Now that American Thanksgiving, and a normal Thursday in Canada, is over, the start is officially in the books. The Blue Jackets managed to book end an atrocious, record setting, start last year with one of the franchise's best starts for the 2016-17 season. A 10-5-3 start has the Jackets with 23 points and sitting 4th in the Metropolitan Division. Savor that for a bit.
Ok, done. Now two things happen. The grind starts, and the intensity of play ramps up a notch, the second of about four informal intensifications of the level of play in the NHL in any given season.