NHL: Columbus’ hosting of Draft a success

Posted: June 24th, 2007 | Author: Zim | Filed under: Columbus Blue Jackets, Hockey, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment »

View of Nationwide Plaza  in front of Nationwide Arena where the NHL and the Blue Jackets held a pre-draft party Friday evening.

Some thoughts on  being at the NHL Draft (albeit brief)

The Jackets reach  for a player with the 7th overall pick in new G.M.’s first draft

Some new looks and new uni’s to take a peak at

by Mike Zimmer, Honk

If you blinked, you may have missed it.   Even if you live here in Columbus, the event was a bit of a hidden and or afterthought happening.    The  NHL is still second tier entertainment for the most  part but the Columbus Blue Jackets trudge on and make the most of their  opps.    And, they typically make it a first class expirience even if their product  is mildly flawed.   Not even  the Blue Jackets could have helped the fact that a trio of different worlds were colliding upon a single square mile in Ohio’s capital however.

You see, the NHL’s entry draft was planned long ago and I am sure they thought little about the collision I was speaking of.   Not only was the Draft scheduled, Commfest the  hippie-pot-smoking-counter-culture-a-thon which happens every year at a park not far away from the Arena District was  on-going as well as  some event in the Short North District which  led up to Saturday’s Doo-Da Parade.   Uh, that’d be the  gay pride event that had downtown full of fruits…er…homio-sex-shuls…er…alternative lifestylers…er…not that there’s anything wrong with that types.   Friday in the Columbus’ entertainment districts was busy for sure.   But, the Draft did host a nice event.   And although I spent what amounted to about a hour there and then moved on to drinking  cheap suds at Commfest, it was interesting.

 
Inside Nationwide Arena on Friday Night during the NHL’s First Round of the Draft.

Look for yourself, the arena was packed.   After enjoying the tail-end of the festivities outside the arena which featured a concert by the band Yellowcard (couldn’t they have gotten a band that didn’t reference an even less relavent sport?   Say, Bare Naked Ladies?), the crowd filled the available seating in the arena.   I was able to snag a pair of 100-level seats from my work buddy Ron, who works for the NHL working the penalty box and the goalie box during the season at Jackets games.   Upon arriving late to my seat, I was still able to grab a seat looking directly at the stage and capable of taking in the entire arena, including the TSN (The Sports Network, Canada’s exact replica of ESPN) sports desk that included NHL talking heads and including recently fired Blue Jackets G.M. Doug MacClean.   The Blue Jackets even unveiled their new sweaters for the upcoming season which basically advanced their alternate logo  or 3rd jersey to being their lead.   Check it out here on their first round pick Jakub Varachek…

‘Wave the flag’ is the Blue Jackets new motto for 2007-08.

The draft in particular quickly became a bit of a bore however.   The thing is, most of the guys that get taken in the NHL draft are developmental players, junior players that are very young, some of which never even sniff the NHL.   Unlike with the NFL or NBA where you know almost every player especially in the first round or two.   Highlights DID include the picking of back-to-back American players with the first two picks for the first time in NHL history and Wayne Gretzky getting quite a hand and near standing ovation upon his trip to the podium to make the pick of the Phoenix Coyotes.   I stayed until the 15th pick or roughly half the first round.   The arena almost emptied by half after the Blue Jackets made their pick at #7.   It was fun for most, but reality sank in, it wasn’t going to get much more exciting after that.   I guess unlike the NFL drama like watching Brady Quinn squirm that unfolds over a 10-hour period makes the picking of a 17-year old Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player that was born in Nigeria and raised in the Ukraine look a bit weak.

The main stage at the NHL draft.

 
New Columbus G.M. Scott Howson on the far left with the brain trust of the club and their first round draft pick Jakub Vorachek.

As stated before, the Blue Jackets drafted Right Winger Jakub Vorachek with pick #7.   It was considered a reach even by the pro-Jackets broadcast team.   Way to go new General Manager Scott Howson!   Make a mark by picking the very guy that Doug MacClean was talking about during TSN’s coverage.   It was very nice of the Edmonton brass to congradulate and speak well of Howson when they went to the stage to make the #6 overall pick and then taking the exact guy the Jackets actually could have used and needed.

The Capitals new/vintage updated look.  

The other big thing was the introduction of the new RBK Edge sweater/jersey to be used league wide now.   Being a uni/jersey junky, I think I am most impressed and wanting of the new Washington Capitals sweater.   It’s not so new as much as it’s a throw back to their duds that they sported from 1974-75 when they debuted in the league until their major look update back in 1995.   I have one of the original jersey’s thanks to former hockey fan and fellow jersey afficianato Brian Barrett (aka Big B).   What a very special birthday present that was! (insert feined crying here.).

Overall, it was a breif but fun time at the draft.   Now, if only I had just gone home instead of enduring all the hippies and drunk ass people at Commfest thereafter.  

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