Written by Adam Burke

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In keeping with the trendy “Occupy (insert location here)” movement that began last year as a symbol of public protest and an attempt to attract attention to a cause, Columbus Blue Jackets fans hosted their own display of dissatisfaction last Saturday in the Arena District. A crowd of nearly 250 people gathered on the plaza in front of Nationwide Arena to demand change to the most inept franchise in the NHL.

Ironically, on the same day that the Blue Jackets faithful gathered to protest the team’s direction, the NHL announced that Nationwide Arena would be the site of the 2013 All-Star Game. Odds are, it was so the Blue Jackets fans could be further annoyed by seeing a collection of the league’s best players while having none (ok, maybe one Rick Nash) of them in a Blue Jackets sweater. At least the goaltending and level of defense should serve as status quo for a game played at Nationwide Arena.

Back to the protest, the Blue Jackets front office actually helped set up and run a table out on the plaza giving out free coffee to any protesters who wanted a warm beverage on a chilly day. John P. McConnell, the majority owner of the team and son of late majority owner John H. McConnell, sent out a press release last Friday to try and quell the fears of the team’s fan base and re-assert that the team is moving in the right direction.

McConnell’s press release must not have been read by the players as they resumed play following the All-Star Break with a 6-0 drubbing thanks to the San Jose Sharks. The team looked uninspired again, in a demoralizing sort of way. Derick Brassard, who might be able to be a spokesman for Cottonelle, took a beating from Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle while the rest of the team looked on.

Last March, I wrote this piece describing the Blue Jackets’ need to create an identity. Some nights, your team identity is all you have, both from an individual perspective and a team perspective. NBC Sports Network is running an interesting half hour special called “NHL 36”, chronicling a 36-hour period for an NHL superstar. The last episode I watched was on Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom, a future first ballot Hall of Famer, has won four Stanley Cups, a Gold Medal (2006), seven Norris Trophies (league’s top defenseman), a Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), and been named to the All-Star Game 12 times. He is 41 years old and still playing at an extremely high level.

Lidstrom has the same routines on every game day. He eats the same meals, goes to lunch with Tomas Holmstrom before every home game, sitting at the same table every time, says hello to every arena worker he sees en route to the locker room, and has an incredible work ethic. Lidstrom has been the Red Wings captain since 2006, when Steve Yzerman retired. The word that was most-used to describe Lidstrom during the show: “humble”.

The Detroit Red Wings play a lot like Nicklas Lidstrom’s identity. They work hard, play with an extreme level of precision, are always composed, and are the model of sports consistency.

Teams feed off their best players. For the Blue Jackets this season, their best player is minus-22 and on pace for his worst season ever. The lack of camaraderie is evident with the way that the team caves in on itself at the slightest sign of adversity. Nobody is going to argue that the Blue Jackets lack talent and that they have no player up to Rick Nash’s caliber, but his body language during games screams of a defeatist attitude. Bet he wishes he hadn’t signed that contract extension.

The only option left for the Blue Jackets is to listen to their most vocal fans and blow it up. Start over again in the front office. Recently hired Craig Patrick, a Hockey Hall of Fame and US Hockey Hall of Fame member, could be a candidate to replace Scott Howson sooner rather than later. Adding a veteran coach and determining what direction to take the roster is next.

With a little over 30 games left to play and a trade deadline that could be Scott Howson’s last stand as general manager, there are still about 10 weeks of misery left for Blue Jackets fans to endure.