Rick Nash Retires/Appreciation thread

Iron Balls McGinty

Registered User
Aug 5, 2005
8,422
6,308
There's a movement to sign him for one day then retire his number in our rafters.... I know it's a stretch but after 20 years we're one of the few NHL teams with nothing in our rafters other than mold and cob webs... Thoughts??

Eh, retired numbers are things that should be reserved for a truly great player. He stands out here because we've literally had nobody else but he still stands at 161 on the NHL career scoring list in comparison. If they want to honor it and just not give it to anyone that is fine. I'm not sure people will come out of the woodwork for that number anyway.
 

Cyclones Rock

Registered User
Jun 12, 2008
10,456
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Eh, retired numbers are things that should be reserved for a truly great player. He stands out here because we've literally had nobody else but he still stands at 161 on the NHL career scoring list in comparison. If they want to honor it and just not give it to anyone that is fine. I'm not sure people will come out of the woodwork for that number anyway.
2002 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com

FWIW, he's the leader in points of his draft class and has the most goals in that class by almost 200 over #2.
 
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CBJWerenski8

Formerly CBJWennberg10 (RIP Kivi)
Jun 13, 2009
41,994
23,926
If you were able to return to playing in the NHL, what are the chances you would have played for the Blue Jackets again?
Strong. Strong to very strong.

And was there more to that than simply wanting to continue playing in the NHL and wanting to play where you live?
Well, it’s all hypothetical now, right? But coming full circle … it would have been fun to finish off here in front of my friends and family, knowing this is a place I’ll live for the rest of my life. I had a great career. It was fun. I got to accomplish so much and meet a lot of new people (in New York) and had a lot of opportunities that I probably wouldn’t have had if I’d stayed here. But, to answer your question, it would have been awesome to come full circle and finish here as a player, wearing the sweater.

When you look back now at how it ended for you in Columbus in 2011-12 … there were people, undoubtedly, who understood you asking to be traded, and there were people angry or hurt by it, too, absolutely. But are there any regrets or anything you would do differently today?
Everything turned out fine. I think there are a lot of things said behind closed doors that never really came out and I would never let them come out. But I think it some sense, my true friends and my family, they’ve always known exactly what went on in those rooms. To be honest, I would never put it out there because I take more pride in myself than to throw somebody under the bus for what happened back then. I’ve put it behind me. The only thing I would change is I wish it wasn’t as messy as it was. It sucked coming back here and getting booed, but once the puck drops that doesn’t matter. Coming back here for the All-Star Game and getting booed … it is what it is. I kind of appreciated it in a way, for how much Columbus loves their Blue Jackets and their hockey. For it to come full circle and get the applause on Sunday, I couldn’t think of a better way to go out.

Your first time back with the Rangers … it’s one of the few times I’ve sat at the keyboard and not known what the hell to type because it was just so bizarre. Surreal. The shoving match with (Sergei) Bobrovsky. The fight with (Matt) Calvert. I get why it happened, and maybe it needed to happen. But …
People still ask me about that to this day, like ‘What were you thinking?’ Well, first of all, the guy speared me in the nuts …

This is Bobrovsky.
Yeah. We’ve talked about this before. He speared me in the nuts, so I turned around and I pushed ’em. I mean, come on. I have my back turned and someone spears me in the nuts. What are you gonna do? I pushed him, my stick dropped. When I went to pick up my stick, he kicked my stick away. I mean, what do you want me to do, skate back to the bench with my tail between my legs? Then a scuffle happens. Calvert came out and said, ‘Do you wanna fight?’ I’m pretty sure I had a concussion that year, so I said, ‘I think I’m good. I’m all right.’ And he said, ‘Well, we have to go.’ So that’s what we did. We went. That’s hockey.

Did that help you move on in a way, or was that as weird for you as it was for some people?
That whole night was weird. It was just a weird night. It never felt normal. But that’s what happens when you have passionate hockey fans and passionate players. It’s the game.

