STH spotlight: Support for CBJ, local hockey runs deep for Zazon family

Throughout the Blue Jackets' 20th anniversary celebration, BlueJackets.com will be profiling season ticket holders who have become an integral part of the CBJ experience as part of the Season Ticket Holder spotlight presented by Jet's Pizza.
Any strong hockey community needs people like Mike and Sue Zazon.
The two have been Blue Jackets season ticket holders from the beginning. Their son, Matthew, plays goalie for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, and Zazons have been a billet family for out-of-town members of the AAA program for years.

And as the central Ohio regional president of Huntington Bank, one of the Blue Jackets' top partners over the years, Sue is able to bring together two of her passions -- the sport the family loves and her job at company that is one of the corporate pillars of Columbus.
"With my career at Huntington, it's made it that much better because (hockey is) something to celebrate Columbus and everything all together with friends and companies and corporate clients and so forth," Sue said. "Literally every single year, it's grown in a different way, a different facet for our family and t's become sort of our family culture."
It all started because of Mike's love of the sport, which he acquired growing up in the Detroit area. On the rink, one of his earliest coaches was Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, part of the Detroit Red Wings' famed Production Line, and he played as a kid with Mark and Marty Howe, sons of the legendary Gordie Howe. He became a standout in both hockey and baseball, playing with the Little Caesars program in both sports and reaching the point he lived with a billet family for a spell.
As an adult, his jobs took him across the United States before he ended up moving to Columbus to take a job at Huntington in 1984. The only thing missing at the time? A professional hockey team, as Mike had been an original season ticket holder at Joe Louis Arena when it opened in 1979 to serve as the home of the Red Wings.
Eventually, he met Sue, a Grove City native, and after the two married, hockey followed. First came the Columbus Chill of the ECHL in 1991, igniting a passion in the capital city for the sport that led to the establishment of the Blue Jackets, who began play in October 2000.
"I was thrilled beyond belief because I grew up a Red Wings fan, and I just know how enjoyable it was to be a Red Wings season ticket holder," Mike said. "I knew it would take off here in central Ohio. Sue and I used to go to the Columbus Chill games and we used to have a riot. When the Blue Jackets showed up, it was phenomenal."
It certainly has become a family affair for the Zazons and their six kids, including Matthew, who started playing with the Columbus Chill Youth Hockey Association and has moved up the ranks with the AAA Blue Jackets, even getting the chance to represent the program by playing in the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 2016.
The youngest Zazon of the group seemingly had little choice but to be a Blue Jackets fan, as given his age, he had the ability to start attending games when he was a youngster.
"I can remember the first time we took him out, we actually took him to a Blue Jackets game," Sue said. "He was on the Jumbotron. So we've had season tickets since the beginning, personally, and really it was because of Mike's experience with hockey. We just learned to love it, and then our youngest when he was little started to play, and then it kind of grew from there. Really, it became more of a family experience in so many ways."
That includes continuing to serve as a billet family in the AAA Blue Jackets program for the past six years. The Zazons have hosted young players from such places as the Florida, Illinois and South Dakota, including one season they hosted a member of the program's girls hockey team. Some years, they've even had two billets live with them, and one young player even brought an emotional support dog for the year.
"One of the reasons that we're billet parents now is because we want to give back, and I certainly want to give back for all the learning experiences that I had," Mike said. "The billeting process is really cool because it gives kids a chance to experience some things they otherwise wouldn't. It helped me grow up a lot, and I'm sure our billets would say the same."
While Mike is retired from his job at Huntington Bank, Sue continues to be able to use the company's relationship with the Blue Jackets to improve the community. Huntington initiatives include programs that bring Columbus City Schools kids to games, while tickets and special experiences are used to drive business and reward customers. Huntington also sponsors the Blue Jackets
Hockey to Go
and
Summer Takeover
programs, initiatives to get sticks in hands via introductory clinics at youth-based facilities, community organizations and summer camps throughout central Ohio.
The culture at Huntington also often includes the Blue Jackets, with the company encouraging employees to wear CBJ gear during the team's playoff runs and using tickets to recognize high-performing employees.
"I've used it at the bank to help raise money for nonprofits and for causes and having employees come and for recognition," Sue said. "It just lifts everybody up -- the community, our colleagues, the different causes. We have partnered with the Blue Jackets with different volunteer events and different things at Children's Hospital and so forth, so it's not just about the game of hockey but all the things that surround hockey. That's what made it really important."
The 20th home opener in Blue Jackets history took place last night with no fans in the Nationwide Arena stands. For the Zazons, that means a constant of their life since the inaugural season is missing.
"We've really missed it this year, not having any games and none of that going on," Sue said. "It just really matters, and without it, it feels empty right now."
Soon enough, though, the two will be able to be back, along with the rest of The 5th Line.