Fever pitch.

Intense. This was a game of fans. The first period was physical with some outrageous hits. Mason was robbed twice with unfortunate deflections. And the fans never sat down.

The second period was down right incredible. I laughed, I cried, I hugged the guy next to me. The crowd was taunting the Wings goalie by chanting his name "Osgood, Osgood." Wholly crap this was a fired up playoff crowd. There may have been fewer Blue Hairs in the arena, but those without made up for it with a noise level that probably upset the neighbors. The concrete in the stadium shimmied with excitement.

Third period I'm hoarse. The teams are fighting with each other like trashy neighbors. There was more back and forth than a tennis match. Then, a controversial call on the Jackets for too many players. Just crappy. And the Wings take advantage on the power play to make it 6 - 5 with 1:34 left to go. This my friends is why we think there is a curse.

We may have ended our playoff series tonight but not without an incredible last game. This team and coach have proven to everyone that they deserve respect in the NHL. 

Speaking of respect, our mission has been to get this city behind the Jackets and to get fans to show the support that makes these guys play with the intensity we saw tonight. I hope you noticed the correlation between the the level of play and the level of fan craziness. This is what great fans do. Tonight, we the fans gave the Jackets the respect they deserve.

Talent, character and resilience. These are the traits of the real Columbus Blue Jackets. Be proud Columbus, this is only the beginning.

Go Jackets. Shake the Curse.

Feel Good?

Should we feel good about tonight's game? Well, tonight the Arena District was buzzing so loud it could be felt in the suburbs. The energy was thick and the color was blue. I could not find a person in the city that was unaware of the playoff game tonight.

Inside the arena there was even more energy. The number of blue wigs in the crowd made me shed a tear of pride. And the noise – the fans have never been more intense. Even the Redwings Henrik Zetterberg said it was a loud building.

Yes, the game could have been better. The early goal by the Red Wings stung. It appeared we had trouble recovering. However, unlike most games in the arena, we ended the game with intensity, breaking Osgood's shutout and bringing the entire arena to their feet. This being a far cry from the typical letdown in the last few minutes of the previously cursed games.

Whether you were there or at home there should be no doubt how you should feel. Feel good. Feel Damn good. We're making history. Win or lose we're a hockey town. And I for one am friggin proud of our Jackets.

Go Jackets. Shake the Curse.

Keep the dream alive Columbus.

Do you like where you live? Do you like the eclectic city scene, the best-place-to-raise-your-children suburbs, the flagship fast-food testing, the Buckeye's, the Clippers, the Crew, the festivals, the everything? 

If you do, tonight is very, very important. Our team – the Columbus Blue Jackets – have their first-ever home game for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And we must win. In a recent interview after our last matchup, the players told reporters "With our fans getting loud like they have been at home, we hear it, we feel it – we play better." This is what it's all about for us and our city. Get behind your team, make some noise and show the nation we are serious. Wear a wig, shake your shaker, or just scream and stomp. But most of all, make some noise. Tonight is a historic event for our beloved city and we owe it all to the guys on the team. So get loud and let them know we appreciate the effort.

Go Jackets. Shake the Curse.

ATTENTION: The Curse has left the building.

Shhh. Can you hear that? Listen closely. It may be hard to hear, but it's the sound of The Curse walking away. As Fedor Tyutin scored the winning goal in the shootout against the Blackhawks, our Columbus Blue Jackets have officially ended a long fight with their Playoff Curse.

Beating the Blackhawks 4-3 sends the Jackets into the postseason for the first time in franchise history. This event is most important to us, the Blue Hairs. We've been diligently wearing our blue wigs, shaking our curse shakers and spreading the positive mojo – all in hopes of Shaking the Curse that has kept the Jackets from the playoffs.

For those of you that were proud enough to sport a wig or make your own curse shaker, this is your win too. The Jackets players have told us that the spirit of the fans chase the bad spirits away, giving the team an added focus. This has clearly paid off.

If you happen to hear the footsteps near the arena, it's The Curse walking away. Wear your Blue Hair, turn in the direction of the noise and offer your best single finger salute. This time, we win.

Curse Shaken. Did someone say playoff wig?

www.shakethecurse.com