3 reasons I picked the Columbus Blue Jackets as my NHL team

"Well, that's a strange choice."

I was at the mall, running errands, when I ran into my friend, Bill. He noticed immediately - peaking out underneath my black and white flannel, a navy blue t-shirt making my allegiances clear.

Columbus Blue Jackets.

"I don't think there are a lot of Blue Jackets fans in New Brunswick."


I have heard some variation of this many times over the last six-ish months. Some people ask if I have other friends who are fans (I don't) while others ask if it hurt jumping on the bandwagon (so original). Columbus is neither a conventional or popular pick for a new hockey fan, as I learned. Knowing that has only made me like them even more.

But that's not the only thing I like about this team. It's not even the main thing.

1. CBJ 10, MTL 0

It honestly started as a joke.

My husband is a Montreal fan. Not a hardcore fan, but he knows some of their roster and enjoys watching them play. He also watched some hockey growing up so he knows the rules of the game and some things to watch for, as well as some random hockey trivia.

When I said I wanted to get into hockey this year, he was totally on board. He suggested we start with a Montreal game. Why not?

So on November 4, 2016, we turned on the game and settled in on the couch.

By the time Columbus scored their ninth unanswered goal, even Jeff wanted to see them score a 10th.

I later learned that this was significant, considering the history of the Blue Jackets. As my best friend put it, Columbus has historically been a team that couldn't buy a goal, let alone 10 against one of the top teams in the Atlantic.

I was mostly amused by it all. It was the first regulation loss for the Habs in the season, and the worst defeat since 1995. My husband (along with just about every Habs fan I know) was shocked.

I decided that night Columbus was my team.

I didn't really start watching right away - a combination of being busy and not knowing how to stream out of region games. But I started to keep an eye on their progress through the season from that point on, reading game recaps online and catching the highlights on SportsNet at the gym.

About 14 games into the 16-game streak, I started streaming games. The rest is history.

2. Sergei. Bobrovsky.

There has been a lot of commentary focused on the role Bobrovsky played during the regular season and it's with good reason: the man has been a beast between the pipes. But my favourite thing about him is his attitude - he's almost always smiling and comes across as laid back. I've lost track of how many times I have heard him say "it is what it is" in post-game interviews. If not achieving the desired outcome phases him, you'd never know it.

It's not just Bob, though - there are a lot of good things happening with the Columbus roster right now. The team sent three players to the All Star game - Bob, Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson - and while Atkinson was a late addition, it was well-deserved. Zach Werenski has been unreal - Tortorella called his performance in Game 1 inspiring, and that's not an exaggeration - and Nick Foligno has done an incredible job leading the team as captain. Savard, Jenner, Bjorkstrand...I could go on and on.  The team is a good mix of veterans and youth and, as a new hockey fan, I've really enjoyed watching them play.

Also - this:

#MoreHugs

3. The Underdog Factor

This was not a team that anyone expected to be where they are today. This is not a team that's known for doing much of anything except, well, poorly. They have some super talented players, but not really any superstars and a polarizing coach.

And yet, after finishing last in the eastern conference last season, they're in the playoffs for the third time in franchise history. Whatever the outcome, I think it's fair to say they've exceeded expectations. And I'm into that.

Sharing this the morning of Game 4 - a do-or-die for the team after dropping 3-0 in the series - I'm not sure what to expect. I'm not optimistic about the team advancing beyond round one, but I'm hoping they can find a way to win this one.

What happens next year? I hope they're able to build on their success this year although realistically, I know there is a chance that won't happen.

Whatever the case, though, I'm in. #WeAreThe5thLine

5 things giving up social media for Lent taught me

I was 26 days into Lent when I had to use Facebook for the first time.

I was putting together a report at work when I realized there really wasn't any way around it. The information I needed simply wasn't available on a website - but multiple searches confirmed it was available on Facebook.

I tried a different search. Then another. Then, with a sigh, I did what I knew had to be done.

Even though I decided before Ash Wednesday that it would be OK to use Facebook or Twitter for work, if required, it was still tough. I worked quickly, gathered the material I needed, and closed the window.

