Isn't it a great time of the year? The sun is shining, the grass is growing, people are enjoying the outdoors and my mailman is, once again, wearing his awkwardly short Daisy Dukes. Spring has finally sprung and nothing screams the season more than the arrival of the National Hockey League (NHL) play-offs.
While fan support for the Blue Jackets continues to hold steady in Columbus, the NHL has struggled to capture viewers.
Securing a 1.1 ratings share, the NHL on NBC averaged fewer viewers than professional bull riding, poker and even bowling in last year's play-offs.
For an event that features the best hockey players in the world battling for their chance to hoist Lord Stanley's coveted cup, I can't help but wonder why America does not embrace this fantastic game.
No other sporting event in the history of the world features a better blend of brute strength and graceful beauty.
From slap shots and hip checks to silky dekes and fist fights, the game truly has it all.
Where else can you find huge goons with bad dental history paired with smooth skating Russians who boast 15-letter last names?
How could it be so difficult to get people to watch huge guys speeding around a thick sheet of ice with 10-inch long steel blades fastened to their feet, while wielding long wood and graphite sticks? It's like a Mel Gibson movie, without the glaring religious undertones.
Sadly, the Columbus Blue Jacket's season came to an end this past Sunday with a mediocre 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues in Nationwide Arena. They continue their depressing history of being the only active team in the NHL to have never qualified for the Stanley Cup play-offs.
Despite another losing season, Blue Jacket fans and players alike can look back on the year and take pride in several of the season's accomplishments.
For example, Goaltender Pascal Leclaire had a stunning year, posting a league leading nine shutouts despite an injury- prone season. Rick Nash also continued to play well. Scoring 38 goals and 29 assists, not to mention a game winner against Phoenix that has earned a halfmillion views on YouTube.
But while Nash and Leclaire spend their off-season on the golf course, the rest of the league will be battling for their shot at a championship.
Left winger Alexander Ovechkin and Pittsburg Penguins sensation Sidney Crosby could possibly be the most important participants in this year's playoffs. Ovechkin had a ridiculous season and deserves all the credit for piloting the Washington Capitals to their first playoff appearance in five years.
En route to scoring a league- leading 65 goals, Ovechkin managed to make me giggle like an infant on several separate occasions with a handful of Sport Center top 10 plays.
This spring, after a long day of outdoor activities, take some time to relax by checking the NHL playoffs. The only thing worse than getting your mail delivered by a starkly-dressed postal worker is being forced to spend an April without hockey.t&c;
MIKE WISE IS A SENIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR AND COLUMNIST FOR THE t&c.;
