Well, I didn't really anticipate beating the wings, but I also didn't anticipate only scoring 1 goal in two games vs. one of the worst (statistically) goalies in the league. The wings have certainly flipped that proverbial switch once the playoffs started and look like they will not be denied. Not by us anyway.
Our roster has holes and it has had holes all season long, but game in and game out over the course of the regular season Hitch was masterful at devising a game plan that masked those holes. When you face an experienced and solid opponent like the Red Wings, it isn't long before they expose them and, with their skill, speed and tenacity, can make you look a bit silly.
There is no shame in what has gone on in the series so far. The wings have scored 6 of their 8 goals on the pp. This doesn't speak well for our pk, but this is a pp that was league's best all season long. Our pp has actually looked better this post season, but we haven't been able to convert. That is the difference, they convert on their chances, we didn't.
As it stands now, the first playoff game in the history of Nationwide arena is two nights away and we are all looking forward to blowing the lid off the place!
I have been taking Billy to the dog park pretty much every day so that he can get out and interact with all kinds of different breeds. Some nights there are close to 20 dogs of all shapes and sizes running around for him to sniff at. There have only been 3 instances where you see a dog's nose get out of joint and a bit of a disagreement hapens and yelping ensues.
Billy loves seeing all the dogs and sniffing when he can, but the problem is, he is usually the smallest dog there by far and he can't reach their butts to do any sniffing! It is always great when a little dog is there for Billy and it is interesting to see how different he is with the smaller dogs compared to the bigger dogs.
Below, you will see Billy carefully sniffing 'Percy' a big Saint Bernard:
Notice how meek and carefully he is approaching Percy.
He is a different 'act' when he sees dogs that are his own size. Have a look at his body language in these photos of him with three mini-pinchers:
Even though this min-pin is Billy's size, he isn't a puppy so the playing that Billy wanted to embark upon wasn't on his agenda. It looks like he is giving Billy a tune up, but they were just checking each other out.
He really liked these little guys, but they were more interested in sniffing the trunk of this tree. Oh well.
Yesterday Billy met Chloe, a little weiner dog who immediately took a liking to him. The two ran and played for about 30 minutes and when we got home, Billy was spent.
I just got back from a nice walk with Billy and sat down in the quiet of the afternoon and started reflecting on the season. There have been many highs, lows, and down right sideways things that have happened with this team this year so to call it a roller-coaster is an understatement.
One of the great things about being close with the head coach is that you get an inside look at what goes into the day to day of all those wins, and how to dig a team out of a loss or two. I have learned so much about hockey and the dynamics of assembling 23 players into a group and helping them believe in the same goal, the same objective. As a close friend of the head coach, I have met a lot of great people in this hockey world and it has been such a treat to hear the odd story or two about their journey.
With all the great benefits of being so close to the situation there are times when it is not always a bed of roses. I am not only a supporter of my best buddy, but there is a streak of 'fan' in me and and emotional one at that. I really celebrate the wins and get totally pumped up after an energizing game. With as much intensity as I celebrate the wins, I feel the losses equally. I get a sickness in my stomach which follows me around until the next game.
Being close to the head coach it seems that there is no such thing as celebrating a win. It is 'collect the two points and move forward to the next game'. I understand that to a degree, but I need at least an hour or two to feel good about things. Don't get me wrong Hitch loves winning, but as he has said himself, the fear of losing is more powerful than the joy of winning. In professional sports, I get that.
Looking back on this season, I started to recall the key moments of the season where things were teetering on either moving into the right direction or on the verge of falling into that black hole and not being able to recover.
Goaltending: Pascal Leclaire had an excellent season last year, and nobody imagined our goaltending situation would transpire the way it did. The jackets used 5 goalies this year, and it is the rookie, Steve Mason who has proven himself worthy of the starting job and has been a huge reason we were able to clinch a spot in the post season. Overcoming knee surgery and a bout of mono, Mason will surely go onto win rookie of the year honours.
Mason's bout of mono was a very worrisome time as the jackets put themselves in a situation where they did not have a reliable backup to take the starts. Somehow we had Dan Lacosta, a guy who had mere minutes of NHL experience come in and beat the sharks in OT and shutout the Avalanche. Being around the coach during that time was difficult. Not only did I have my own worry to contend with, but I felt the worry of him and the quality of the remaining season was teetering and Hitch knew it.
