CannonFest Recap - We Gathered, We Partied, We Conquered

Photo courtesy of The View From 210

Who would have thought that gathering on a steamy summer day in August to don CBJ gear and talk hockey could be so fun? Matt Wagner of The Cannon did. And he was right on. With the help of The Dark Blue Jacket, the Jacketbackers and just about every CBJ blog out there, his idea blossomed into a fun-filled day that left all who attended hungry for the start of the 2010-11 season. A hearty contingent of bloggers and fans gathered at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Grandview on Sunday to eat some wings, enjoy a few cold beverages and conquer the off-season doldrums. Mission accomplished!

The love for the CBJ and the excitement for the coming season was palpable in the room. The festive atmosphere was complimented by the JacketBackers, who raffled off some great prizes, including an impressive Molson/CBJ beer tower (which was donated by B-Dubs),as well as autographed pictures, hockey pucks and other memorabilia. CBJ brass Todd Sharrock, (VP of Public Relations) and Larry Hoepfner (Executive VP of Business Operations) stopped by to meet the CannonFesters and answer questions.  But Tom Larrow (aka Skraut) may have stolen the show with the premier of his new fan video. As Tom explained to the crowd before the video aired over the big screens at B-Dubs, the motivation for his latest work was to provide last season's disappointing campaign a proper burial. His video, aptly titled "Blue Jackets - Requiem For A Season" did just that. And then some. It produced more than a few goose bumps among those in attendance and got everyone jacked up for some hockey. Tom put many, many hours into producing this video and it shows. It's top notch. Check it out:

Mark2112 of The View From 210 took some great photos of the event. 

The CBJ internet community is a talented collection of die-hard fans and fanatics. Built upon the collective effort of this growing fraternity, CannonFest showed us all what we can do by organizing and using social media to unite for a common cause. Here's hoping that CannonFest was the first of many collaborations to come by the CBJ blogosphere.