Five Former Columbus Blue Jackets We Love To Hate

The main reason of the Blue Jackets only postseason appearance, Calder Memorial Trophy winner, no way a player with this type of resume should be included on the most hated former Blue Jackets list. Oh but he is, slow glove hand and all, Steve Mason.

Jan 29, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason (1) makes a save during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Scott Howson might have as much to do with Steve Mason being on this list as Mason himself does. Lets not let Mason off the hook that easily, he was the one who took the contract extension and let his head grow ten sizes too big. You would think with a head that big he might have stopped more shots, just by pure physics alone, but that wasn’t the case for Mase. He came in out of shape almost every year to camp, he lost the respect and the faith of his teammates, and never seemed to shook up that his play was downright awful at times.

After receiving his extension and pay raise his next three years looked a little more like a horror story than that of a success story. He averaged 3.16 GAA and a putrid .898 SV% including a 60-73-19 record. All the while making himself and the Blue Jackets a laughing-stock of the NHL.

He would flash the brilliance of his rookie year, and then follow it up with a stretch of games that would make Blue Jacket fans everywhere ask where the closest bar was to drown their sorrows. He had the aforementioned slow glove hand, his lateral quickness/movement was at times non-existent, and looked like he could easily be screened by a screen door. The last straw might have been his complete lack of accountability when he blamed his poor play on account of his equipment being t0o tight, he loosened the pads, and still stunk up the building.