It’s mind-blowing to think this site opened its doors seven months ago.
Ho-ly shit.
So much has happened. The Blue Jackets stayed hot down the stretch and cruised to 50 wins and 108 points. They were unceremoniously eliminated in five games by the eventual Stanley Cup champions and were left asking themselves some hard questions all summer long.
1st Ohio Battery is something that our founder, Jason Priestas, has thought about launching for quite a while, but with the team roaring its way down the stretch in a record-setting season, felt it was the right time to get our ducks in a row and get going.
I’m so glad we did. The response at launch was fantastic. Our playoff coverage took a village, but I’m proud of the work we did. I just wish we had a little more time to tell those stories.
As John Tortorella would say: “10 fucking days.”
But now, we’re ready to dial it up even more.
When Jason and I first talked about me coming on board, the staff was me and Jeff Svoboda. Jeff is a friend of mine and has been for a number of years, and he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. If he was going to do this, I wanted to be his teammate. Jeff is a wicked talented writer who has a unique way of articulating his thoughts, a method that makes you feel as though you’re having a genuine conversation with him even if you’re merely reading his written word.
Sam Blazer joined us late in the season and really helped our coverage come together. He's our Swiss Army knife, picking up a variety of topics and responsibilities and finding a way to get it done. If you see GIFs from the 1st Ohio Battery Twitter account, odds are Sam is at the controls. He’s an important part of our team.
Dan Dukart brings a unique perspective having played hockey at a high level for a long time. Dan has hockey knowledge coming out of his ears, and helps all of us understand things better — which is something we’re grateful to have. Dan’s writing blends fair and balanced analysis with a player and coach’s mindset, and we’re lucky to have him on our side.
Kyle Morrison is our most recent addition and I’m thrilled he decided to jump on board. I hired Kyle many moons ago and saw him go on to do big things with the Cleveland Browns and Florida Panthers before recently moving back to Columbus. His debut piece, which ran earlier this week, hilariously (and accurately) recounted some of our experiences in the NHL. There was never a dull moment.
We’re also fortunate to have an eager and talented intern like Andy Anders on staff. He’s a journalism student at Ohio State and will contribute in a variety of ways this season. He’s already covering the Metropolitan Division front to back with his weekly notebook, the latest of which will drop later today.
All of this is to say that we have big goals for the upcoming season and beyond.
Eleven Warriors, our sister website, established itself as the premier destination for Ohio State coverage because they worked their asses off and provided content that fans can’t get anywhere else. That’s what we want to do at 1st Ohio Battery. We’re in our early stages, but we’re excited about what we’ve done and even more so about where we’re headed. We’re readying our podcast, Battery Life, for a debut episode that will drop in the first month of the regular season. We have some recurring features and in-depth stuff I think you’re really going to like.
We’re going to do this with personality, with enjoyment, and with a shit ton of energy.
As we get started on what should be an exciting season for the local team, I’m extending an invitation. Sign up for a very-much-free site account, jump into the 1OB forums, and join the conversation with a community that’s been lively and supportive since we launched this thing. You can expect us to give away 1OB swag (shirts, hats, more) and maybe some other cool stuff throughout the season.
If you’ve made it this far without closing your browser, god bless you. I’m also appreciative of the passion you’ve shown our site in such a short period of time, and hope you’ll come along for what should be one hell of a ride in 2017-18 and beyond.
Cheers,
Rob
Follow 1st Ohio BatteryFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
