36 Days Until Opening Night At Nationwide Arena: The History Of Jersey #36
The Columbus Blue Jackets have had a lot of players don the Union Blue in its history. But only a handful have worn 36.
Let's look at the players that have worn the number.
Who Wore It First?
- Sean Selmser - Drafted by Pittsburgh in 1993, Selmser only played in one NHL game. That one game in the inaugural year for the CBJ during the 2000-01 season. He played 11 minutes and had 5 PIMs. He never played another NHL game after that and finished his career in Austria in 2012.
Who Wore It Last?
- Justin Richards - The son of former head coach Todd Richards, the younger Richards played 2 career games for the Jackets during the 2022-23 season and had one assist. He recently signed with Düsseldorfer EG in Germany.
Who Wore It Best?
- Mathieu Roy - I give this award based on points scored as a Blue Jacket, which he is the leader with 10. Roy scored 10 points in 31 games during the 2009-10 season. After his time with Columbus, he only played 5 NHL games. He last played in the The Saint-Georges de Beauce Cool FM 103.5 league in Canada in 2023.
Honorable Mention
- Jonathan Marchessault - He only played two games in Columbus and was one of the first players that former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen traded when he was hired. Hindsight is 20/20, but this has to be one of the biggest oops moments in CBJ history. No one can predict the future, but it's clear Marchessault is the one that got away. He now has 487 career points.
Others That Have Worn #36
- Donald MacLean - Played 4 games during the 03-04 season and had one point. Played 41 total NHL games.
- Michael Paliotta - Played in 1 game for Columbus during the 15-16 season and had 0 points. He played 2 career NHL games.
- Jussi Jokinen - Played 14 games during the 17-18 season for the CBJ and had one point. He was claimed off of waivers by the Kings and then traded to Vancouver for Thomas Vanek.
The Blue Jackets have 36 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Don Waddell has a lot of work to do from now until training camp which could include signing PTO's, making trades, or signing free agents that are still out there.
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