Rebuilding Confidence (1999 style)

Here are a few thoughts I have about tonight’s game vs. Detroit:
The Jackets played an excellent first period. They controlled both the play and the puck. The goaltending was sublime. However in the second period Detroit seemed to catch fire and started controlling the play. Little by little you could see the game starting to slip away from the Jackets. Then the first goal was scored by Detroit (with the defense entirely out of position mind you) and WHAM, you could see the steel door slam shut. No victory tonight. At that point you could see all the confidence that the Jackets had built up escape like air from a balloon. You (and sadly enough the team itself) knew right then and there it was over. Sure the score was tied at 1-1 but the confidence and swagger was gone. You could see the collective throats of the CBJ tighten. There was still a lot of hockey yet to be played but it was over.
Right now this team has a fragile confidence and it doesn’t take very much to destroy it. One bad shift, one defensive lapse, one bad goal, etc. and whoosh, it’s gone. This team reminds me of an expansion team (yes I can hear your collective groaning) young and frankly not very good and one that is unable to compete at the NHL level. Do they not look like the CBJ of the first four seasons? However, all is not lost. Yes I am afraid that this season is (and once again I hope and pray that I am 100% wrong about that last statement) for all intents and purposes over. This is a golden opportunity to lay a foundation for the future. The first step in this process is to rebuild brick by brick this team’s confidence. Any victories, any growth and any confidence built the rest of this year are in fact vital to the future of this franchise. It might take us until next season (or GULP the season after that) to see the benefits of the laying of this foundation of confidence. As you see ladies and gentleman that the calendar will soon read 2010, but for the Columbus Blue Jackets I think Prince put it best…they have to party like it’s 1999!