Life is busy. Sometimes, a quick catch-up does a lot of good.
Here are the news, notes, and extra tidbits from the last week that might have slipped through the cracks.
NATIONWIDE ATTENDANCE RECORD
Saturday's game was the perfect storm for a record-breaker in the attendance column. None were bigger than the jersey retirement ceremony of Rick Nash and the return of former captain Nick Foligno, but there were other variables in favor of a big crowd, too: A spring-like Saturday night, an international event taking place next door, an opponent that draws well in most road cities. (While that last one is true, there were definitely some Bruin sweaters being worn by people I've seen in Blue Jacket gear on a regular basis. Pick a team, y'all.)
The announced crowd of 19,434 surpassed the previous record by a married couple with a kid. Literally. The previous record game during Game 4 of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when 19,431 were in attendance for the Bruins (ugh, again?) 4-1 victory over Columbus.
A little bit of clarity on how the crowd can be "oversold" from it's 18,140(ish) capacity: standing room only tickets, the opening of the Scot's Terrace above the upper deck of the attack once zone, the number of people in clubs and suites, etc. Combined, that added about 1,300 to Saturday's crowd.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Blue Jackets have won 28 games this season, and more than half of them have been via the comeback variety. ESPN's John Buccigross tweeted out a stat Monday morning that shows no one has done it better than Columbus when it comes to comeback victories:
— House of Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) March 7, 2022
Of course, a team can't get credit for a comeback win if they don't trail in the game — I'd trade the comeback wins for a few more wire-to-wire triumphs. Also, new team name: The Columbus Columbus'? We'll give Buccimane a pass on the typo, or whoever he had create the graphic.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF LOGO REDESIGN
Most logo unveilings in recent years have been immediately insulted by the watchful eye of social media experts.
This one may be an exception.
After 13 seasons without a change, the league revealed a brand new logo for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals on Monday.
The next era is here.
— NHL (@NHL) March 7, 2022
Take a look back at the Stanley Cup branding through the years
Read more: https://t.co/IhhasOdKHB pic.twitter.com/bE4sIGwrVK
That looks incredible. The league definitely got this right and while it'll of course have its critics, the early returns (uh, tweets) signal that an overwhelming majority of fans love the fresh look.
The new logo will be featured throughout the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Columbus may not get to enjoy their version of it this year, but hey, there's always next year.
RETURN OF THE BEAN
Jake Bean has not been in the lineup since exiting early in the Blue Jackets 6-3 win in Montreal against the Canadiens back on January 30th. That changes Monday, when Bean (4-11-15) makes his return to the lineup after missing five weeks with a strained groin.
Bean will be playing in his 42nd game of the season Monday, which will match the amount he played last year with Carolina during his rookie season. With the 23-year-old back in the lineup, head coach Brad Larsen says that Gavin Bayreuther will be a healthy scratch against the Maple Leafs.
