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★ People ★
DAN TRITTSCHUH
rick nash
Sticking with the Blue Jackets IN 2009, RICK NASH found himself at a crossroads. Should the hockey star continue on with the Columbus Blue Jackets, whose slim hopes of making the playoffs rested mostly on his shoulders, or jump ship to a squad with a much better chance of competing for the Stanley Cup? Seemingly every other NHL club wooed him and multiple media reports said he was seriously considering returning to his hometown to play for his childhood favorite Toronto Maple Leafs. Nash, however, stayed true to Columbus, signing an eightyear contract extension. “Rick made a significant statement to Columbus and for Columbus in terms of how he feels about playing here,” Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson said then. “He loves Columbus; he never wanted to leave. That’s what made me so optimistic all along that we could sign him to an extension.” The first overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Nash’s impact on the roster of the nascent Blue Jackets was immediate. In his first professional appearance, on Oct. 10, 2002, he scored the team’s first goal of the season off a rebound against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. Asked by a
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reporter at the time if he considered himself the future of hockey in Columbus, Nash—in a momentary break from his trademark modesty—replied, “I want to be that guy.” Nearly 10 years and an Olympic gold medal later, Nash, who was named team captain in 2008, continues to be the rock on the Blue Jackets roster, consistently atop the team’s stat sheet for goals scored. The two-time Olympian and multiple all-star has left quite a mark off the ice with his charitable endeavors, too— supporting scholarships for Ohio State University studentathletes and joining the fight against pediatric cancer. In 2009, Nash won the NHL Foundation Player Award, given to the person who most exemplifies the league’s commitment to service and philanthropy. While other athletes would leap at the opportunity to compete for the title every year, Nash knows that his team needs more time to mature, often under his own leadership. His loyalty to the Blue Jackets, as well as to the city, is what has endeared him to fans and will enshrine him in Columbus lore. —Ben Zenitsky