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The proverbial ax has fallen.

Sitting in 14th place and teetering on the brink of missing the playoffs (hey, it’s not mathematically over yet), and after letting the Colorado Avalanche complete the season sweep last night, the Columbus Blue Jackets have… well, un-hitched coach Ken Hitchcock.

I personally dislike this decision, but hey... what are you going to do? It's not like you can tell players to pack their crap and get out. A lot of the fault in this whole scenario lies with the players, after all. Yes, Hitch stubbornly stuck to his guns in demanding solid defense and taking care of things in your own end. I believe in it. It is a system that works, when it is executed properly. And let's face it, the Columbus Blue Jackets have not done that, for pretty much the whole season. When the offense has actually clicked, the same guys are not getting back on defense and as a result, the Jackets have not managed to distance themselves from their opponents on any given night.

"Hitch stubbornly stuck to his guns in demanding solid defense and taking care of things in your own end. I believe in it. It works, when it is executed properly."

And behold, the latest proof that being a hockey coach is one damn thankless job....

So who is at fault? Obviously, a lot of people want to blame Hitch. Of course, that's easy. We live in a town/sports market in which the coach is always the first target. Even with his dismal record against Michigan, was John Cooper a bad coach? No. Is Jim Tressel a bad coach? Of course not, but when Ohio State loses to Purdue, you have the same putzes calling for his head that called for Cooper's head a decade before.

When the Blue Jackets continued to suck with Doug MacLean behind the bench, did that make Dougie a bad leader...?

Okay, bad example. Forget I asked....

Anyway, my insert to the Hitch question is no. He is not at fault.

How about Scott Howson? Well, he has been a big part in getting the Jackets the key pieces they need to succeed. And let's face it, NHL hockey is a business, and I'm sure Howson did not take this decision lightly. I do not blame him (or envy him) one bit.

"The blame lies with the guys wearing the Blue Jackets sweaters."

The blame lies with the team that Howson has put together... plain and simple. With few exceptions, the blame lies with the guys wearing the Blue Jackets sweaters. Ken Hitchcock is gone because the Columbus Blue Jackets have failed to play their best. In the first few weeks of October, when the Blue Jackets got off to a really hot start, when we heard comments like, “…and we haven't even seen this team played their best hockey yet.”

We still haven't.

Ken Hitchcock is gone because the players in that locker room have been playing half-assed hockey, pretty much all season. The leaders have not stepped up.  Perhaps they tuned Hitch out. Perhaps a change did need to be made. Firing Hitch was not the best one.

But perhaps it was the only one.

Being a hockey coach is a damn thankless job.

But for what it’s worth: Thank you, Coach Ken Hitchcock. I can honestly say you never let me down as a fan. Good luck. I know a lot of us will miss you, man.

Tags: columbus blue jackets, ken hitchcock