Blue Jackets' win earns $10K for charity
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What started with a tweet from a 25-year-old Blue Jackets fan Wednesday morning ended Friday night with more than $10,000 pledged to local charities and nonprofit organizations.
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We've got everything you need with NHL news and analysis, scores, photos, videos, power rankings and more.In an effort to rouse the Jackets from a five-game losing streak, Columbus resident Tyler Schweinfurth got on Twitter and promised $20 to the Jackets player who delivered a winning goal Friday night against the Detroit Red Wings.
The chemical engineer had no clue what he had set in motion. By the time the Jackets took the ice in Nationwide Arena, nearly 150 people, including several Red Wings fans, got behind the drive and pledged $5,327 to the "money on the board" campaign.
"Just watching all the contributions almost brought tears to my eyes," Schweinfurth said.
And that was before the Blue Jackets earned an emotional 3-2 shootout win and surprised fans with a payout of their own. Alternate captain R.J. Umberger said the players were matching the fans' sum and donating their portion to the Blue Jackets Foundation.
"Their passion to win, especially against Detroit, is strong," Umberger said. "We appreciated what they did for us and we're going to do the same and let a charity enjoy it."
"Money on the board" is a hockey tradition in which players write their jersey number and dollar amount on a dry erase board before a game. An individual will donate the sum to a team pot or a charity for victories. The reasons for pledges vary. It may be a player facing his former team or welcoming his family to a game.
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A team spokesman posted the fans' amount on the board before the game Friday. There also was an additional $1,885 pledged for various incentives such as goals and fights from a favorite player. At least a dozen fans opted to donate blood to the Red Cross. And the R-Bar in the Arena District contributed $500 from money raised the past few days.
"I know we've had some attendance problems, but I hope this shows how many fans are behind this team," Schweinfurth said. "Columbus is a good hockey market despite how much we get blasted in the national press."
A sellout crowd of 18,684 saw the Jackets win for just the second time in the past 14 tries against the Red Wings, dating to March 7, 2009.
Jackets fans are actually 2-0 in the "money on the board" drive. A season ago, a smaller group of fans pledged $820 to the club's foundation. The Blue Jackets delivered a 1-0 overtime win against the Nashville Predators.
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