Did you feel some sense of relief after last week, not just knowing that your news was out there but knowing you’d be welcome back into the arms of the city and the organization?
100 percent. I’ve always felt like it would be like this because you can’t erase the nine years that I was here. It’s a part of the history of the franchise, and it’s a part of my best memories. I owe a lot of that to J.D. and Jarmo, and I know they wanted to make things right with me and the organization as much as I wanted to be taken back into this organization. I loved being a Ranger, it was great. But at the end of the day, this is where I started, this is home. Me and the fans here have experienced so many ups and downs together that it just wouldn’t be right if I lived here and wasn’t part of it. I think Sunday was a pretty cool thing. Everyone is happy and it’s time to move on to the next chapter.

What are your thoughts about No. 61 one day hanging in the rafters at Nationwide? I’ll be honest, Rick, I’ve poked around on this and I haven’t found anybody who is less than emphatic about the fact that it should happen.
I almost don’t even want to talk about it because I don’t want to jinx it in any way. I’ve accomplished some pretty cool things with the Stanley Cup final, the Olympics … but outside of having children, I think that would be the biggest honor of my life, without a doubt, to know the impact I had on this organization. But you know me, I don’t expect anything like that. I don’t wait on it. But what can you say, that would be the biggest honor of my life.

To be the first guy up there …
Forever, right? It’s forever. I can take my grandkids there. It would honestly be the most special thing. But, in saying that, I don’t expect it. You’ve traveled to every NHL arena. You’ve seen the numbers up there, some of the guys that have been honored that way. To be remembered in that way … just incredible.

Rick Nash Q&A: Blue Jackets former captain, now retired,...
 
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe

Hey! We won!
May 30, 2003
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I have ZERO issues retiring Nash's number. Impact and importance to the organization factor into these things too. He was the only player worth a damn for a long time (consistently worth a damn, at least), won the Rocket Richard trophy, was a five-time All-Star and basically the face of the team in its formative years. I'd be happy to see 61 up in the rafters.
 

JacketsDavid

Registered User
Jan 11, 2013
2,635
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Eh, retired numbers are things that should be reserved for a truly great player. He stands out here because we've literally had nobody else but he still stands at 161 on the NHL career scoring list in comparison. If they want to honor it and just not give it to anyone that is fine. I'm not sure people will come out of the woodwork for that number anyway.

Here's the thing - we aren't the Yankees or some elite franchise where only HOF type of players get in.
He was the #1 overall pick who was our best player for several years and led us to our first playoff appearance.
I get he's not great, but he's the best we had. I'm ok with putting #61 up in rafters. I mean at this point what is in the rafters Mr Mac and the 5th line? Not like there isn't plenty of real estate up there.
 

MoeBartoli

Checkers-to-Jackets
Jan 12, 2011
13,902
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My girlfriend and I had dinner at one of our favorite and regular spots last night. Talking to Michael, the long-time manager, I asked him if any of the Jackets ever stopped in. My question was really to see if Foligno ever stopped in, knowing that he lived in the area. Ironically he replied "Rick Nash just came in". I looked around the corner and sure enough, there was Nash and his wife.

While my fan instinct was to approach him, I decided to let him enjoy the night in peace, but my words to him would have been I hope to see his number hanging from Nationwide's rafters.
 

brianhatesu

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Aug 8, 2003
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Old Guy

Just waitin' on my medication.
Aug 30, 2015
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Columbus Blue Jackets Career Leaders | Hockey-Reference.com

He leads the team in almost every offensive category, was the face of the franchise from game #1 until his trade, most productive player of his draft year by a significant margin. The franchise is approaching its 20th year on the ice.

How does he NOT get #61 retired?

I get the sentiment, but we suffered through years 1 and 2 before being drafted. Not exactly game#1.

With what that guy did building the market he deserves every honor Columbus could bestow.
 

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