Kudos to the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason on his Rookie of the Year award! The 20-year-old sensation's incredible season with 33 wins, 10 shutouts and an overall save percentage of .916.
During last Valentine's Day weekend, I drove three of my friends down to Columbus and took them to see the Blue Jackets play the Red Wings. None of them had ever seen a pro game before. Their first game ended up being an amazing, down to the wire nail-biter. Mason outdueled Chris Osgood and the Jackets narrowly won 3-2 in front of a big, playoff-like crowd. Ever since that game, my Ohio friends have become hooked on hockey.
Although the Jackets were swept in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of Detroit, they did manage to make their first appearance in the postseason. As a result, this year saw a dramatic change in the team's image in the area.
The city of Columbus is a college town on steroids, complete with a rabid and faithful legion of Ohio State followers. With obsessive enthusiasm, thousands follow Buckeye football and basketball the way some people follow religion. Given a culture so appreciative of competition, it was only a matter of time before the Jackets caught the eye of the fans.
Since it opened for hockey in 2000, Nationwide Arena has gone from nearly empty to nearly sold-out. Now that Coach Ken Hitchcock has trained his players to play his system of hockey, he has instilled discipline and maturity in this young team. If Columbus continues to develop its young talent and makes smart acquisitions through the season, the Jackets could be poised for a serious run at their second playoff berth. In the ever competitive Western Conference, Hitchcock's team stands out as a legitmate force to be reckoned with.
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