Ask yourself honestly – if someone had told you in January of 2013 that the Blue Jackets would be in contention for a playoff spot, would you have believed them? What this roster of players has done this year is nothing short of amazing. A group of guys that pretty much every major media outlet slotted into 30th in the league refused to listen to the naysayers. They fought their way through a compressed schedule, crisscrossing the country to play 48 games of hockey on little rest. Somehow, these guys, these Blue Jackets, now find themselves battling the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild for 8th in the Western Conference and last night, in the latest in a string of “must win” games, the team stepped up and delivered once again – bringing home the 3-1 win.
So pick your adjective – stunning, shocking, wonderful, amazing, timely, deserved, due – whatever you choose, the Blue Jackets are it. This isn’t the team we’ve seen in years past – where sometimes we as fans felt like we wanted success more than they did – this is the team that demands respect and demands success. So what is a fan base to do? Well, we wanted to find a way to send a love letter to this team – to let them know what it means to see them build this kind of season of hockey. We’ve stood behind this team for a long time, this kind of run is what we’ve hoped for. So what better way to do that then to help the community in which this team resides while celebrating all that the boys in Union Blue have done. Thus, the second Money on the Board was born, and it caught like wildfire.
As of this morning, the final tallies are in:
- 140 people (and two dogs) pledged a charitable donation in name of the Blue Jackets
- $5,128.35 will be donated
- Receiving charities include: The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, the Red Cross, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Paige’s Princess Run, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Human Society, Donorschoose.org, Lymphoma & Leukemia Society, Ashland Animal Rescue Fund, Ohio SPCA, You Can Play, One Fund Boston, Runtohomebase.org, and the Ronald McDonald House
- Two donations of blood shall be made
- Two acts of community service (including one week of volunteerism) shall be completed
- The Blue Jackets Foundation collected $10 for each of Bob’s 31 saves
- At least $39 per goal was donated, with another $87 for each of Cam’s goals, plus $259 for Letestu’s game winning goal
- Plus many, many more donations made for shots, assists, faceoff wins, fights, and just about every other stat counted at a hockey game (and even some that aren’t)
- Pledges are still being made for a Dallas win over Detroit on Saturday!
As we’ve watched the #CBJMotB hashtag on twitter these last few days, what it says about this team and this fan base is nothing short of amazing. What we have here is a team that will not quit, and a fan base that is committed to their team and that cares about the community. Fans made pledges for their favorite players’ accomplishments but also to help many other people. Whether a pledge was $1 or $100 it made a difference to someone.
The Blue Jackets now return home for their final game Saturday, tied with Minnesota and trailing Detroit by one point for the final playoff spot. The team needs to win out to have their shot at getting in to the playoffs. But, win or lose on Saturday, playoffs or no, what this team has done is nothing short of remarkable. The team, through their toughness and effort has changed the national story line of the Columbus Blue Jackets. To see this happen, and to see the fans rise up to support the team, has been amazing. Every Blue Jacket fan has reason to be proud of their team, and of one another.
Carry the Flag, indeed, fellow Blue Jackets fans!
P.S. If you are making a donation to the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, you may do so online HERE
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