The Columbus Blue Jackets have a ton of loyal fans, but only one can say that he drives a 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 Indy Car capable of reaching speeds of around 235 MPH. That driver is Graham Rahal, driver of the #15 car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Rahal, born in Columbus and raised in New Albany, is a huge Blue Jackets fan and isn't afraid to speak his mind when it comes to his beloved hockey team.
THN Columbus had the pleasure of conducting a Q&A with the six time series winner to talk about the team he grew up rooting for.
We hope you enjoy!
THN Columbus: First off, are you still on cloud nine after the Buckeyes won the National Title? Do you think they can run it back?
Rahal: Yeah, I mean, I think they've got a really good chance this year of running it back. I think they're absolutely loaded once again, so it just comes down to getting all the players in the same position they were last year, and putting it all together. And of course, quarterback. Really young at the quarterback position, so we'll see.
THN Columbus: Everyone knows you’re one of the biggest CBJ fans. What’s the earliest memory you have of Blue Jackets hockey?
Rahal: I fell in love with them literally the first year. I actually had a high school girlfriend; her dad ran the Pepsi Bottling facility, and they were a sponsor of the Blue Jackets. So, you know, one of the first years they were in town, I went and sat right on the glass, and I'll never forget. It was in that moment that I got addicted to the sport, and I've loved it ever since.
THN Columbus: What Jackets game that you’ve been to, do you remember the most?
Rahal: Of all the Jackets games I've went to, probably against Boston in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, round two. I went to that game. I think it was the one game that they won. But it was an extremely rowdy environment, and Marchand was cheap-shotting everybody, and it was just a rowdy environment. Really, really, cool.
THN Columbus: Who is your all-time favorite Jacket, and who is your current favorite player?
Rahal: I don't know as far one singular player that I loved. I mean, Cam Atkinson and I are still very close. I've got a lot of love for Cam. I would say probably my favorite player is Werenski. I think Zach really doesn't get the credit that he deserves, and last year kind of showed just how damn good he is. But, Rick Nash, I've gotten to know a little bit, and I would say Nash is the most iconic Jacket because he came here at a time when the Jackets were terrible. And you know, led them, and still leads them in most every stat. And as you know, he's still involved with the team.
THN Columbus: How do you feel about the current state of Blue Jackets hockey, and are you excited for the future?
Rahal: I really wanted to see them go after some people in free agency, and it seems they did a whole lot of nothing, which as a fan, has become kind of a constant theme which has been difficult. But you know, we'll see what happens here in the years to come.
THN Columbus: How did you feel about the way last season went?
Rahal: I'm pretty pumped about how the season went. I thought we really didn't have any chance in hell of doing anything, and they actually had a pretty damn good year. Overall, they played awesome, and I'm looking forward to what this next season has in store.
THN Columbus: What are your expectations for the upcoming season?
Rahal: I think they're going to be good. I think they're going to be exciting, but I think they'll miss the playoffs again. I hope I'm wrong, but you know, they really just didn't make any big moves in the offseason. You know, for me, you want to keep the cohesive group, but at the same time, you would have liked to see some good goal scorers come in. I'm not sure we nailed that. Hopefully I'm wrong, then again, I'm a race car driver, I'm not a hockey pro.
THN Columbus: What would be your message to Blue Jackets fans as we enter the summer?
Rahal: I think all of us know what it's about. We've been loyal fans from day one, we'll keep being loyal fans, and we love what it's all about. We love the city of Columbus, and it's just such a great sports town, and I look forward to seeing them next year.
We would like to thank Graham Rahal for taking time out of his extremely busy race schedule to answer our questions about the Blue Jackets.
Rahal finished 7th at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto yesterday in Toronto.
Let us know what you think below.
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