When our pastor started talking about Lent, I immediately knew I would be giving up social media.

Instructed to think about something we could give up to devote more time to God - to study scripture, to pray, to meditate - social media was the first thing that came to mind. I knew, even at the beginning of Lent, that social media had become something of a vice for me. I justified it - yeah, I just spent the last 20 minutes scrolling 31 weeks deep into the Instagram feed of a person I've never met, but at least I'm not smoking or something.

I never felt convicted about it, though. Then I did.

So it was decided. In the final minutes leading up to Ash Wednesday, I penned a quick post to explain my upcoming absence. Then, I signed off.

And with a few exception (primarily work, and the occasional Sunday) I stayed signed off for 40ish days.

Lent wasn't really a big part of my past church experience. Prior to this year, I cannot recall a single time when I have even attempted to fast from something for...well, any period of time, really. Forty days felt like an impossible task, but I was up for it.

I wasn't sure to what to expect from the experience or even what I wanted to get from it.

Forty-ish days later, here is what I learned.

1.  I spend a ridiculous amount of time on social media

During the first week, I was genuinely shocked by how I automatically looked for the Facebook or Instagram icon every time I picked up my phone. The worst part about this? I wasn't going to these apps because there was something I needed to see - it had just become a reflex. Got a couple minutes to kill waiting the laundry timer to go off or for dinner to finish cooking? I'll pop on Instagram for a few minutes. Raining at lunch? I'll eat at my desk and scroll through Twitter. Taken together, all those little gaps add up fast - no wonder I never felt like I had time to get anything done!

That's not to say I used my time perfectly during Lent - I definitely did not - but without social media, I was able to reclaim some of those lost minutes.

2.  Social media has changed the way I connect with other people

You've probably witnessed it before - you stop at a coffee shop and see the group of friends sitting around a table...and everyone is looking down at their smartphones. I see this all the time and am often very quick to call it out.

You know, as if I don't do the same thing.

I like to think I have gotten better about this over the last few years, but it is not uncommon for my phone to be the third wheel during a hangout session with a friend or a date with my husband.

Disconnecting for social media channels for 40ish days meant I had less reason to be constantly checking my phone. The result? More actual face time with friends and family.

3.  Social media has changed the way I connect with my surroundings

For example, I try to go for a walk every day during my lunch. It's a short jaunt - across the walking bridge and back, a distance that is possible to cover in 30 minutes. That said, the trip is often longer, the result of stopping to take photos of the river or whatever other interesting thing catches my eye.

I hardly used the camera on my phone at all during my fast - I didn't have anywhere to put the photos so it didn't feel like there was much of a point. Instead, I focused more on simply taking my surroundings in.

4.  Disconnecting from social media helped my faith grow

This wasn't totally surprising. As mentioned, I didn't always do a great job of using my time wisely, but one thing I made a point to do during Lent was to spend more time in the Word - reading, reflecting (both through journaling and talking about the readings with my husband) and praying.  Not only did this result in developing a deeper appreciation for the Lent/Easter season, but it has also led to a greater understanding of who God is and how much he loves us.

5.  I didn't miss social media as much as I thought I would

I honestly thought it would be more difficult to be offline for 40 days than it actually was. Not saying it was easy - it wasn't, and sometimes, it was just downright inconvenient. But the deeper into the season I went, the more I found myself enjoying my time offline. Who knew, right? I wasn't expecting that.

There are still a lot of things I like about social media; I still think it's a wonderful outlet for creativity and, as a person with a lot of long-distance friends, I find it is a great way to keep up with friends and connect across long distances.

That said, there are a lot of things I don't like about social media - perhaps the most significant of which is how easy it can be to get sucked into the comparison trap. When you're scrolling through someone's Instagram feed or reading a Facebook post, it can be easy to forget: social media is not real life. You are simply looking at the highlight reel - and sometimes, that can be very different from reality.

How does this change my relationship with social media? I'm not totally sure, to be honest with you. I enjoyed disconnecting for Lent, but I'm also looking forward to catching up on some of my favourite feeds over the next few days  - even if I'll be looking at those posts through a changed lens.

Maybe, for now, that's enough.