"Pucks with Haggs" publishes twice a week. Subscribe here and get Pucks with Haggs straight to your email! Please feel free to comment, share, like, etc. And Subscribe! Thanks and see you at the rinks!
It doesn’t happen very often, so you’ve got to savor those moments when the city of Columbus, Ohio becomes the center of the hockey universe.
Even if it’s only for a day or two.
That’s exactly what happened last weekend when the Columbus Blue Jackets retired their first player number in franchise history as they raised Rick Nash’s No. 61 up to the rafters. The 37-year-old Nash was forced into an early retirement four years ago due to chronic concussion issues after being dealt to the Boston Bruins from the New York Rangers, but before that he was a point-producing Blue Jackets beast.
The bulk of his standout career was in Columbus as their first ever No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NHL Draft just a couple of years into the expansion club’s existence. Nash is still the Columbus franchise leader in goals (289) and points (547) and is tied with Cam Atkinson for the most ever goals in a single season for the Blue Jackets. The big winger was the face of Blue Jackets hockey for a decade, he was a gold medalist for Team Canada and he even had his own iconic moment flashing amazing skill and hands for a player that stood 6-foot-4, 220-pounds in a power forward’s body.
They call this the double-toe drag and it’s being copied to this day by amateur players.
It was fitting, then, that Nash was the first Blue Jackets player to be immortalized with a number retirement as Columbus’ first ever franchise player, a six-time participant in NHL All-Star games and a Rocket Richard winner.
"It's moments like this that will be a part of the story of the Columbus Blue Jackets forever," said Columbus Blue Jackets President John Davidson. "Our organization is one of the youngest in the NHL, and building history takes time. Tonight, we take a significant step in our journey as a franchise.
"We are extremely lucky to have him. Rick is a Blue Jacket. He may have left for a little bit -- and that does happen -- but he found his way home."
Nash was honored with a video from such luminaries as Joe Thornton, Corey Perry, Manny Malhotra, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, and he was gifted with a blue jacket lined with his career highlights in Columbus…and a customized golf cart.
But the other part of the special weekend was the Boston Bruins team that played the visitor’s role in Saturday night’s festivities. Sure, the red-hot B’s ended up spoiling things with a 4-3 shootout win over the Blue Jackets that didn’t allow Columbus to get the ‘W’ on Rick’s big night.
But former Columbus captain Nick Foligno’s also returned to Nationwide Arena for the first time as a member of the Boston Bruins, and the team that Nash played his final NHL games with was an appropriate choice. Former teammates like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, Sean Kuraly and Brandon Carlo were also on hand to honor Nash’s Columbus achievements.
Foligno was emotional after he got his own video tribute during the game and then took quick lap postgame while pointing to his heart and applauding back to the appreciative Blue Jackets fans.
"It was emotional," said Foligno told Bally Sports Ohio after a game where the last three captains of the Blue Jackets (Nash, Foligno and Boone Jenner) got to take part in the ceremonial pregame puck drop. "Better than I expected. It was special. I was so happy for Rick, first of all. Being able to be here for that meant a lot to me just to see that. I have so much respect for him and what he's done in this organization and continues to do. I was thrilled for his family, and I think that set the tone for the night.
"And then they got me pretty good with that tribute. I didn't expect to get emotional like that, but it's hard. There are so many things that run through your head. Seeing that video reel play, there's a lot of great memories here. I love the fans; I love this organization and I tried to play with my heart and wore it on my sleeve. A lot of great moments in nine years."
The rest was left up to Nash himself, a quiet, humble big lug that was always team-first even as he piled up huge numbers and flashed dazzling skills that made him one of the best players of his era. In a move that wasn’t surprising at all, Nash turned his individual jersey retirement into a celebration of his Columbus teams, and of the Blue Jackets organization he essentially helped place on the NHL map.
"You watched an 18-year-old kid grow up right in front of your eyes. You guys were very patient with me,” said Nash to a full house of Blue Jackets fans. “There were a lot of ups and downs, but I'll tell you one thing, you guys made it easy to compete and work hard in a Blue Jackets jersey. This banner doesn't represent what I did. It represents what we did. My family and I are proud to be Columbus Blue Jackets and we're proud to live in Columbus, Ohio."
And it’s more than a banner when Dublin, Ohio native Sean Kuraly watched the ceremony as a current Blue Jackets player that grew up rooting for Nash and the Blue Jackets and serves as a living example that a college football city like Columbus is rapidly becoming a hockey town as well. The Blue Jackets have Nash to thank for that in large part, and they did their best to show him their gratitude with a ceremony the best player in Blue Jackets history.
