How sweet it is! The Blue Jackets clinched a playoff spot last night, by just making it to overtime against the Blackhawks, and eventually they won in the shootout to seal it up, 4-3. I watched it last night on a nice little site that I Googled before the game, and found that I could watch the game live and free. This is the site that redirected me to it: http://www.hockeywebcasts.com/

The win last night gave us our first playoff birth ever. We were the only NHL team that had never made the playoffs in the expansion era. Hopefully, playoff tickets aren’t too tough to get, this could be one special run if the Jackets get hot and make a quest to get deep into the playoffs. I watched the first period in disgust last night, as they got behind 2-0, with one of those goals coming from Nash, in a sense. However, he made up for it by getting the assist  on the Jackets second goal of the game, a goal which tied it up at 2. They trailed going into the third however, 3-2.

A Nash goal tied it up at 3, and then the Jackets coasted into OT, getting the desired point to clunch a playoff spot. They survived a furious chance by Chicago at the end of OT just to force a shootout. Mason saved three SO chances to seal the deal, and the Jackets got to 92, and to the playoffs. Finally, after 9 years, we’re in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tuesday night was my first Columbus Blue Jackets game, a crucial playoff-type game in which they beat the Predators 2-1. The game itself was awesome, and it was the first hockey game I’d seen in person since the old Columbus Chill in the early to mid 90s. I like hockey alot, and not just being a bandwagoner because the CBJ are pretty much in the playoffs thanks to that win last night. I remember the inagural season, and watching those games on FSN and watching them get hammered night after night. I was a big Marc Denis fan, and the goalie is my favorite position in hockey. Current goalie, Steve Mason had one heck of a night, stopping shot after shot, 22 in all. They hung on to win, started by a great penalty kill.

The emotions in the arena were certainly ones of excitement and elation. We’ve never been to the playoffs, or even close for that matter. The arena wasn’t packed, but very very full. Sorry Crew fans, but this is the first time the city has really had a pro team that they get fired up about. I know the Crew won the MLS cup, but no one was up in arms about it, none of my friends really had thoughts about it. I’m not anti-soccer, but it’s not something that interests me.

Anyways, I’m really excited to see a pro playoff team in Columbus. Hitchcock really has this team playing well, and Mason is a great goalie. Hopefully Nash brings home a playoff series or two. Just as long as we don’t finish second, we know that all too well.