The Columbus Blue Jackets have 24 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #24.
Let's take a look.
Mike Gaul - 2001 - Drafted by Los Angeles in 1991.
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 played in Switzerland until 2004. After retiring from professional hockey in 2004, Mike took a position as a senior partner at an Investment Bank, Vires Capital VII, where he is currently developing and overseeing a portfolio of infrastructure projects totaling over $80B.
Hannes Hyvönen - 2003 - Drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 1999.
He played 36 games for the Jackets in 02-03, totaling 9 points, after the CBJ claimed him off waivers. He never played another NHL game after Columbus loaned him to Färjestads BK in 2003.
He would go on to play in Finland, Switzerland, Russia, and Norway. He retired in 2016 and went into coaching in 2019. Hyvönen is currently the head coach of TPS U20 in Finland.
Todd Rohloff - 2004 - Undrafted out of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
Played 24 games for the Jackets in 03-04, getting two points. The defenseman also played four years at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, before turning pro.
Rohloff retired after the 2005–06 season after never playing another NHL game.
François Beauchemin - 2006 - Drafted by Montréal in 1998.
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, and possibly one of the best defensemen to ever wear a CBJ uniform.
He went on to play 903 NHL games, score 288 points, and win a Stanley Cup in 2007. He returned to Anaheim in 2017, where he played his last NHL season before retiring.
Beauchemin was an asst. coach for Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL last season.
Cam Severson - 2006 - Drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 1997.
After his trade from Calgary to Columbus, Severson played four games in 05-06 and had 0 points.
He left for Europe in 2006 to play in Germany, Poland, and Romania, and would never play another NHL Game. He retired in 2010.
Kris Beech - 2008 - Drafted by Washington in 1999.
After being claimed off waivers, Beech played 16 games for Columbus in 07-08. He had 9 points in those 16 games. He left for Europe in 2009, where he would play until 2016.
After playing for Columbus, Vancouver, and Pittsburgh in 07-08, he left for Europe and played in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Germany, Austria, and England. He retired in 2016.
He is now an assistant coach for HV71 of the Swedish Elite League.
Aaron Rome - 2009 Drafted by LA in 2002.
Rome played 25 games for Columbus and had three points over two seasons, after being traded from the Anaheim Ducks.
After playing for a few different teams, he would retire in 2015. He is now an asst. coach foe the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL.
Derek MacKenzie - 2010-2014 - 2008-2009 - Drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999.
MacKenzie played 279 games over the course of seven seasons for Columbus. He signed with Columbus in 2007 and made his debut in December of that year.
He left for the Florida Panthers in 2014 and would play there until he retired in 2019. Later that year, he was named an asst. coach for Florida. He's spent the last three seasons as an asst. coach for the Nashville Predators.
Nathan Gerbe - 2018-2021
If this were 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 five seasons with the organization in Cleveland, where he was the Captain for two seasons.
He retired in 2022 and joined the Nashville Predators as a development coach.
Mathieu Olivier - 2023-2025
Olivier is entering his fifth season in Columbus and is a fan favorite. He has played 263 games and has 85 points. He also has 391 PIMs and is considered the team's enforcer and authoritarian.
Trading for Mathieu Olivier is considered one of the most underrated trades ever by former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Re-signing him to his current deal is also considered one of the best moves by current GM Don Waddell.
There are 24 days until opening night at NWA.
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