Early this morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets began their second #DefendNWA campaign. This marks the second year, originally released in August of 2012, that Blue Jackets social media will be reaching out to fans, urging them to defend one of the best arenas in the National Hockey League.
I remember ten years ago. A decade of hockey yet to be played, watching Columbus from the stands of Nationwide. Wins came at a premium, fan knowledge was only really beginning to bud, tradition slowly started to form, and a quality average of 17,369 people attended Blue Jackets home games. The numbers dwindled after that season, rising and falling over the course of the next ten years, leaving an improved 2012/2013 season at an average of 14,564.
But this year can be different.
To begin, player quality is ever on the rise in Ohio’s Capital City. Draft picks with real promise, free agent singings and traded players with major upsides will make their season long debut with Columbus this year, opening the door to a potentially stronger offensive threat. Armed with a new contract and a passion for being the best at his position, Bobrovsky solidifies the goaltending questions that were ever raised over the course of the last two off-seasons, and hopes are high that he can continue to provide Columbus with every opportunity to win games. Add in an impressive start to his tenure from General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen, and the ever present John Davidson and the term ‘promise’ really begins to ring true.
Second, we sit at the precipice of a a new era. The “metropolitan” division boasts excellent teams from the former (and still existing) Eastern conference, yet provides the Blue Jackets with reduced travel, more local rivalries, and a large number of more reasonably timed away games.
With that in mind, it opens the door to opponents and their fanbases who are much closer to Nationwide than many of their former conference opponents. A true need to #DefendNWA is upon us, filling the seats with Union Blue rather than allowing other teams’ fans to come into our barn and make noise. It is time to generate a true home team advantage, making success nearly impossible for anyone other than the Jackets. Like Coach Richards said, we got a taste of the electric capacity this arena has, and it’s time to make that a regular occurrence.
If you’re up to the challenge, take advantage of Blue Jackets’ dedicated page, where you will find a host of great information as well as a contest! Give the Blue Jackets Twitter account a shout out saying you’ll #DefendNWA and add the following avatar to your twitter:
Also, stay tuned to @TheUnionBlue for a great upcoming contest!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
