What do you need to know about last night's big stories? Joe McDonald gives us his take on the biggest and best. This is where we say, "Morning, Joe."
On second thought: Two days ago, I wrote that Florida Panthers' Jaromir Jagr becoming the NHL's second all-time points leader was no big deal. Well, I've changed my mind. Of course it's an impressive milestone for the 44-year-old forward to amass 1,888 career points to move past Mark Messier for sole possession of second place, as he did with an assist in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday. I've had the opportunity to cover Jagr and I've witnessed just how hard he works to stay in shape in order to compete in a younger man's game. It's virtually impossible to reach Wayne Gretzky's total of 2,857 points -- according to ESPN's Stats & Info Group, at his current point-a-game pace of this season Jagr would have to play until he was 65 to do it -- but he is an ageless wonder and you can never doubt his desire to keep playing and producing.
Jackets jacked: If we were late in the playoffs, it would be a fair assessment to say that the Columbus Blue Jackets are favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They are the hottest team in the NHL and have won 11 consecutive games to move into a tie for first place overall with 48 points after dismantling the reigning Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins 7-1 on Thursday. But are the Blue Jackets peaking too soon? Too many times in the past a team will play this well only to fall back to earth at the most inopportune time. This won't happen to the Blue Jackets because they're a hard-working team that is tough to play against. The Jackets play a fast game with skill and determination. It helps that their special teams and goaltending are tops in the league. Sergei Bobrovsky is proving again to be Vezina Trophy contender and if he can remain healthy, it would be a great story to see the Blue Jackets go on a deep Stanley Cup playoff run.