It's not like there is anything factually wrong with Mr. Daddy's take on Columbus:
There's no question that the city isn't yet a hockey town, and that it doesn't have the corporate base that others do. There's no question that Nationwide Arena is a gorgeous facility with lease/ownership problems. There's no question that the area's going through the same economic hardship as everyone else, with a 9 percent unemployment rate as of July. But there's also no question that the Columbus Blue Jackets have been a terribly unsuccessful franchise, with one playoff appearance and zero postseason wins over nine seasons.
It's all pretty much true. In a heinously honest way. But then came this little zinger:
Perhaps you've seen their Mount Puckmore. Yuck.
That's just cold blooded. Here we are days before the start of camp and we get kicked in our Puckmore on a big national blog. We're trying hard in Columbus to wrap our minds around an off-season that involved nothing more than the hiring of a head coach with zero NHL head coaching experience and a waiver wire pickup. Despite that, some people around here are actually trying to get excited about hockey. While it is true that there might be 25% less of us than there were a year ago, why throw wet blankets over the remaining diehards?
And whose photo adorned Puck Daddy's article? Was it Doug MacLean, the original architect of the CBJ plan for ineptitude? No. Was it Ken Hitchcock, who was unable to keep the good times rolling after guiding the franchise to the playoffs for the first time in the 2009-10 season? No. Was it Steve Mason, who became the face of the team's failures last season? No. It's a photo of Rick Nash and a bad one at that. He's got an awkward look on his face that seems to be saying, subliminally, "Get me the hell out of here."
All of this bolsters my theory that there is a far-flung conspiracy emanating from the War Room in Toronto that stretches throughout the hockey world outside of Columbus, the goal of which is to destroy hockey in Columbus so that Rick Nash can play in Toronto, which is of course a real hockey city. The conspirators are starting to circle around Nash the same way they circled around LeBron, flushing him out of Cleveland, which is not a real NBA city. They can't wait for Columbus to go bankrupt, or at least be forced to trade Nash in a fire sale. Columbus, as they see it, is a dead NHL city walking.
I'm not accusing Puck Daddy of being a conspirator. However, I would not put it past the conspirators to be exerting mind control over him. (Look what they did to Jim Gray!) In other words, he might be a zombie. Otherwise he seems like a decent dude and his blog is one of the best out there. I have already forgiven him for the Mount Puckmore dig and the questionable use of subliminal messaging in Nash's photo. I think even with the mind control thing, he is pulling for Columbus. He says he thinks Columbus can be a viable NHL market. But . . . .
But we also think it's impossible to judge that viability based on their fruitless history as a franchise. Were the 41 sellouts in Year 2 curiosity about a shiny new toy in the market or fans ready to dedicate themselves to a pro hockey franchise, only to lose interest when the team didn't win?
His readers on the other hand, or at least the ones that comment on his articles, they are a different story. They are sharks. And Puck Daddy's article was like throwing chum in the water. Take a look at this gem from Guy F.:
I went back to Ohio
But my hockey team was gone
There was no Nikita
There was no fat man
Steve Mason had disappeared
All my favourite players
Rick Nash had been steamrolled
Reduced to little pieces
Way to go Macleano
Well I went back to Ohio
But the fans were all gone
They stood in the bars
There was nobody home
I was drunk and confused
My memories from 2009
Slowed drifted by
Like Zherdev in March
Oh way to go Ohio
I went back to Ohio
But my pretty little rink
Had been replaced by a truck show
By a commissioner that has no vision
The hockey games in Ohio
Had been replaced by EA Sports
And gaming sounds filled the air
From Seneca to NHL headquarters
Way to go Ohio
That comment is at least creative. Most of the other ones will really toast your buns. After reading through them all, I couldn't be more fired up for this season. Nothing lights the flame faster than a little smack talk.
You won't find me under a wet blanket. I see the 24 oz. Molson tall boy can as half full, even after I have taken a long swig to wash down the bitter taste of last season. I see a young team ready to mature and build on lessons learned. As for ticket sales, if the Blue jackets are competitive, I see the fans supporting the team in numbers similar to the 2008-09 playoff season (which means they will show up strong starting in January if the Blue Jackets are still in it, but not so much before then). But most of all, I see that it is hockey season. And I am ready to get it on.
