Changing of the Guard: Captain is Coming Aboard Wednesday
Jan 9, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen (19) warms up before playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Blue Jackets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
11AM. 5/20/2015. Things will change. A future generation will emerge. The voiceless will be voiced.
NEWS: #CBJ to introduce sixth captain in club history at press conference Wednesday at 11AM. pic.twitter.com/pvpW1Y3gjM
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 18, 2015
The beginning will be televised….er….streamed.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have the NHL’s longest current void of the C patch. Wednesday turns the page of all the mistakes, all the failed trades, the whole smorgasbord of lack of institutional control. The team finally has an identity and it’s ready to show the league it will be taken seriously.
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We’ve discussed it more in detail earlier here in a roundtable discussion but the 3 main/popular candidates seem to be Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen. Dubinsky is the 29 year old, heart and fire of the team, but is coming off an injury depleted year where he missed about half the season. Foligno seems to be the trendy pick, the 28 year old (for majority of the upcoming season) who really stood out this year with an All-Star Captaincy while posting career highs in every major category. Then there’s the kid, Ryan Johansen. Johansen is arguably the most talented player on the roster, the definite future face of the franchise and the most consistent level of success (though it’s only two years). Worries are that he might not be mature enough for it at the age of 23 ( I argued he was and so much more).
The timing is interesting. What about this season “popped” for the organization to finally stitch in the C? Was it Foligno’s breakout season, was it Johansen’s evolved behavior, it’s tough to say what could have been it for Dubinsky, maybe his toughness finishing out the season? Either way the timing may not be crystal clear when it comes to the player but it does when it comes to the organization.
The organization had fallen into the depths of Ohio laughingstock team spoofs. The team couldn’t keep their face and former captain, Rick Nash, happy. They traded star players left and right seemingly without consideration like a toothless child playing Go-Fish. Two of their up and comers are now in the Conference Finals, Nash and Derick Brassard, leading their New York Rangers to a possible back to back Stanley Cup appearance. There was the Boomer incident. Only being in the Conference TOP 10 three times in franchise history, 2 playoff appearances and only 2 playoff wins in those 8 games to boot. It was time for a change.
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- Blaming Columbus Blue Jacket Players for Babcock Fallout is Unfair
- The Mike Babcock Experiment in Columbus Has Failed
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- Mike Babcock Resigns as CBJ Head Coach: Reaction
- New Claims Bring Higher Level of Concern to Babcock Situation
This past season was ugly…but for a different reason. Injuries wiped out the roster like a Pantera song at a 3rd grade Frozen birthday party….or Shrek. But something great came out of it. When back to full strength, the Jackets showed they could not only hang with the playoff caliber teams, they could beat them at a pivotal point in the season. The Jackets ripped through the end of the season winning 15 of 17, outscoring opponents 70 goals to 43 in that stretch. 9 of those 15 wins came against playoff teams still fighting for seeding. In those 10 games they went 9-1 (an overtime loss to the New York Rangers, this year’s President Cup Champions, was the only blemish) outscoring their playoff opponents 43-26. The Jackets showed they’re no longer a middling team. They’re a team with a plan, a vision and a strong future presence…and that future seems closer than expected.
The Captaincy is more than just a C on someone’s jersey. It’s a belief that this person is going to lead our team through all the emotional struggles that come from competitive high stakes hockey. It’s a belief that we have the core of our franchise here and the foundation is ready to be built upon. It’s a belief that we’re ready to take the next step behind the forward push of our captain. It’s the the belief that we’re no longer lost at organizational sea. It’s the belief that we’re ready to go to battle with anyone, under the Union and Blue flags above, the cannons firing below the deck and our captain….navigating the rough seas ahead, knowing in full faith, we’re going to make it through and succeed the journey to the X that marks the Cup of Stanley.