This is not my lowest point as a CBJ fan - my ebb tide was Hitch's firing. It wasn't that I liked Hitch so much (he earned the firing/no confidence vote) but rather I understood that it was only deferring true culpability and huge waste of time heaping blame on a big fat "tar baby" while the twin culprits of Ownership/Management were let off the hook yet again.
No question this is my low point. In fact, I can't stop lurking in this forum for someone to share my misery with. Pathetic, I know. It just seems like the whole organization is a joke. My wife and I booked a trip to Nashville with the Jacket Backers for November 19. It cost us around $500. I just can't imagine riding a bus for 9 hours to support an AHL level team.
One more thing and then I'll quit whining. We have a ten game season ticket package, have had it for 4 years now. Suffice to say, I won't renew next year. But, I'm tempted to call the club and ask for money back THIS year. I know they won't give it but it seems like the only thing I can do to express my aggravation. Oh, and we've only had 1 game of our package so far. 9 more plus a trip to Nashville to go.
Is it Arniel's fault? The players did the same thing to Hitch, from what I can tell. I guess you can blame Arniel for not being strong enough to overcome the players psyche of failure.
But if a proven Coach (Hitch) and a former player and successful minor league coach in a good organization (Arniel) can't instill a winning attitude here in Columbus, then i think its time to blow up the core of this team, even to the point of trading Nash, Umberger, and Tyutin if the return is good enough. . . . These three (amongst others) need to step up and lead by example. . . .and I just don't see it.
Unfortunately, that course of action may be hampered by Howson doling out the long term/large money contracts . . . .
^^^^ Agree, but no one is going to take that Fedor Tyutin contract. That's another of Boy Genius Howson's awesome moves, giving Fedor Tyutin a 6yr extension worth $27 million. I don't mind extending Tyutin but that's ridiculous. What's wrong with 2 years $8 million? If he thinks he can do better than that on the open market, well go ahead.
Whoops, didn't read your last sentence, General Jacket. I'm with you %100.
Last edited by RBarRegular: 10-23-2011 at 08:01 AM.
Reason: didn't read entire post
We Ohioan's are prisoners of hope. There is no escape from it. Even now I watch and hope. I hope for a veteran goalie signing, I hope for the return of suspended and injured players, I hope for a game free of defensive turnovers in front of the net, goals not flying in high glove side and orchestration on offense beyond chip and chase, just to name a few.
Low point? no. Ohio sports fans can take a punch, never spoiled and always enduring we've seen the shot, the fumble, red right 88, Mesa meltdown, LeQuit, the decision, NCAA gestapo/Tressel gate, Palmer, Brown, Modell, Edwards and more.
Hope may be the prison but it is home. Always hopeful but discontent.
I don't think a team has ever gone from "rebuilt playoff contender" to out of the race this quickly in human history.
Just over 2 weeks into the season, and the jackets are out of it. I mean, usually even the worst teams are sort of still in the race until thanksgiving....
Howson really pulled hard at the strings of winning this off season.
Which will make it even harder to rebuild the excitement the next time.
The casual sports fan will be that much more skeptical.
"Same Old Jackets"....I don't think so. The same old jackets would at least pick up a few points here and there.
RIP 2011-2012 season.
I just hope Priest is canned along with Howson and Arneil, and replaced with a real hockey mind.
Otherwise there really is not much hope they will get it right with the next rebuild.
Personally I don't think I can get much lower, because I feel like a sap for thinking that things could change, regardless of the improvement of the moves this offseason. As for the players, I think Tuesday could represent a new low as they will basically be playing a "road" game at home against the Wings. There play has driven Jackets fans from the building. Wings fans will come in droves and the tickets will be cheap. It's a sad reality, but until this organization really gets serious about making the moves necessary to make this an effective organization, then really our fandom will continue to be as low as it can get.
Now we all see why Jeff Carter didn't want to come here. He was forced to leave a successful, winning organization and was sentenced to the Siberia of the NHL, where players disappear.
Now we all see why Jeff Carter didn't want to come here. He was forced to leave a successful, winning organization and was sentenced to the Siberia of the NHL, where players disappear.
