Players excited for Cannonball "celebration"

This year has brought great success for the Blue Jackets on the ice. A group of players have brought their star power together to create something special as a team, and now, they sit among the top teams in the NHL.
But if you're a Blue Jacket, you don't just want to shine on the ice - you want to shine off it, as well.
This year, Feb. 1 marks the return of the Blue Jackets' Foundation annual event, The CannonBall, where everyone is invited to bring their own individual star power to unite in a constellation of change for central Ohio youth.

Forget what you think you know about a fundraising event: The CannonBall isn't your traditional sit-down dinner. It's a party full of surprises, good food, good drink, and fun.
"It's more of a celebration," Brandon Dubinsky said. "The CannonBall gives an opportunity for the people who come and support the Foundation to hang out and meet us a little bit more, and it gives us an opportunity to do the same. It's more fun for everybody."

This year's CannonBall theme, "Misson for Momentum," focuses on the bright future the Blue Jackets are trying to build for children in Columbus. The event has been designed to reflect this theme in everything from your experience the moment you enter ice level at Nationwide Arena, to what you eat, drink and wear.
All in all, it's a great evening to get out and have a good time, and something the team is looking forward to.
"Any time you can get a babysitter and get out of the house and enjoy yourself, it's fun," Dubinsky said. "It's not a chore for the players to go to (The CannonBall). It's fun to get dressed up and go out and enjoy yourself."
The event begins at 6:00 p.m. at Nationwide Arena and the suggested dress is cocktail attire that is befitting of the futuristic theme.
Throughout the night, community partners and individuals who have worked in concert with the Foundation will share their stories of progress in support of the organization's pillars of focus: pediatric cancer, reading, fitness through play, and the growth and development of amateur hockey.
"The Foundation does a lot of things," Dubinsky said. "It's great to be part of it. We're so blessed and we're lucky to do what we do and have what we have and have the platform that we do.
"It's nice to have that opportunity to give back and show our appreciation and try and do our best to raise money so we can find cures for these things so these families don't have to go through these tough times and these kids don't have to go through what they go through. We're just trying to raise as much money as we can."
Last year's CannonBall raised nearly half a million dollars. The Foundation is hoping to exceed that total and direct funds raised back to the community in the areas of the greatest need.
For more information, including how to buy tickets, click
here
.