Adam Foote Reviled in Return to Columbus

As expected, Adam Foote was given a warm welcome when he made his long awaited return to Columbus during Colorado's 3-2 victory Saturday night.

Because he's a shut-down defenseman who rarely touches the puck, Columbus instead chose to shower Foote with boos every time he got off the bench.

While in Columbus, Foote donned the captain's "C" on his jersey and was loved by fans, as he provided both experience and leadership to the young and talented Blue Jackets club.

That changed February 26, 2008: trade deadline day.

Foote was having some difficulty agreeing to a contract with the Jackets, so as it often happens with veterans on rebuilding teams, Adam Foote was shipped back to the Avalanche in exchange for a first round and a fourth round pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft.

One problem: Columbus fans, seeing their team that had never made the playoffs a mere five points out of the final spot, saw this as their leader abandoning them. Ever since they've wanted blood.

Rumors also emerged that Foote demanded he be traded to Colorado after he took off in a private jet in order to join the Avalanche for a road game in Calgary the very night he was re-acquired.

Well, that's certainly one side to the story.

The other side is that Foote wasn't the only veteran player the Blue Jackets traded away - Sergei Fedorov was also traded to the Washington Capitals the same day. If Columbus was intent on making the playoffs, they shouldn't have traded two multi-cup winners away during crunch time.

When the dust settled Columbus finished 13th in the Western Conference, 11 points out of the eighth playoff spot. I love him, but sorry, having 35 year old Adam Foote in the line-up wouldn't have been enough for Columbus to add an addition 12 points to their 80 point total.

Some confusion does remain as to whether Foote somehow orchestrated a return to Colorado. Is there any other way to explain why he was immediately flown from Columbus to Calgary moments after being traded?

Yes, there is.

After trading Karlis Skrastins to Florida in exchange for Ruslan Salei, the Avalanche found themselves with only five healthy defenseman.

Because Florida was too far of a distance to fly and make it to the game on time, Salei wasn't an option; an because Colorado's minor league affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, is also located in Ohio, making an emergency call-up wouldn't have been a faster option than flying Foote from Columbus to Calgary.

Consider one of hockey's biggest conspiracy's debunked.