24 Days Until Opening Night At Nationwide Arena: The History Of Jersey #24
The Columbus Blue Jackets have had many players don the Union Blue in its history. But only a handful have worn 24.
Let's look at the players that have worn the number.
Who Wore It First?
- Mike Gaul - Played two games for Columbus during the franchise's first season in 2000. He didn't score a point and never played another NHL game. He left for Europe in 2001 and retired in 2004.
Who Wore It Last?
- Mathieu Olivier - Olivier is entering his third season in Columbus and is a fan favorite. He has played 120 games and has 27 points. He also has 151 PIMs and is considered the team's enforcer and authoritarian. He is going into the last year of his contract and will be relied on heavily to keep the kids safe while navigating a tough year for Columbus.
Who Wore It Best?
- Derek MacKenzie - This is MacKenzie's second appearance on this list. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers, MacKenzie came to Columbus in 2007. He played 7 seasons with the CBJ and appeared in 279 games. He totaled 31 goals and 69 points in those 279 games. He left for the Florida Panthers in 2014 and played for five seasons, where he was the Captain for two.
Others That Have Worn #24
- Hannes Hyvönen - Played 36 games for the Jackets in 02-03, totaling 9 points. He never played another NHL game after Columbus and left for Europe in 2003. He retired in 2016.
- Todd Rohloff - Played 24 games for the Jackets in 03-04, getting two points. Rohloff retired after the 2005–06 season.
- François Beauchemin - Beauchemin only played 11 games as a Jacket before being traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Sergei Fedorov trade of 2005. Had he stayed a Jacket, he could've easily been listed as the best player to have worn #24. He went on to play 903 NHL games, score 288 points, and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. He returned to Anaheim in 2017 where he would play his last NHL season before retiring.
- Cam Severson - Severson played four games for Columbus in 05-06, and had 0 points. Ne would never play another NHL game after Columbus and retired in 2010.
- Kris Beech - Beech played 16 games for Columbus in 07-08. He had 9 points in those 16 games and would leave for Europe in 2009, where would play until 2016.
- Aaron Rome - Rome played 25 games for Columbus and had three points over two seasons. After leaving Columbus he played until 2015.
- Nathan Gerbe - If this was a popularity contest, Gerbe wins by a landslide. He only played 41 games over three seasons, but it felt like he played a decade. Gerbe spent much of his time with the organization with Cleveland, where he was the Captain for two seasons. He retired in 2022 and joined the Nashville Predators as a forward development coach.
There are 24 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
Who is your favorite #24? Please share your thoughts on our forum.
More From THN Columbus