Center: Finally it seemed as though the jackets had a center, who in a few more months, would be able to play on the top line with Nash. Derrick Brassard. In a game vs. Dallas, he was really starting to show some leadership qualities, but unfortunately his effort to stand up for his teammate cost him his season as he damaged his shoulder in a fight. He required surgery which was a 6 month rehab.
The worry of losing this player was real, and I felt it with every cell in my body. Being close to Hitch and the situation didn't give me any place to run and hide from the harsh reality of losing a great young skilled player. It was awful.
Then there were the season 'screw jobs'...the supposed high stick in Minnesota that was called a goal on the ice, was reviewed as inconclusive, but somehow the call was reversed anyway and 'no goal' was called with 11 seconds left. No goal-no points.
Then there was the extraordinary 'kicking motion' by Manny Malhotra in Dallas that cost the jackets another valuable point. It was my fear that we would miss the playoffs by one point making those screw jobs become center stage for me emotionally all over again.
The coach handles these kinds of things far better than I ever could as I ranted and raved to anyone who would listend and even called Gary Bettman on XM radio to let my dissatisfaction be heard....to no avail of course.
Make no mistake there were plenty of points that the jackets themselves left on the table--late losses to the Ducks, the Oilers, the Coyotes, the Wings come to mind. Those late game losses stung more than a regular loss because they are unexpected and you don't have any time to mentally/emotionally prepare for them.
Over the last few games when we have had the chance to clinch, I saw my usual determined, focused friend with a not so familiar look on his face. It was a look that I hadn't seen before. Concern? Focus? Determination? Stress? A combination of it all?
1 point away from clinching with three tough opponents on the schedule and I was sick with worry so I can't imagine what he was going through. The weight of an organization and the city on his shoulders. Normally I can ask him for some solace, but not at this point, he was as 'concerned' and focused as I had ever seen him. He was absolutely pouring everything into his team and doing everything he could to get them to where he needed them to be. My 'rock' didn't have anything to spare when I needed some reassurance...I was alone in this one.
Needless to say when we clinched last night everyone involved with the organization and every fan who has been around collectively exhaled. History was made last night for the jackets and I am happy and so proud that my best bud played a role and I had the chance to be a part of it.
I can't wait to see the team on Saturday and I can't wait to see the ovation they get. I started the regular season on opening night with them shedding tears of pride and joy for them, I am sure I will need extra kleenex for the boys Saturday night.
Sleeping around here these days isn't coming in bulk. A few hours at a time is about all that happens when you have 90 points with three games left and 3 teams capable of taking your spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The jackets are most certainly in charge of their own fate and are in the driver's seat, but until there is a little 'x' next the the Blue Jackets name in the standings, there is no rest for the weary. Hitch is definitely not one to sugar coat what needs to be done with his team, therefore, I am left to find solace in other places. Until the jackets are 'in' and playing better, the old coach's hair will continue to whiten and possibly even become clear like fishing line.
1 point here and 1 point there, they are inching towards their first ever playoff birth, but jeez, it is slow moving at this point. The last thing we need is for this thing to come down to the last game of the season vs. Minnesota. It is definitely the last thing I need anyway.
Billy? He is sleeping fine...he is in heaven actually. His bout of diarreha somehow graduated him from the crate to the bed and he hasn't looked back. He now cuddles up to me through the night and sleeps like like a teenager on the weekend.
3 more games and 3 points would guarantee us a spot, 1 point is likely all that is necessary, 2 would be fantastic, but 3 would be us putting a stamp on the season and getting that 'only franchise to have never made the post season' monkey off our backs.
So Billy and I are watching the jackets game together tonight, both hoping for a victory. Billy was a bit nervous so I needed to distract hi by playing with him with his bear. We were on the floor roughhousing when FSN interviewed Hitch during the commercial. As soon as Hitch started talking Billy stopped everything, walked towards the tv and started wagging his tail. He was looking directly at Hitch and got all excited. I was pretty much awestruck and dumbfounded. I couldn't really believe what I was seeing! I just sat in the background and nearly wept.
The two are already good buddies. Billy was really proud to see his big bud on TV.
