I love my team.

I had the opportunity on Tuesday morning to go to a breakfast where Jeff Rimmer, Mike Priest, Scott Howson, and my personal favorite Ken Hitchcock spoke. Rimmer basically gave a general talk and said that he was excited for the season and that there is a lot of 'professionalism' and accountability in the dressing room, but we need to wait and see what they do on the ice. Priest spoke mainly of the business of the team like how far we've come since getting the team. Howson spoke about building the team and how you've got to develop your players and how you have to have the right players on the ice. Like he always says anyone has a chance to make the team come training camp. Then Hitch got up he was the one to not use the microphone. He said we know what everyone is saying, they're saying we're going to finish 13th or 14th in the conference. They don't know our team. I know our team. Since I took over the team we were a .500 team. I'm in the business of winning. Our team is completely healthy and there won't be any off time at training camp. He got me completely pumped up for the season. I am so excited to see these boys out on the ice. I want to see what they do. I have a feeling that they will surprise a lot of people. Training camp starts tomorrow. I won't be attending the Friday session but I am hoping to make it up to the Saturday session.

Stickin to the Plan...

Ok, he says we're going to "Build through the Draft" but uhm...we need a GM to do that right? Not, the interim guy who will be gone the second we hire someone else. I know I am a bitter fan right now...but this is MY team. I want what is best for them...I don't want this guy going into the draft making draft picks for our organization...it's so stressful and what about Free Agency?? What are we supposed to do? We need certain things in our organization. The fans know that...hell everyone knows that. I'm' frustrated sorry.

Blue Jackets president says fans have heard enough idle words

RUSTY MILLER

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Blue Jackets will build off the draft, develop young players, disdain quick fixes and be based on a long-term plan instead of hollow promises, new team president Mike Priest promised on Wednesday.

Priest, hired when Doug MacLean was fired as president and general manager in April, is in the process of interviewing prospective general managers. He said he has at least four names on his list, including Blue Jackets interim GM Jim Clark and director of player personnel Don Boyd.

As much as he would love to have a GM in place by the time the franchise hosts the NHL draft in two weeks, he won't be hurried.

"Some of the (fans) are just tired of words," he said during a far-reaching interview in his Nationwide Arena office. "They want to see action. You want to be positive, you want to believe in what you're doing; we're not going to change that aspect. But we're going to be honest with ourselves and we're going to be honest with our fans. We're going to establish a plan and stick to that plan."

MacLean was there at the beginning when owner John H. McConnell started the club. It was MacLean who oversaw the drafts, signed free agents, made trades and sculpted the public perception of the franchise. After six years of missing the playoffs - the Blue Jackets are the only one of the league's 30 teams to never make the postseason - he was fired.

Priest, an executive in another arm of McConnell's businesses, never mentioned MacLean by name. But he made it clear that he has been told to go in a different direction.

Priest declined to confirm the other candidates on his list. Names that have been floated for the job include Calgary Flames GM Craig Button and three current assistant general managers: Scott Howson of Edmonton, Dallas' Les Jackson and Vancouver's Steve Tambellini.

Even fans have tried to lend a hand.

"I'm reading the letter and she's talking about how her dream has always been to be in hockey. And why she's been successful in everything she has ever done and she's reeling me in bigtime. I'm thinking anytime she's going to say she wants the job," Priest said with a laugh. "But she says, 'I'm also very realistic to know that I have no shot. So I'm going to do the next best thing, I think you ought to consider X' and gave me a recommendation."

Priest said the Blue Jackets under MacLean pushed young players into the NHL too soon. Franchise stars Rick Nash, Nikolai Zherdev, Dan Fritsche and Gilbert Brule have started out as teens. Whether that's the reason or not, their production has been erratic. As a result, the team's fortunes have been erratic.

"We're going to ultimately build through youth, that's what markets our size need to do," said Priest, 42. "But it takes time for kids to develop. There's no doubt that most people recognized within our organization that we've pushed that in trying to get there as quickly as we can. And there's just no shortcuts. Now we have to step back and do what's right."

Priest also made it clear that the Blue Jackets hope to avoid older, high-priced players. MacLean locked the team into large, lengthy contracts with Sergei Fedorov, Bryan Berard and Adam Foote, which has limited the club's options.

"In the unrestricted free-agent market, everyone's wanting the same people and so their salaries are outrageous and their terms are too long and they're generally at an age where they're at their peak or just past their peak and they're being paid for past performance," Priest said.

To the very end of his tenure, while the Blue Jackets were going 33-42-7 and missing the playoffs by a mile, MacLean remained optimistic about the club's future.

"We've got an unbelievable foundation in place," he said during the club's last game of this past season. "I'm telling you, I look around the league and how many teams would I trade ours for? Not many."

But Priest said MacLean "probably thought we were a little farther along than we really were."

Blue Jackets season-ticket sales are 8 percent to 10 percent behind where they were a year ago, but more than 80 percent of the team's fans have renewed their tickets, Priest said.

Jackets News!

1. Well it looks like Mike Priest will interview Bob Murray, the vice president of hockey operations for the Anaheim Ducks, for our GM position. Aaron Portzline reported it today in the Dispatch here. I am really happy with the way Mike Priest is handling all this and I have high hopes that he will find the perfect fit for our GM.

2. Jackets agreed to terms with left winger Kirill Starkov to a three year entry level contract. He played one season with the WHL's Red Deer Rebels and had 72 games played 34 goals and 37 assists.


3. Prospects at the Memorial Cup...Derek Dorsett a right winger from the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers was the 189th pick overall in the 2006 Entry Draft. He has one goal and one assist in three games. Kris Russell a defenseman for the Medicine Hat Tigers has one assist in three games in the Memorial Cup. He was the Jackets 3rd pick, 67th overall in the 2005 Entry Draft. Tom Sestito from the OHL's Plymouth Whalers is a left wing who was drafted as the Jackets 3rd pick 85th overall in the 2006 Entry Draft. He has two goals and five assists in four games at the Memorial Cup. Jared Boll also plays with the Whalers. He is a right wing who was drafted 101st overall and was the Jackets 4th pick in the 2005 Entry Draft. He has two assists in four games.

4. Baby Jackets are in the Kelly Cup Finals playing the Idaho Steelheads. The series started on Wednesday and the Bombers won 2-1. On Friday they fell 5-2 so the series is tied 1-1. They will have the next 3 games in Dayton and will be able to close out the series.