Some of us were slammed for suggesting such when Carter was incommunicado for days and when the braintrust took off in "BJ1", or whatever the plane is called, to go to Seaside, NJ to get him....
Now we all see why Jeff Carter didn't want to come here. He was forced to leave a successful, winning organization and was sentenced to the Siberia of the NHL, where loyal fans disappear.
If they go on a 3-4 game run of wins as soon as Wisniewski returns, does Shanahan get blamed for our season?
Knowing the thought process of some people, yes, yes he would.
I do think it's a bit ridiculous that Shea Weber got fined $2,500 for running a player into the glass from behind and causing injury ... Wisniewski hits a guy square on, who pops back up, and gets a 12 game suspension.
That being said, who knows if having Wisniewski in the lineup for these 8 games would have made any difference at all? He was very good for the Islanders last year, and they were dismal.
I was thee when they broke ground for the building, when they dropped the first puck, when Nash played his first game, when they drafted Voracek, their first playoff game. Now I look back on all of that and it seems very distant.
I still love the game, still follow the league. I urgently want this team to win. But it has become very hard for me to sustain any level of interest.
I was thee when they broke ground for the building, when they dropped the first puck, when Nash played his first game, when they drafted Voracek, their first playoff game. Now I look back on all of that and it seems very distant.
I still love the game, still follow the league. I urgently want this team to win. But it has become very hard for me to sustain any level of interest.
True Dat.
Jackets seasons have 3 phases for me:
1. The "we're in it" stage - only once has this lasted the entire season.
2. The "we're falling out of it" stage - when the team is falling out of contention but you still have hope. You find yourself saying things like "If we can just take 3 points out of this weekend..." or "I just hope we can get 6-7 points on this road trip...we'll just be 2 or 3 points out of 8th." This is the most painful stage when every loss just stings!!!
3. The "we're done for" stage - when you know they're just too far out and it's all about who we're gonna trade at the deadline, draft position, etc. The losses certainly don't sting as bad at this stage.
Last year was especially painful because we went through stage 2 twice: in december and in march.
This year Stage 1 lasted all of about 5 days. Stage 2 started just over a week ago and was very short this year. Short but intensely painful. I think the Ottawa game put us into stage 3.
Excusing the joke, but I know what you mean. It's really hard to get excited for this team right now. I just know that there isn't much I can do about it. I didn't choose to follow this team, it chose me and I know I'll be with it pretty much through whatever [unless they move the team]. Good times will come someday. No idea when, but good times will come.
This is the low point for me, no doubt. The biggest reason is that, on paper, this really looked like a team that was going to compete this year. I was not one that was convinced it would make the play-offs, but I really thought we would be right there till the end.
Now....
Realistically, we are done for the season. Oh sure, it is still possible to make the play-offs, but with this bunch? And I mean the fish stinks from the "head" down. Yep, from Priest, on down.
My biggest headache now is the fact that I managed to talk my wife into allowing me to re-up for season tickets this season on the misguided hope that this team would be better. I didn't expect to be getting reamed for that in October, after just 8 games.
If this keeps up, it's going to be a long winter in the Dr. Fire house.
I was thee when they broke ground for the building, when they dropped the first puck, when Nash played his first game, when they drafted Voracek, their first playoff game. Now I look back on all of that and it seems very distant.
I still love the game, still follow the league. I urgently want this team to win. But it has become very hard for me to sustain any level of interest.
Absolutely. Watched intently as the expansion team was constructed, watched every game of the first season. I only manage to catch a handful of games all the way through each season anymore, its not "Must watch tv" for me anymore and hasn't been really since probably the 06-07 season. The Jerseys are in the back of the closet, caked in dust, not worn for a while, most times forgotten they are owned...
Usually, the only things that peak my interest much anymore are the draft, which I make a point to be home to watch each June, The offseason moves (if any) and really any overarking drama that engulfs this team when moves are made, hirings and firings, etc. I prided myself on watching a ton of Hockey for years, and now, I just don't really care to stay all that attached to anything the sport offers beyond my own team, which, had they managed to put together a few solid seasons, might be more at the forefront of my interests...
