18,628 Reasons to Scream

Saturday night's game against the Ducks was definitely not the best show of skill for the Blue Jackets. That's right, we walked away with our tail between our legs in a disappointing 5-2 loss. But that's not the worst of it.

Nationwide arena attendance has been up for the Jackets. We have been winning and looking good, which brings in the fair-weather fans and creates great buzz for the team and the city. Even with less than fair weather outside, Saturday pulled in 18,628 fans anticipating a pleasant hockey experience. This is good. But this is where the deadly fan cycle begins in this Cursed arena.

Imagine for a moment that you come to only a few games a year. You bring your wife and kid, and plan the whole night. Everything is going great until midway through second period your kid asks "Dad, we're the Blue Team right?" That normally would not be a problem but this night you are noticing they do not look like the team you have been watching on TV. They are not the team you paid your hard earned money for. So you answer in an apologetic tone, "Yes son, we're the Blue Team." I am positive this tone filled the arena.

So what can we do? Granted, Nationwide Arena is a good time regardless of who gets the dubya in the end. But is it enough to recruit more rabid fans? Enough for fans to share their valuable Buckeye sweatshirt shelf with a Blue Jacket jersey? Look in your closet. Look in the mirror. That's what we can do.

The Jackets are still kicking butt. They started off the night with some great fights, and Mason actually made some amazing saves throughout. So they had a bad game on a Saturday night, and maybe altered the opinion of thousands of people about their "hockey experience". If you are reading this you have made it far with the team enough to help this city. You must be enough of a Jackets fan to want tell the guy in the cubicle next to you "Yeah, the game sucked, but we're still in it." or tell your church to "Pray for the playoffs." or even buy a Blue Jackets ice cream cake for Birthday Friday at work. I am certain you can come up with something to remind people that we have a great team that has been doing better than they ever have.

The goal here is to keep the positive energy flowing, deterring negativity. Our players need people screaming in their seats, making noise, supporting the winning vibe, and of course Shaking the Curse. It's the only way.

Shake the Curse.