The Results Are In
Thanks again to everyone who sent in answers. The response by the fans was overwhelming. The answers were anonymous. Let's see the results!
1. Who is the Jackets MVP so far?
THN ColumbusBoone Jenner was the favorite pick by far. There were many write-in votes for Dmitri Voronkov and Justin Danforth as well.
2. Who has been the most surprising player? Good or bad.
There were lots of responses to this question. Below are just some of them.
- Laine and his poor performance.
- Johnny Hockey's poor play.
- Damon Severson bad. Don't think we should've signed him. We had too many RD that needed a chance.
- Laine. Expected better from him, but put some on the coach to put him where he can be successful.
- Kent Johnson....was really expecting a bigger year for him.
- Justin Danforth has been huge. Highly underrated.
- Merzlikins appears to have more control of himself this year, and I believe he will improve as the team's defense improves.
- Voronkov (pleasant surprise).
- Texier - I think we expected a quicker transition back into the league, given his offensive prowess, but we can hope that he will start to tear it up again soon!
There were probably 150 one-word answers, mostly about Gaudreau, Laine, and Voronkov.
3. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the most), how optimistic are you in the Blue Jackets future?
THN ColumbusDespite the season not starting well, this question being so positive just proves that CBJ fans are in fact, a positive bunch.
4. How many points does Adam Fantilli finish with?
THN ColumbusSome of the write-in answers were: 67, 65, and "Above 50 if on the right line combo."
5. How Confident are you in GM Jarmo Kekalainen (1 Being Not Confident, 5 Being Most Confident)
THN ColumbusAlthough this one is already below average, I fully expected this to be worse than it was. GM Jarmo Kekalainen has some work to do, but what can he do to gain your trust going forward?
6. How Confident Are You In HC Pascal Vincent & His Staff (1 Being LOW, 5 Being HIGH)
THN ColumbusFirst-year head coach Pascal Vincent was not expected to be named the head coach when he was. But due to the Mike Babcock situation, he was given his chance a bit ahead of schedule. Vincent is widely considered a good coach and should he get this team turned around, I fully expect this score to be higher.
7. What Has Been The Biggest Strength For The CBJ So Far?
Below are some of the responses we got.
- Penalty Kill - this had 176 responses.
- Goaltending.
- Goaltending. Both tenders are .900. Could be much worse, just need to play better in front of them.
- Bottom Six.
The second-ranked Penalty Kill had by far and away the most responses. Goaltending was another one that had many answers.
8. What Is Your Favorite CBJ Memory?
This question had around 180 different answers. But it's clear that the CBJ fans are the best in the NHL.
- WINNING STREAK IN 2016
- I love opening night, New Year's, and home closer.
- NWA win against Pittsburgh in the playoffs.
- Sweeping the Lightning.
- Tampa Bay 2019 playoffs.
- Taking my son to his first game.
- Overtime victory against the Sens last year.
- First cbj game with my dad in 2007.
- Russian 4 scoring.
- How passionate Foligno and Atkinson were about the city of Columbus.
- Taking my son to his first game and seeing him fall in love with hockey.
- Game 6 of the 2014 Pens series. Yes, we lost, but the energy in the arena those last 2 minutes while we were surging towards a comeback. I've never heard NWA louder than that moment.
- Dropping the puck at the season opener against the Bruins.
- Matt Calvert taking a puck to the face and coming back to score the game-winning goal.
- My then 5 y/o son getting a stick after warmups thus starting his hockey journey.
I wish I could post them all, but there are too many to choose from.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to give your opinions.
I will do another one at the halfway mark of the season and look forward to your participation.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.