The Jackets have only had one player wear the #61. No one else will wear it.

I remember watching Rick Nash get drafted 1st overall in 2002. GM Doug MacLean made a bold move and traded up to get the big winger from the London Knights of the OHL. I was young and ecstatic about this trade.

Way back in 2002, it wasn’t as easy for fans to keep up with kids in junior or overseas prospects as it is today. Reading newspaper articles, or The Hockey News, and watching ESPN were the ways to get the info. Doug MacLean made no bones about who he wanted, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get him, and he did.

After being drafted 1st overall, Nash went on to sign his first NHL contract, a deal that was signed minutes before the deadline. That contract, at the time, was the most lucrative ever signed by an NHL rookie, valued at $1.2 million per season, with bonuses and incentives that ranged from 8 to $12 million.

He made his debut on October 10th, 2002, and promptly scored his first NHL goal. Nash was the first #1 overall pick to score in his debut game since Mario Lemieux in 1984. He didn’t stop there.

Nash went on to score 41 goals in his 2nd NHL season to secure the Rocket Richard Trophy, which he shared with snipers Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk. He was the youngest player in league history to lead the league in goals.

During the lockout of 2004-05, what did he do? He had 46 points in 44 games and led his team, HC Davos of the Swiss league, to a championship, as well as the 2004 Spengler Cup.

Skip a few years to this beauty.

A goal that was instantly called the NHL goal of the year, and quite possibly the best goal in CBJ history. I distinctly remember jumping out of my chair, knocking my tray table over, spilling my food and drink all over the floor, and scaring my cats and dogs half to death. Worth it.

Skip ahead another year, and we have more firsts. Newly minted Captain Rick Nash, helped by star rookie goalie Steve Mason, led the Blue Jackets to their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth. About a month before that, however, Nash and the Jackets throttled the Red Wings, with Nash scoring on three unassisted goals. The last player to do that in the NHL was Maurice Richard back in 1948. Nash also had a career-high 79 points. Later in that off-season, Nash would be signed to an 8-year contract worth $62.4 million.

And now we skip ahead to 2011, a year in which most CBJ fans would like to forget. Columbus started very badly, going 2-12-1, the worst start by an NHL team in 19 years. Rumors started swirling that Nash was unhappy and that the CBJ front office was thinking of trading him as a solution to the on-ice issues. GM Scott Howson said publicly that he hadn’t been talking to teams about Rick, but other teams had inquired about trading for Nash. When pressed about this situation, Rick said that if the franchise felt it could improve itself by dealing him, he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to get the deal done. Howson, again, said he wasn’t shopping Nash, but then stated he was open to all options. Then, after an entire season of speculation, the day came when Rick Nash was no longer a Blue Jacket. He was sent to the Rangers on a day that was emotional for a lot of CBJ fans.

It took a few years for people to get over the trade. They were mad at him, but were also mad at Scott Howson and the Jackets, mostly. Had Howson and the Jackets put a decent team around Nash, maybe we wouldn’t be in this position. Howson failed Rick Nash and the CBJ fans, plain and simple. Scott Howson would be fired on February 13th, 2013, putting an end to his reign.

Nash would go on to play six seasons for the Rangers, playing in 375 games and getting 252 points. In 2017-18, he played 11 games for the Boston Bruins. Then, on January 11th, 2019, at the young age of 34, his career was cut short by lingering concussion symptoms. After playing in 1060 career games, tallying 805 career points, Rick Nash was forced to retire. A few years later, the Jackets hired him to be the director of player development. Many think that in the coming years, having studied under Jarmo Kekäläinen and John Davidson, and now Don Waddell, he could become the GM for the CBJ if he chooses to. It sure does seem like they’re grooming him for the job.

Simply put, Rick Nash is the greatest player to have worn a CBJ uniform, which culminated in his #61 being raised to the rafters of Nationwide Arena in March of 2022, and as that banner was being raised, there weren’t too many dry eyes in that arena.

Rick Nash holds just about every offensive record, including goals, career points, PP goals, game-winning goals, even strength assists, power play assists, shots, and TOI. His games played record was broken by Captain Boone Jenner recently, and his points in a season record was broken by Artemi Panarin in 2017-18. Last season, Zach Werenski passed him on the career assist list.

Rick Nash is the one single player who kept me, and many fans, interested in the Blue Jackets. I have often stated that without Rick Nash, this team may not even be in Columbus right now. For years, he single-handedly kept fans coming into Nationwide Arena. Some still hold a grudge against him, and that’s fair, but Scott Howson and the front office are to blame for not putting a team around him. Most fans, however, love him.

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