ALL ABOARD!
With Blue Jackets in unfamiliar playoff territory, bandwagon fans may need some guidance
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been around for 18 seasons, but that tenure has been filled with little success — until now.
When the Jackets shocked the hockey world with a firstround playoff series victory over the top-seeded Tampa
Bay Lightning, they energized die-hard fans and newbies alike.
As the squad prepares for its first-ever second-round playoff series (Game 1 against the Boston Bruins is Thursday), we want you to be ready, as well. For those new to town — or those who are finally ready to hop on the Blue Jackets’ bandwagon — here’s an A-to-z primer on both the team and the sport:
A: “A-boot.” When a player pronounces “about” like this, it’s a sure-fire giveaway that he is Canadian (as about 45 percent of National Hockey League players were in 2018).
B: Bob and Bread. The Jackets’ two bestknown players: “Bob” is short for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky; “Bread” is a nickname for forward Artemi Panarin, given to him because his last name is pronounced like the Panera Bread franchise.
C: Chiclets. Hockey term for teeth, generally used in association with a player losing several in a fight or by being hit with a puck.
D: Drop the gloves. Designates two or more players fighting after shaking off their padded gloves so they can land actual punches.
E: Espen Knutsen. First Jacket to be named to the All-star team, in 2002. He also had an all-star nickname, “Shampoo,” because his father was a hair stylist.
F: Fifth Line. Term invented by Jackets fans
(and describing Jackets fans), implying their helpful role in the game. Teams rotate playing four “lines” of forwards throughout a game, so the fans become the fifth line.
G: Gardiner: As in Bruce Gardiner, who scored the first goal in Jackets history, against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 7, 2000.
H: Hat trick. When a player scores three goals in a game. Fans throw hats on the ice to celebrate.
I: Icing. No, it’s not edible; it’s a rather confusing violation when a team passes the puck, untouched, from its own end all the way down the ice past the goal line of the opponent, who is the first to reach it.
J: Jersey. Just don’t call it that around hockey types, who insist it’s a “sweater.” That dates back to the sport’s founding in Canada, when players on frozen ponds wore wool sweaters. Each team denotes their captain with a “C” on the jersey; alternate captains wear an “A.”
K: Klesla. As in defenseman Rostislav Klesla, the Jackets’ first-ever draft pick, in 2000.
L: “LE-O!” The cry that goes up before every national anthem in Nationwide Arena, which is sung by Leo Welsh.
M: Mr. Mac. How John H. Mcconnell, the founder of the team, was affectionately known. He died in 2008.
N: Nicknames. A popular fixture of the sport; the nickname “Nasher” stood for Rick Nash, the Jackets’ first bonafide star who played here from 2002-2012.
O: Original Six. Term for the six franchises (Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York Rangers and Toronto) that made up the NHL from 1942 until expansion in 1967. The Blue Jackets’ second-round opponent is the only Original Six franchise left in the playoffs this year.
P: Power play. What happens after a team is penalized and the offending player is sent to the penalty box for a certain period of time, leaving one team with more players than the other.
Q: Quebec. Frenchspeaking home province of two current Blue Jackets: Pierre-luc Dubois and David Savard (as well as former Jacket — and the team’s alltime hyphenation champion — Jean-luc Grand-pierre).
R: Record. The Blue Jackets’ all-time record, including the playoffs, is 636-666-165 (the last number stands for ties and overtime losses).
S: Stanley Cup. The trophy awarded to the NHL champions, named for Canada’s Lord Frederick Stanley of Preston. Montreal has earned the most (23); Columbus is aiming for its first.
T: Top shelf. A cool way of describing a goal when the puck is shot into the upper area of the net. For another cool term, see: “five hole,” when a goal is scored between the goalie’s legs.
U: Underdogs. Adjective describing the Jackets for virtually their entire 18-season history, but perhaps never more so than when they entered the playoffs this year as the lowest seed. “U” also stands for “upset,” which is what Columbus did to Tampa Bay, sweeping the four-game series.
V: Vyborny. As in David Vyborny, one of the best of the early Blue Jackets players. He played for the first seven seasons of the franchise’s existence, scoring 113 goals.
W: What’s a Blue Jacket? Good question. The name honors the fact that Ohio sent more soldiers, per capita, to the blue-coated Union Army during the Civil War. This theme is also why a replica Civil War cannon is fired in Nationwide Arena after each Jackets goal.
The symbol in the standings denoting a team has clinched a playoff berth, which the Jackets have done in each of the past three seasons.
A sport that is booming locally due to the Jackets’ presence. Before the Jackets’ arrival in 2000, central Ohio had just two ice rinks and about 150 kids playing in a youth league. By 2014, there were nine rinks and more than 9,000 players.
Z: Zzzzzz. The sound heard in Nationwide Arena for much of the first 15 years of Jackets history. But not recently!