Meet the Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets is a professional United States ice hockey team. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the team is a part of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).
They qualified for the Stanley cup playoffs for the first time 2009, the highlight of the 9 year old team performances since they joined the NHL as an expansion team in the year 2000. When the Cleveland Barons left Ohio in 1978, no one knew that it would take 22 years before the state would host another NHL team. The good news that Columbus would be given a new franchise (to have a theme in the NHL) was given on June 25, 1997 after that the Nationwide Mutual Insirance Company had pledge to foot the bill for a new $150 million arena if Columbus was given a franschise.
The name and logo of the Blue Jackets are rooted in Ohio’s rich Civil War history and was choose to celebrate patriotism, pride and the rich Civil War history in the state of Ohio. During the civil war when Ohio was asked by President A lincoln to form ten regiments they responded by forming 23 volunteer infantry regiments, far more than anyone ws asking of them.
The logo depicts the flag of Ohio swirled around a start, The sweaters sport crossed hockey sticks over a civil war cap. Stinger, a bright green bug is the mascot of the Blue Jackets and he skates around the ice between periods and walk around among the fans during the games.
At the request of the fans, the Blue Jackets organization purchased a hand-made replica of an 1867 Napoleon cannon and placed it in the Nationwide Arena as the 2007-08 season begun. The replica cannon is used to start of each hockey game and fired at the start of all home games. The cannon is also fired at the end of any home game that the Blue Jackets win as well as every time the Blue Jackets score. During the cannons first season the cannon was fired 164 times.
The cannon has become an integral part of Blue Jacket fan culture and a Columbus Blue Jackets fansite with a Blue Jackets Forum is for instance named FireTheCannon.com. The loud boom when the cannon is fired comes from .75oz concussion explossives places above the rink while the actual firing of the gun only is a smoke flash charge. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) by AC/DC is played in the entire arena after each time the cannon has been fired.
The Blue Jackets did as I mentioned earlier secure their first Stanley cup playoff in 2009 and they did so by defeating the Blackhawks. The team had made several advantageous trades during the 2008 off season, including getting Raffi Torres in exchange for Gilbert Brule and trading Nikolai Zherdey and Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers in exchange for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman. During the 2008-09 NHL season they traded Clay Wilson and a sixth-round draft pick to recieve Jason Williams. The Blue Jackets traded Pascal Leclaire and a second-round draft pick with the Ottawa senators this year in exchange for recieving Anoine Vermette in on of the first major deals of te 2009 NHL trade deadline.
