The Columbus Blue Jackets have 43 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #43. Let's take a look. Jan Čaloun - 2001 - Drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 1992. Čaloun played 11 games for the CBJ during its inaugural season, scoring three points. After his 11 games in Columbus, he would return to Europe and retire in 2010. He moved into coaching after his playing days, and currently coaches ESC Dresden U17 in Germany. David Ling - 2001-2004 - Drafted by the Québec Nordiques in 1993. David Ling is a forgotten tough guy for the Blue Jackets. Standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 204 pounds, he was a bulldog-type player. Ling had seasons where he fought 10 and 12 times. He fought guys like Jarkko Ruutu and Jeremy Stevenson, as well as Jordin Tootoo. He played alongside Jody Shelley during the two seasons where he was fighting a lot. Having those two on the same team had to be pretty intimidating for other teams, knowing that at any time you might be called to fight one of them. Ling has been playing professional hockey since 1995 and continues to this day. He currently plays for the Miramichi Northmen of the LHSB in Canada. Tom Sestito - 2007-2001 - Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2006. Another NHL tough guy, Sestito played in 13 games for the CBJ in his career, totaling 4 points and 64 PIMs. He went on to play for the Flyers, Canucks, and Penguins, before retiring in 2019. Maksim Mayorov - 2008-2012 - Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2007. Mayorov only played 22 games for the CBJ in 4 years before returning to Russia to finish out his career, which ended in 2019. Darryl Boyce - 2012 - Undrafted out of Prince Edward Island. Boyce played 20 games for Columbus in 2012 and totaled 3 points. He left for Europe for one season before coming back to North America and signing with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL for one season. He returned to Europe in 2014, where he would play until retiring in 2018. Sean Collins - 2013-2014 - Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008. Played in 19 games for the CBJ in four seasons and had 3 points. He left for Europe in 2016 and has played in several countries. He is signed to play for the Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL, which plays in Sheffield, England, in 26-27. Scott Hartnell - 2014-2017 - Drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2000. Hartnell was traded to Columbus on June 23, 2014, for R.J. Umberger and a draft pick. Hartnell would go on to play in 234 games for the Blue Jackets. He scored 64 goals and totaled 146 points. He sits 24th on the all-time points list in Blue Jackets history. Hartnell would go on to sign a free agent deal with the Nashville Predators on July 1, 2017, after Columbus bought him out on June 29, 2017. He retired on October 1, 2018. Mikko Lehtonen - 2020-2021 - Undrafted out of Turku, Finland. Lehtonen was traded by the Maple Leafs to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Veini Vehviläinen on March 12, 2021. He went on to play just 17 games for Columbus. In October of 2021, it was announced that he was suspended by the team and placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout after failing to report to the Cleveland Monsters. He left for Europe again in 2021 and is signed on to play for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League for 26-27. Danton Heinen - 2025-Current - Drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2014. Heinen was traded to Columbus by Pittsburgh with a 2nd-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 3rd-round pick in 2027 for Yegor Chinakhov on December 29, 2025. After his trade, he played in 33 games for Columbus and totaled 10 points and was a plus-6. On July 22, 2026, he agreed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $1 million at the NHL level. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and never miss a story. Let us know what you think below. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. Share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum
