A lot was made about owner John P McConnell (JPM) openly embracing the team after a hard earned victory on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators. Twitter opened the door to discussion that he is ‘finally on board’ with the team.
For the Blue Jackets, the game was a must win, playing against a divisional opponent essentially making it a four point swing. It was also against an opponent who has in no short notion dominated the Blue Jackets over the teams short history playing one another.
I personally, think Portzline said it best;
RT @Tony_CBJF: @Aportzline maybe J.P. is starting to come on board w his dads team / Or maybe he’s been there all along, unbeknownst
It was at that moment that it all really sunk in for me. Forget that the Jackets ownership have opened their wallets in the past, trying to generate success from overpaid free agents who would never actually pan out in a Jackets uniform. Forget that Howson likely got the go ahead to be a ‘buyer’ at the deadline after the convincing win against Chicago on Friday. What JPM was responding to last night, was a collection of players who went out and got the job done as a team. Not just Nash forcing the issue, or Mason hung out to dry. A team effort, generated at long last by the safe, calm, and reasonable rebuilding process of Scott Howson.
Now, I can accept that many of you may think I am jumping the gun here, as Columbus had shown some pretty serious vulnerabilities this season, but I think JPM sees exactly what I do. The team, as it is currently structured, is perfectly capable of contending in the NHL. It may take some time for some of the more popular/talented prospects to bud into the NHL, like Moore, Calvert, and Johansen, but has the team ever really been able to sit back and expect a quality on ice product in their short history?
No team is perfect, and I do think there are some holes worth filling while some of the younger guys sneak into the more relevant spots in the lineup, but it’s hard not to show some serious optimism for the teams future when you see what the Jackets have done as a team during certain stretches of this year. That’s what I see, and I think, at long last, that’s what JPM sees.
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