Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2008-09 season and earned their first ever playoff wins in a series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jackets lost the series in six games (2-4) but the impact of those two wins, each coming in dramatic form, is something that has quickly become part of Jackets history.
The Blue Jackets first playoff win came from the hands of forward Matt Calvert in game two. A minute and ten seconds into double overtime in Pittsburgh, Calvert knocked a rebound past Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to secure the 4-3 win. Calvert was swarmed by his teammates on the ice and the celebration has continued into the offseason as fans remember a seminal moment for the team.
"It's always fun any big moment you have the previous season," Calvert said. "Fans are always telling stories of where they were (when we won). It's always fun to reminisce with them and enjoy it with them."
And it's not just about scoring the goal, or even winning the game. For Calvert, who was drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2008 and first played in Columbus in 2011, the contribution is more about being part of the story of the team itself.
"As you play more years, you start to become more a part of the team," Calvert said. "It starts to feel like your team."
Scoring a big goal isn't something that just brings attention from local fans either. Forward Nick Foligno fired an overtime slap shot against Fleury in game four of the playoff series that sealed the first postseason win on home ice to Columbus. Foligno had called the goal prior to leaving the locker room and returning to the ice.
Talking about that goal brings a smile to Foligno's face because the excitement didn't end when the season did. He returned to his summer home of Sudbury, Ontario and the chatter about the Blue Jackets was still in high gear.
"It was really nice. You go home and people you don't even know would say 'We're so excited for you and the team,'" Foligno said. "To hear those kind of comments from people that you never thought would even follow the team shows people are becoming huge Blue Jackets fans."
Foligno comes from a hockey family. His father played in the NHL and now coaches in New Jersey and his brother plays for the Buffalo Sabres. For the Jackets to draw notice 660 miles from Nationwide Arena is something Foligno sees as a testament to the identity being built in Columbus.
"To hear (the excitement) says a lot about our team, the way we're built and the type of guys we have in the locker room," Foligno said. "It's something people can relate to.
"I think that's what's fun - on any given night it's another player stepping up to score a big goal or make a big play and I think people can relate to it."
But with the 2014-15 season just over a week away, the team is working hard to not rest on the accomplishments of last season.
Forward Brandon Dubinsky scored the tying goal that allowed game four to go into overtime. It was an incredible goal that came with 23.2 seconds left in the game. Fleury misplayed the puck behind the net allowing Jackets center Ryan Johansen to pass to Dubinsky. Dubinsky fired a shot that found the back of the net and tied the game at three.
"It was an exciting moment for me and us here in Columbus because it was such a crazy game, a good game," Dubinsky said.
But last season's successes can't be the end of the story for Dubinsky to be happy. Dubinsky signed a six-year contract extension over the summer to keep him in Columbus through the 2020-21 season. He doesn't want last year's goal to be the highlight of his time with the team.
"That will always be a good memory to have but I'm ready to turn the page," Dubinsky said. "I'm ready to get this season started and build towards getting better as a team and working towards going deeper into the playoffs and making even more of an impression and having bigger moments."
The Jackets are 5-1-0 in the preseason. The team returns to home ice against the Carolina Hurricanes in a preseason matchup at 7 p.m. Information on tickets for the pre and regular season can be found by calling (800) NHL-COLS or by visiting BlueJackets.com.
Follow Alison on Twitter at @AlisonL
