Written by Adam Burke

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2010 has been an interesting year for the Blue Jackets. They celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the franchise, named a new head coach for the first time since November of 2006, and they released new third jerseys. With so much going on, here are the top five developments of the year 2010 for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

5. Missing the 2010 playoffs: A year removed from their first playoff berth in franchise history, anticipation was high for the 09-10 Jackets squad. But, a nine-game December losing streak and the end of Ken Hitchcock’s tenure as head coach highlighted the season. The Blue Jackets went from winning 41 games in the 08-09 campaign to winning just 32 in 09-10. The drop-off led to the Blue Jackets picking in the top five for the first time since 2003.

4. A new third jersey: The Columbus Blue Jackets began taking pre-orders for a new third jersey before it had been released. It was a rather questionable tactic, given the overall disenfranchisement of the fan base and their minimal return on investment for tickets. Nevertheless, the team unveiled the new uniform on November 24 against the Detroit Red Wings. The jersey got mixed reviews and the team has not had much success while wearing them. But, for an organization looking for a spark, the excitement leading up to the jersey was a talking point for fans and the media.

3. Steve Mason falls apart: After Steve Mason carried the Blue Jackets to the postseason in 2009, the Calder Trophy winner came back to earth. Since the start of 2010, Mason has gone 19-22-4 and inconsistent play has been his M.O. Without Mason playing above and beyond, the team has struggled. With so much of their future based on him, he has remained the starter despite his difficulties. Mason needs to bounce back for the Jackets to have a better 2011.

2. Jackets hire Arniel: When Ken Hitchcock and his defensive-minded style were jettisoned early in 2010, the search was on to find a coach who had a track record of success with young players and encouraged creativity. Arniel does exactly that. He has a track record of success with developing players in the American Hockey League. Also, Arniel is willing to send messages, having scratched Jake Voracek, Rusty Klesla, Mike Commodore, and Nikita Filatov for underachieving this season. So far, despite the team’s struggles, Arniel seems to be doing well with the team and is attempting to create an identity through tough love.

1.Jackets experience financial troubles: This development is not new to 2010, but it really came to the forefront prior to the 10-11 season. Due to a less-than-beneficial arena agreement, the team has hemorrhaged money over the last five years. Entering the 2010-2011 season, the Jackets had lost nearly one-fourth of their season ticket holders. Some rumors swirled months ago about the team being on shaky enough ground to be moved, but those have been silenced of late. Winning would be a cure-all, but the Blue Jackets have gotten off to a rough start this season and it would take a drastic turn-around now.

In other Blue Jackets news, Jake Voracek remains scratched for Thursday night’s game against Toronto. Scott Arniel is sending a clear message to Voracek. He has boatloads of offensive ability and usually works hard, but he has been lazy this season and the coaches have taken notice. No special privileges under Arniel.

In Columbus’s 4-3 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild, Rick Nash passed David Vyborny as the all-time franchise leader in assists with 206.

The Blue Jackets have not held a lead on the road in just under 400 minutes of hockey. If the team is unable to have a lead in the game against the Maple Leafs, they will go the entire month of December without a lead according to Columbus Dispatch beat writer Aaron Portzline.

And finally, referee Paul Devorski allegedly told some fans in Section 109 that the bird is the word on Monday night. Aaron Portzline sums it up here. The NHL has not followed up with the Blue Jackets as of Thursday afternoon.

In other NHL news, the 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic special on HBO continues to get rave reviews from sports media types. The show has been extremely candid and has had good timing in the sense that it caught the Penguins in the midst of a 12-game winning streak and the Capitals in the midst of a 7-game winless streak. Being able to show such contrasting locker rooms was very captivating for viewers.

In subsequent Winter Classic news, the weather forecast in Pittsburgh for New Year’s Day is less than conducive to hockey. Temperatures are supposed to be in the mid-50s with rain showers likely. Conditions like that will force the game to be postponed to later Saturday night, on Sunday, or moved indoors to a later date.

Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog has posted the top 10 goals of 2010. Some very impressive efforts on this list.

Sidney Crosby’s 25-game point streak was snapped against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. Love him or hate him, that’s damn impressive.

And finally, not NHL news, but the annual 24-hour hockey game is on in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada. The event attempts to raise money for charity.

A minor league update on the Lake Erie Monsters shows that mid-week hockey while kids are on winter break can be a huge draw. The Monsters drew 9,017 on Wednesday night in their 4-1 win over Rochester.

The team is in a fifth-place tie in the North Division. The top four teams make the playoffs, unless the fifth-place team in the West has more points than the fourth place team in the North. The Monsters have 45 games left to play.

Upcoming schedules:

Columbus: 12/30 @ TOR, 12/31 v. OTT, 1/2 @ NSH, 1/4 @ PHX

Lake Erie: 12/30 @ Hamilton, 1/1 v. Hamilton, 1/4 v. Rochester