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Blue Jackets fans are going to protest and demand firings

Nashville Predators v Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 19: Steve Mason #1 of the Columbus Blue Jackets takes the ice for the game against the Nashville Predators at Nationwide Arena on January 19, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)

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You knew it had to happen eventually.

With how bad the Blue Jackets have been this season and the lack of forward progress they’ve seen in spite of firing former coach Scott Arniel, some Columbus fans have just about had it. Columbus Dispatch columnist Michael Arace finds out that some Blue Jackets fans are going to protest the team to try and make change happen.

On Saturday, as the NHL stands down for the All-Star break, some Jackets fans are planning to gather in front of Nationwide to demand the ouster of team president Mike Priest and general manager Scott Howson. The summons first went out on the web on Monday night — right after the Jackets staggered through a 4-1 loss at Nashville.

We’ve seen protests in Montreal against the hiring of Randy Cunneyworth but protesting a team for failing to get things right in a city desperate to root for a winner seems like a nobler effort. In Columbus where the team has made the playoffs once in team history and the team is perpetually losing money, wanting to see the people in charge ousted makes a world of sense.

The other side of this, however, is whether or not the fans can help make the message crystal clear that they demand better.