Columbus Blue Jackets Success Leads to More New Age Coverage

The success of the Columbus Blue Jackets on the ice is leading to a boom in new age coverage off the ice.

When it comes to coverage of the Ohio State Buckeyes, there is no shortage of coverage. There are seemingly thousands of blogs, vlogs, and podcast covering Ohio’s most beloved team. This isn’t exactly the case with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But it certainly is getting better.

The success of the Jackets has created not only a boom in fandom but a boom in coverage. There now are more new age coverage of the CBJ than ever. For the fans, there are a ton of great options to get their news and notes on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Of course the Union and Blue team strives to be the best coverage of your CBJ and we appreciate all of our readers. But if you’re reading this, you probably are looking for more news and opinions all the time. Here are some of our friends in the CBJ universe who are covering Ohio’s hockey team.

Podcast

I’m a big podcast guy. I love popping the headphones in at work, at the gym or on the road and engaging with some thoughtful content. For CBJ content, there recently have been a few great listens to pop up. You can find either of these on any podcast app, and I highly recommend subscribing to both.

Blue Line Reconstruction is entering its second full season covering the Jackets. Hosted by two friends, Josh and Luke, BLR dives into the Jackets performance and off ice news.

What sets the BLR podcast apart is their emphasis on analytics and new age stats. No other podcast will give you a look at the Jackets like this one.

Odd phrases like “Opponent Adjusted Corse” and “PDO” are used frequently but there is no need to worry if you are a bit old school. The guys do a great job walking through the new age statistics, which are all pretty simple actually. These advanced stats and analytics provide a deeper understanding of the Jackets play on the ice and offer a different lens for the traditional fan to see the game through.

Check out the Blue Line Reconstruction on iTunes and Soundcloud.

Another great podcast that just recently started up is the Shoot Once Podcast. Host Frank Walker rides solo while covering the Columbus Blue Jackets and the NHL.

Frank covers general NHL trends and stories and how they relate to the Columbus Blue Jackets. His focus though is a long term view of trends and moves that the Jackets make. His focus on team building and rising prospects gives fans a look into where the Jackets are going and why.

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Frank is the type of guy that likes being the GM in Franchise mode of the NHL ’17 video game more than playing the game. His takes are always sound and backs them up with a ton of supporting data. He does a great job with the pod and does it by himself, which anyone that has done a podcast will tell you is no easy feat.

You can find the Shoot Once Podcast on iTunes and Soundcloud as well.

Websites

You’re already coming to UnionAndBlue.com for great CBJ coverage and we appreciate that. But other websites aren’t our competition, just our brothers and sisters covering the team we love together. Here are two new spots to catch some CBJ coverage.

A great new site that recently started is 1st Ohio Battery. Brought to you by the same guys behind 11 Warriors, 1OB is off and running with some great stuff.

They have some excellent writers on staff that are creating thought provoking content and a user forum to continue the discussion after the article. Also their gear is pretty cool.

I’m looking forward to some more of their graphic work as well. 11W has a history of great graphic work that I hope 1st Ohio Battery continues.

Another fantastic site that many hockey fans across the country are flocking to is The Athletic. The Athletic is a subscription based website that is now operating in four markets, including Cleveland.

Just recently The Athletic-Cleveland brought on former CBJ Communications staffer and fan favorite Rob Mixer to head up their Blue Jackets coverage. Rob also is apart of the 1st Ohio Battery team.

The Athletic, which started out in Toronto, has in it’s short time built a sterling reputation amongst hockey fans. They are investing in top notch talent and their journalism is worth the small monthly fee.

As fans there are more options than ever. These are just a few of them but some of the new options we really enjoy. Thanks again for reading Union and Blue and we hope you enjoy these other options as well.