Today we journeyed to Cleveland to join my buddy Mike, a long suffering Cleveland sports aficionado to take in Game 2 of the Lake Erie Monsters second round of the Calder Cup playoffs. The Monsters were facing off against the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Detroit AHL affiliate, and with names like Cleary and Bertuzzi on their roster this was familiar stuff for Blue Jackets fans that made the journey.
Tragically, the thing that was unfamiliar for Blue Jackets fans was seeing a game in which the outcome actually counted for something. Jackets fans have watched a lot of hockey since October, 2015, the last time the NHL franchise played a meaningful game.