Williams: What a weekend for pucks, Bucks

When it comes to sports celebrations, it’s hard to imagine a better weekend than what Columbus just experienced.

For the first time, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the NHL All-Star Game, a celebration of ice hockey. Thanks to Santa’s Little Helpers, a ticket was obtained.

But for most sports fans, the icing on the cake was Ohio State University’s party to herald the Buckeyes winning the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship.

A crowd topping 45,000 trekked to chilly Ohio Stadium on Saturday morning. Figuring parking around the stadium was iffy, we parked at the Gateway complex on High Street, figuring the 15-minute walk across campus would invigorate legs that had been in the car for three hours.

No lie, the wind was brisk as we followed students (most not wearing hats) journeying to the Horseshoe. But the adventure was worth it.

Mirror Lake, where the student ritual for the Michigan game includes a frigid leap, was frozen, with leaves visible on the top the ice. A sea of scarlet, gray and black greeted us after climbing to B deck. (Our Steelers blanket was welcomed with a “Go Browns” salute — funny.)

No player was greeted more warmly than running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Not sure what impressed me most, seeing head coach Urban Meyer smiling (and smiling) or just how loud the cheers were for third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, winner of Ohio State’s last three games.

One thing is certain — Meyer’s staff has a major challenge this spring deciding whether Jones, Braxton Miller or J.T. Barrett will be the starting quarterback. It’s an embarrassment of riches.

Wisely, the ceremony wrapped up within an hour and students bolted for warmth. Championship rites are rare — braving the elements was well worth the opportunity.

By the way, our Buckeye alum and her husband parked near the stadium. Long after we were done shopping in the Ohio State bookstore, they remained stuck in traffic. Walking does have its benefits.

Five miles south, hockey was king of the Arena District. NHL Fan Fest was in the Columbus Convention Center where fans could test their skills and get close-up looks at the NHL’s major trophies including the Stanley Cup, Art Ross (scoring) and Rocket Richard (goals).

The Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit included the uniform of Youngstown Phantoms forward Kyle Connor. (As former Vindicator sports editor Chuck Perazich loved to proclaim, the Youngstown connection is everywhere).

Outside Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets built an outdoor skating rink plus a giant snow slide. They have been popular attractions. The snow slide line on Saturday required patrons to wait more than an hour for maybe a 15-second thrill.

Obviously, Blue Jackets jerseys were most popular. But there were a lot of fans wearing those of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.

Inside the arena, hometown fans’ reactions to opposing players was fascinating. Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews did not meet with approval. Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury received loud cheers and boos. Pretty sure that if Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were here, the boos would have been epic.

But the biggest roar against was for Rangers forward Rick Nash, the former Blue Jackets captain who engineered a trade to the New York Rangers three years.

The skills competition has evolved into a made-for-television event, a far-cry from the first skills competition that was in Pittsburgh 25 years ago. That one included an old-timers/celebrity game (Dave Coulier of “Full House” was a celebrity skater, Stan Mikita of the Blackhawks soon to be in “Wayne’s World” also skated.)

Spread out over two hours, there now is maybe 70 minutes of competition. That’s a lot of down time for those used to watching elite skating.

Still, it was fun seeing former Phantom Jiri Sekac (Montreal Canadiens rookie forward) participating. My how he has grown since his days at the Covelli Centre.

It’s said those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Sometimes it’s true. In 1993 in Montreal, this fan chose to wait instead of purchasing a souvenir puck at the Skills Competition. Guess what was sold out at the All-Star Game.

In Columbus, merchandise lines at Fan Fest were reasonable. And since they were using clear bags, carrying them into the arena probably wasn’t a big deal with security. But old habits die hard. Inside Nationwide Arena was an unbelievably long line trying to get into the Blue Line Store.

As Fleury might say, Sacre bleu!

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Williams_Vindy.