‘Twas A Good Run: While We’re Waiting

Playoff hockey is one of, if not the best things in sports. Rooting for one of your favorite teams is a great time no matter what league it may be, but there’s just something about the postseason in the NHL that is so fascinating. Whether it’s the fast-paced play, big hits, the last two minutes of every game, or something else, you can make a very good argument that the NHL playoffs really are the best thing to ever happen to sports.

What made it even more special this year was the fact that the Columbus Blue Jackets were in the playoffs. Playoff hockey combined with Ohio’s lone NHL team? Yes, please.

It lived up to the hype, even if the run was short lived.

The trade deadline made it quite clear, but the Blue Jackets were going all-in on the 2018-19 season. With an offseason that is filled with plenty of unknowns, the front office decided to put all their chips in the basket for this season. Whether it was trading the majority of their high-round draft picks the next two seasons, keeping goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and star forward Artemi Panarin, both of whom many expect to sign elsewhere in free agency this summer, or just trusting that this year might be the year, the general manager decided to go all in and not look back.

To say it paid off would be an understatement. They may have only made it to the second round, but it was exciting nonetheless. Keep in mind, prior to this postseason, they hadn’t gotten out of the first round since joining the league in 2000. In four previous postseason appearances, they were 0-4 in the opening round of the playoffs. The Blue Jackets made the postseason in three of the last five seasons and the last two years but had nothing to show for it after the first round. That changed this season.

It all started with Round 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The President’s Trophy-winning Lightning, that is. With 62 wins, they tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most wins in a single season in NHL history. Their 128 points were the fourth-most in league history.

After barely clinching a spot in the postseason in their second-to-last game of the regular season, the Blue Jackets were faced with the challenge of having to go against that dominant Tampa Bay team in the first round. If you wouldn’t have known, you would have thought that the Blue Jackets were that dominant, President’s Cup-winning team. Columbus made it look easy against the Lightning, sweeping them in four games. It was the first time in NHL history that that has happened. That alone gave the Blue Jackets a new hope and allowed Columbus and its fans to root even harder for their team.

They may have lost three straight games after holding a 2-1 series lead against the Bruins in Round 2, but it was an exciting postseason, to say the least. It made many people into NHL fans and even Blue Jackets fans. The bandwagon continued to get bigger and bigger and it was an awesome sight to see.

This postseason run, while shorter than many were hoping for, was fun. It was must-watch television every other night. It gave Columbus fans a new-found hope in their hockey team. Heck, it even made some people think that Columbus, Ohio is a Hockey Town.

Viewership for @BlueJacketsNHL @NHLBruins Gm5 (4.618 million) was up 7% vs last year’s Pit-Was Gm5 (4.318 mil). Columbus delivered a 15.2 local rating for Gm5, NBC Sports’ highest rating on record for an NHL game in the market. Boston scored a 15.1 rating https://t.co/EBg6lkAQgk

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 6, 2019

I’ll go into what this offseason will potentially consist of, but one thing is certain: This season, specifically the playoffs, was one helluva ride. The future, starting with this offseason, is filled with plenty of unknowns, but one thing is certain: Playoff hockey is outstanding and it’s even better when Columbus is represented. Thank you, Blue Jackets.

Luckily, the fans made sure to thank the team and the team took the opportunity to return the favor as well.

It was a memorable season.

You were with us as we reached new heights, and the climb is not done. We will be back.

Next season starts now. pic.twitter.com/PVbpTldKzn

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 7, 2019

One final walk off the ice. pic.twitter.com/VX02aJu0E0

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 7, 2019

It was a postseason that was a bit too short, but it was a good run nonetheless. Now, it just needs to happen more often.

CBJ! CBJ! CBJ!