A Loyal Fan’s Efforts to Stay Positive
Since I’m brand spanking new to the blog, I figured I’d give my take on the team so far this season.
I’ve been a loyal Blue Jackets fan since the age of 14, during their inaugural season. You rarely saw me in high school without some form of the emblem on my person. I always figured the team would keep moving forward and getting better. They were a newly-formed team in the NHL; I didn’t expect a whole lot in the first few seasons.
Then Minnesota made the playoffs early on in the 2002-2003 season, an expansion partner of the Blue Jackets. My efforts to stay optimistic were waning, but I stayed faithful to the Blue Jackets.
Then, of course, was the heartbreaking playoff run in the 2008-2009 season, my senior year of college. I was so beyond ecstatic when they clinched the playoff spot, I stayed up and watched the game the night before an exam and got next to no sleep (no worries, I graduated J). Then I found out who we were playing in the first round. I figured since we did decent in the season against the Red Wings, we would at least take one game. But, no. I came to the realization in game 3 that our team had never seen a playoff game as a whole, and had no idea what they were in for. The Red Wings were obviously experienced in the post-season (duh), and I was forced to cheer on Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup finals.
On to the past few seasons…
Usually I rarely miss watching a game. Even in college I would sit in front of the TV with my books open (my roommate hated me screaming at the game), but since coming in to the “real world,” my time with the team has been limited to when I can actually attend the games. And I’m surprisingly OK with that. There is a problem when a fan that was so absolutely in love with this team a few years ago, doesn’t want to set her DV-R system to avoid the disappointment.
I continue to stay faithful to my team. I hate the Red Wings and the Predators simply because they are division rivals. But this season is possibly the hardest yet to be a Blue Jackets fan. Last year at this time we were celebrating our 20th win, this year it’s only 11. Even with the firing of head coach Scott Arniel yesterday, fans are pretty much thinking the season is over. You can change the head coach, GM and whoever else, but it will not help this season.
I will say that my fellow blogger, Gary, is right. We need to stay loyal to our team, and hope that something positive comes from it. Look at the Boston Red Sox. They went 86 years without a World Series title, 18 without a pennant. They eventually gave their fans what they wanted. (Let’s hope it won’t take THAT long for a Stanley Cup though!)
But, even at the midpoint of the NHL season, we Blue Jackets fans have to utter the words that most fans of Ohio pro sports are so familiar with…”next year.”