NHL Team Guide: Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the newer franchises in the NHL having been founded in 2000, the same year the team joined the league. Columbus struggled early but finally qualified for the postseason in 2008-09. They remain the only NHL team that has never made an appearance in a conference final.
Fans of the Blue Jackets can watch their team on national broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN. The Columbus schedule can also be watched on TV at FOX Sports Ohio, which carries regional games. Blue Jackets fans can also live stream games on the FOX Sports app.
NHL Standings
Columbus entered the league in 2000 and was placed in the Central Division of the Western Conference. When the league decided to realign in 2013, the Blue Jackets became members of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. That is where they remain along with Carolina, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington.
Championship History
In two decades of play in the NHL, the Columbus franchise has yet to win a championship of any sorts. They have not won a division title and have never even played for a conference championship.
The Blue Jackets’ best finish ever has been a pair of third-place division finishes in 2005-06 and 2016-17. The 2005-06 team did not qualify for the postseason. In 2016-17, the Blue Jackets finished 50-24-8 in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus qualified for the postseason but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins who would go on to become that season’s Stanley Cup champions.
Home of the Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets play their home NHL schedule at the Nationwide Arena located in downtown Columbus. The arena was built and completed in 2000, the same year the Blue Jackets joined the NHL. Nationwide Arena seats 18,500 for hockey games.
Best of the Blue Jackets
With the Blue Jackets short history, the franchise has yet to retire a jersey number. Only one NHL player with an affiliation to Columbus is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. That is Sergei Fedorov, who played just three seasons in Columbus after having spent the bulk of his career in Detroit.
Still, the Blue Jackets have had some great players in their two decades of play. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky won two Vezina Trophies while in Columbus. He went 21-11-6 with a .932 save percentage in 2012-13 to win his first. In 2016-17, Bobrovsky posted a record of 41-17-5 and a save percentage of .932 to capture his second award. He won a total of 192 games in seven seasons with Columbus.
The franchise’s all-time leading scorer is Rick Nash who totaled 289 goals, 258 assists, and 547 points. All three numbers are tops in Blue Jackets history. Nash played nine years in Columbus and, in just his second season in 2003-04, he won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy given to the NHL player that scores the most goals in a season. Nash was a five-time NHL all-star.
Author: Dan Anderson