"Live Fire" the live in game blog will be starting at 7pm. More details below.

Head Coach Ken Hitchcock will coach his 1000th game behind the bench tonight as the Blue Jackets take on the Detroit Red Wings. Already a part of the 500 win club, Hitchcock will become only the 16th coach in NHL history to get to the 1000 mile marker.

Don't expect Hitch to be looking for his social security checks and buying a house in a Florida retirement center anytime soon. There is plenty of fire in the furnace and he is starting to see the fruits of his labor as the Blue Jackets turn into the team he envisioned when he took over as coach. A rag tag team has turned closer to the well oiled machine that was part of his game plan.

Rick Nash may be the one player that has completed the transformation as Nash is now one of the top 10 most complete players in the league instead of just being a top scorer. He now is an elite penalty killer and due to the ability of taking care of his defensive responsibilities, Hitch is able to match top line versus top line. This gives the Blue Jackets an advantage as most top lines are built to score and suffer on the defensive end.

Hitch still has plenty to look forward with the Blue Jackets as he can see the maturing of players like Jakub Voracek, Derick Brassard, Steve Mason and yes even Nikita Filatov. You also know that he wants to take this battle plan he has put together and do some damage in the playoffs. I truly believe that he sees a Stanley Cup winner in this club, maybe not this year but with all the pieces that have been gathered and are fitting in the slots as planned, Hitch still thinks he isn't too old to hold up Lord Stanley's Cup one more time.



Live Fire will fire off at 7pm. Join us as the Blue Jackets take on the Red Wings.



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Eric Smith
Eric.Smith@HockeyBuzz.com

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