End of an era.

I can’t say it was a surprise, especially with how well some of the new guys (like Jared Boll) have worked out, but it’s still sad to see Shelly go. Old-school, tough-but-fair enforcers are hard to come by in the “new NHL,” and Jody was the classiest. Even my kids knew him well enough to look for #45 whenever the Jackets were on the ice.

I agree that the move is probably best for both the team and for Shelly. The Sharks will give him a chance to extend his career and contribute more as a player, which is something that Howson wasn’t going to do (the GM had already said he wasn’t going to re-sign Shelly).

Still, I’ll bet we see Jody back in Columbus eventually. His wife is from around here, and he’s settled here, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him stay in town during off-seasons and/or look for a job in the Jackets front office someday.

Thanks for the years of entertainment and hard work, sir. Best wishes.

Rick, you made my six-year-old daughter jump up and run around the room screaming & cheering for five minutes.

Yes, it was your high stick that gave the Coyotes the tying power play goal with a minute left. But it was your octuple-inside-outside-deke faking-two-lighter-guys-out-of-their-skates-and-humiliating-the-goalie awesomeness with 25 seconds left that won it:

That’s just SICK.

There’s no other way to put it.

SICK.

Best goal of your career, and likely the best goal of the NHL season so far. I never thought you would surpass the between-the-legs masterpiece from last October.

Oh, and Nik, your wraparound goal in the 3rd should get some love, too.

UPDATE: See Below.

It looks like the French Alfalfa is going to start in goal for the Western Conference All-Star team. Way to go, Pazzy.

LeClaire was a “distant second” in voting, but Luongo has a very pregnant wife to take care of. Therefore, the Columbus netminder will fill the slot. Even though LeClaire did not win first place in the All-Star voting, he is still second in the NHL in GAA with a 1.97, and is tied for first place in the Three Stars standings.

In other Blue Jackets news, some outlets are (prematurely) starting to talk about Columbus’ chances to make the playoffs. Sure, it might happen; the Jackets are in a small group that will compete for those last two or three spots. Chicago is one team that is probably in that group, and they’ve been playing pretty hot and cold, which might help the Jackets’ chances.

My suggestion, though: don’t get your hopes up. The team is perfectly capable of making it, but things can change so quickly in January that it’s a little early to start getting excited about the chances for postseason. Personally, anything that proves the team is headed in the right direction from recent years past should be good enough. It seems that the consensus is that, while competing is good enough for this year, the playoffs would be a “bonus.” Next season, after Hitch has worked the bugs out, would probably be the time to start expecting more from this team.

Oh, and finally, good on ya, Nik. Took the hit earlier this week, played sore tonight, and gave some payback. And wasn’t Vyborny’s long pass setting up Nik for his second goal a thing of beauty?

Thanks to MotSaG reader Matthew for the LeClaire tip.

UPDATE
So… the assumption was that since LeClaire was #2 in voting, he’d get the nod. However, the NHL clearly disagrees, and has decided to snub Pazzy from the game after all.

A league spokesman said the department considers many factors, including fan voting and the desire to represent all 30 teams, though that is no longer a requirement.

Translation: “There weren’t enough Red Wings on the team.” Detroit’s Chris Osgood will take Luongo’s place. Shame.