It's about time...

This blog thing sounded like a good idea at the time, but keeping up with it has been a bit tougher. And, getting caught up in the fun that has been the return of the NHL has kept me occupied for a while. So, we'll try this again...

Quite a few things have happened in the hockey world since my last entry.

In March. :)

Previously I wrote about things covering the NHL as a whole, as it seemed appropriate at the time. Now that the NHL has decided to grace us with their presence again, time to go back to being All Blue Jackets, All the Time. (OK, most of the time.)

As a Jackets fan, I am absolutely THRILLED with the way we're shaping up for this season. The roster it looks like we're going to camp with is hands down the best collection of players we've seen in Columbus in our short history. Top of that list is none other than Rick Nash. I can't wait to see what our little Ricky has grown into in his year away. His exploits on the other side of the pond last season are well noted, and he apparently lit it up at Team Canada's Olympic training camp. What do we have in this kid? And, big thanks to Doug, we have it for another five years.

Beyond Nash, it looks like our season is going to hinge on how well our kids come together and play. Can Klesla toughen up, use his size, and play like his 130-ish PIMs in the Czech league last year indicate? Will Zherdev continue the mind-boggling moves? Does Fritsche use his extra year in juniors and Memorial Cup winning experience (and giving Crosby all he wanted) to come into the NHL and make an impact? Does Picard stick on the big team? (This is a big question for me personally, I'm not sure I've ever seen the kid skate.) And, what about Brule? Can he drop jaws in camp to earn a few games once the season starts? And will those games earn him more? I've heard it's possible.

All these questions and more will start to be answered in just a shade over two weeks. This is going to be the best training camp we've ever seen. The competition for positions is going to be awesome to watch. Who earns the spot with Vyborny and Nash? Who gets to set up Zherdev? Which rookie is going to put a veteran down a line? Damnit, more questions!

Are you ready for some football?

My other love this time of year is high school football, just for fun I'll toss out scores for at least three games: Hilliard Darby (where we live), North Union (where I played (many, many years ago)), and Waynesfield-Goshen (where my brother is assisstant coach).

So for last night's update...

Hillard Darby - 39
Westland - 7

North Union - 32
Fairbanks - 15

Waynsfield-Goshen - 41
Lockland - 27

BONUS SCORE!

Sycamore Mohawk - 28
Elgin - 7
(Any guesses on where my wife went to high school?? :) )