalty box, Fritsche went in and, at 11:16, Arnott scored another power-play goal.
Arnott?s goals pushed the Predators? lead to 4-0 and, for all intents, stashed this game in the win column for the home team.
"It seems like we?re playing every other day now, and there are games to keep looking to," Hainsey said. "At the same time, you can?t ignore the results. They just don?t go away. It seems like different stuff bites us on different nights. There?s not a common thread there, it?s a cycle of things, really."
marace@dispatch.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Hitchcock is the first to talk with Jackets

Monday, November 20, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> Ken Hitchcock


Ken Hitchcock, spotted in the area of Nationwide Arena yesterday, was the first to interview for the Blue Jackets? coaching position.
According to sources familiar with the process, Hitchcock met with majority owner John H. McConnell and his son, alternate governor John P. McConnell, as well as team president and general manager Doug MacLean.
Word is that Hitchcock is at the top of a very short list of candidates to replace Gerard Gallant, who was fired last week. The team is 0-3 under assistant Gary Agnew, the interim coach.
Hitchcock can afford to be careful about his next move. He has two-plus years, reportedly at $1.1 million per, remaining on his contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, who fired him in October. He has been contacted by other teams, including the St. Louis Blues, who might have interest in him down the road.
One source said the Blue Jackets? job is Hitchcock?s to lose. Other candidates include Andy Murray, fired by the Los Angeles Kings in March; Pat Quinn, fired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in April; and Mike Keenan, who two months ago was forced to resign as general manager of the Florida Panthers.
According to various league sources, after Hitchcock, Murray?s name is most prominent on the Blue Jackets? list. Quinn and Keenan are less so. Quinn is still under contract with the Leafs and, reportedly, the Jackets have yet to ask permission to talk with him.
One source also said Kevin Dineen, a former Blue Jackets player and roving instructor now coaching the American Hockey League?s Portland Pirates, is in the picture. The Pirates are an affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, whose permission must be solicited before Dineen can talk to another team. As of Friday, Ducks GM Brian Burke had not been contacted.
MacLean has said he would like Agnew?s name included among the prospective candidates.
The pace of the process is quickening. MacLean said three days ago that he would like to be done "within a week." John H. McConnell said a new coach will be in place by the end of the month.
A look at the team?s schedule shows two likely windows.
The Blue Jackets play the Nashville Predators tonight in Nationwide Arena. Then, the Jackets have an off day before playing three games in four nights, including two home games. The off day, on Tuesday, could bring an announcement if Hitchcock is deemed to be the man and a contract can be worked out in time.
Next week, the Blue Jackets have two off days before they depart on a 10-day trip that will wind through Vancouver, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose. A coach could be named before the trip ? say, before the home game Saturday against Minnesota, or a day later ? and then jet off into relative isolation to begin putting his stamp on the team.
Hitchcock, 54, is 408-249-100 in nineplus seasons with the Dallas Stars and Flyers. He won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and lost in the Cup final, to the New Jersey Devils, in 2000. Eight of his teams have amassed 100 or more points. He was fired on the heels of GM Bob Clarke?s resignation in October, after the Flyers started 1-6-1.
Murray, 55, went 215-202-63 in fiveplus seasons with the Kings. His teams made three playoff appearances. The Kings were nine games above .500 ? but they had lost five of seven ? when he received his pink slip.
Nash hurting

Blue Jackets left winger Rick Nash did not play in the third period of a 4-2 loss Saturday night in Nashville. It was the Jackets? fourth consecutive loss. Nash is suffering from a sore groin, Agnew said, and will be re-evaluated before the morning skate today. marace@dispatch.com

[CrabMan]

Thankfully, I'd say Agnew's remote chance of landing the job went out the window with his 0-3 record as interim coach.

[jimotis4heisman]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=185209&hubname=nhl

Blue Jackets down to Hitchcock, Murray

Ken Hitchcock

Bob McKenzie
11/20/2006 1:11:20 PM
The Columbus Blue Jackets search for a new head coach is down to a two-man race and a decision should be made by mid-week.
Sources tell TSN that the only two considerations, at this point, are former Philadelphia Flyer Ken Hitchcock and former Los Angeles King Andy Murray. Hitchcock was in Columbus for a full day of meetings with ownership and management on Sunday. Sources say Murray will arrive in Columbus tonight and go through the full day of meetings tomorrow.
It's expected that Blue Jackets' general manager Doug MacLean will make a recommendation to ownership by Wednesday. At that point, the only obstacle to hiring the new head coach will be agreeing to a new contract.

[jimotis4heisman]

Originally Posted by CrabMan

Thankfully, I'd say Agnew's remote chance of landing the job went out the window with his 0-3 record as interim coach.

i went on the record politely saying he wasnt the answer....