Columbus Shines During All Star Weekend
- Updated: January 26, 2015
The NHL All-Star Weekend has come and gone, and all signs point to a highly successful weekend. Columbus has been waiting for this for a few years now, so the organizers had plenty of time to make sure they got it right, and they did.
The All-Star Winter Park opened a few days before the festivities started. The rink that they built outside the arena was jammed packed every day it was open. People skated until they were told that were not allowed to skate anymore.
The giant snow slide they build next to the arena was a massive hit. Kids and adults alike had a blast on the slide. It was big, fast and exciting. Everyone from the CBJ mascot Stinger, to media guys and gals took to the slide, many of which screamed on the way down.
The NHL fan fair was amazing. From player autograph sessions, Mascots roaming around to taking your picture with the Stanley Cup, it was something everyone should have taken in. There were a lot more things to do than what I can list, but the entire experience was awesome.
Say what you want about the NHL Skills Challenge or the NHL All-Star game, the fans in Columbus got what they have been waiting for 3 years for. The people of Columbus wanted to show off our city, and show the world, that this is a hockey town. I personally, think it went really well.
The All-Star game was exactly what it was supposed to be, a high scoring, low defense game. The goalies are sitting ducks against some of the most elite scorers in the world. I read and heard lots of complaints about the game, mostly from fans who claim to be “purists”. Ill admit, hearing the goal horn for the opposing team was weird, especially 17 times. Lets face it, this is an exhibition game, and the players are not about to go out and get hurt for a game, that essentially doesn’t matter.
The game ended 17-12, looking at the score sheet is mind boggling too. Several players had multi-goal games. Even more had multi-assist games. Former CBJ Jake Voracek had 6 points, while Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron had 5 point nights. But the local fans were very happy when Ryan Johansen, who had 2 goals and 2 assists, was voted as the games MVP. Now, obviously there were players that had better games statistically, but the home town fans took over twitter and voted Johansen the MVP. He acknowledged during his interview that there were other players that deserved it too, but he recognized that Columbus 5th Line stepped up and voted for him.
Now for the fun stuff! Our beloved Cannon. The Civil War style replica blasts after every CBJ goal, in this case, it was every Team Foligno goal. Jacket fans love it. It’s different, unique and gives Nationwide Arena something that the fans can call their own. Opposing fans, media and players hate it, and that’s even more reason to keep it and blast it more often. Players in the game, Media and fans of opposing fans took to twitter and bashed it, but CBJ fans were smiling the whole time. They can moan and groan all they want, but it’s staying.
All in all, this past weekend was a massive success. An estimated 12 million dollars was generated for our economy. The entire Arena District was put on full display, as well as our convention center. I have not heard anything negative from visitors about their visit, and I’m sure it will stay that way. I’m really hoping people realize that this town is a hockey town.
About Jason Newland
