Solid seasons by two Russian-born Blue Jackets put them on the radar for this year's IIHF World Hockey Championship. Both Artem Anisimov and Sergei Bobrovsky - who also represented their native Russia at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi ......
From the rollercoaster ride of October/November to the first round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Blue Jackets had their best season in franchise history. Club records, as well as players enjoying career years, happened along the way to only their second appearance in postseason play. One week removed from being eliminated in Game Six by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the reflection process has...
from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, ... Kekalainen’s biggest task this summer will be dealing with the several players who need new contracts. Johansen’s contact will be interesting to follow. At this time last year, he was a healthy scratch in an American Hockey League playoff game. But after two quiet NHL seasons, Johansen tied for 11th in the league with 33 goals, ahead of such stars...
Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen is only 21 years old (will turn 22 later this summer), but he’s been through a lot in his young NHL career. Everyone knows the story by now, but we'll summarize: he was the No.4 overall pick at the 2010 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, and while the players picked ahead of him - Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Erik Gudbranson - saw their pro careers start almost immediately,...
In the parity-driven NHL, to make progress is impressive -- to continue progress sets the elite franchises apart from the rest. And so the challenge begins -- again - for the Columbus Blue Jackets, a franchise that started to turn heads in the hockey world in the last half of the truncated 2012-13 season and continued to make significant steps forward in the season that just ended. Universally, it...
When Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson and GM Jarmo Kekalainen joined the organization, they had a clearly-defined vision for what they wanted to build. Making the playoffs this season was a strong compliment to that vis......
The Columbus Blue Jackets ended their hockey season this week, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by a tally of four games to two. While they achieved franchise records including games won and goals scored, there is still work to do to reach the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. For a team that was worst in the league a scant two years ago, the best news...
Johansen’s potential excites Jackets moving forward Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen is but 21 years old (will turn 22 later this summer), but he’s been through a lot in his young NHL career. Everyone knows the story by now, but in short: h......
Todd Richards said he made the mistake (in a previous coaching job) of promising that his team would absolutely play a certain way or do certain things on the ice. In his two seasons as full-time head coach of the Blue Jackets, he has taken on......
It was a season of firsts for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The first playoff wins in franchise history, the first time Columbus had accumulated 93 points and the first time 11 Blue Jackets players took part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The "fi......
Blue Jackets fans made themselves heard around the hockey world this spring, from electrifying roars inside Nationwide Arena to camping out early for playoff games and becoming known as the fifth line. Down 3-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins i......
Throughout this season and especially these playoffs fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets proved to those watching that they are a devoted group. Some of those in "The 5th Line" were camping outside of Nationwide Arena Sunday night before Game Six to get tickets - and received quite a surprise. To see the special relationship between the Jackets players and fans look no further than what Cam Atkinson...
The Penguins-Blue Jackets series is over and I'm home, mostly having caught up on my sleep and begrudgingly having traded my skates for a lawnmower. Just making sure you were still reading. I can't skate. I struggle to mow. For the last two weeks, though, skates were my thing. My first hockey assignment was a pretty darn good one: The young, hungry Blue Jackets vs. one of the NHL's blue bloods, a Penguins...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One should look beyond the franchise and personal records set this season, substantial as they are. And gaze beyond the civic pride for the hockey team that had arisen in the crucible of a hard-fought playoff series. By the time the final horn sounded to end Game Six between the Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins, something not unexpected, but always hoped for, saw its genesis....
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Pittsburgh Penguins look both whole and confident again, and they move forward accordingly. Just barely, but forward they go. The Penguins survived a wild first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets as much as anything else, but in postgame locker room that was happy but subdued, that was just fine. A 4-3 win in Game Six Monday night -- their third 4-3 win of the series...
Columbus -- Twenty minutes after the players came off the ice after almost making an amazing comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ryan Johansen sat in his stall. He was still dressed as if he wanted to head right back out and play, the emotion from being eliminated from the playoffs evident on his face and in his voice. "The thing that's most frustrating right now," he said, "is the feeling that...
from Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers, Down 4-0 through two periods last night, the Blue Jackets almost pulled off their third did-I-just-see-that? comeback of this Stanley Cup playoff series, scoring three goals in less than five minutes to set up a nervy finish. Ultimately the Penguins held on to win 4-3 and won the series four games to two. But a soldout crowd of 19,189 in Nationwide Arena showed...
Pens 4 Blue Jackets 3 Pens win series 4-2. By: Meesh Shanmugam (@HockeyMeesh) Goals Malkin (1) from Kunitz, Crosby Malkin (2) (PP) from Crosby, Niskanen Sutter (3) unassisted Malkin (3) from Jokinen, Niskanen “WOOOOOOOOO!!!” (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) Game 6 Leaders Shots: Malkin (6) Missed Shots: Crosby (3) Blocked Shots: Letang, Martin, Scuderi (3) Hits: Glass (4) Ice Time: Martin (27:30) … Vitale...
The Columbus Blue Jackets season turned out to far more than was expected at the beginning. The team rallied together and made it to the post-season for the second time in franchise history and had a record breaking season in many ways. Sadly, their run for the Stanley Cup was cut short last night when they lost 4-3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only was the playing on the ice beyond what was...
In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, the Blue Jackets won five of their first 20 games and gave themselves quite the hill to climb in order to qualify for the playoffs. They lost out on the final playoff berth in the Western Conference on ......