Columbus Blue Jackets

History

Building a new franchise (1997–2000)

Prior to the establishment of the Blue Jackets, the last NHL team in the state of Ohio was the Cleveland Barons, who played from 1976 to 1978. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets replaced the Columbus Chill of the ECHL, who played in the city from 1991 to 1999. The Chill played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum, where they set a minor league hockey record by selling out 83 consecutive games.

In November 1996, five investors formed a partnership called Columbus Hockey Limited, who then submitted an application and a $100,000 fee to the NHL office. The voters of Columbus were considering a referendum to build a publicly financed arena, a major step toward approval of their NHL bid. When League Commissioner Gary Bettman visited Columbus to meet with the community's leaders about the franchise proposal, there was concern that the voters might not pass the needed referendum. The civic leaders told Bettman that they would not be willing to foot the bill for the team if the referendum failed. However, just after the meeting adjourned, John H. McConnell (one of those who entered the bid) privately guaranteed Bettman that an arena would be built, referendum or not.

Columbus' hopes for the bid dimmed when the May referendum failed. However, Nationwide announced on May 31, 1997, that it would finance the $150-million arena. Subsequently, on June 25, 1997, the NHL announced that Columbus would receive a new franchise. Afterwards a "Name the Team" contest was held with the help of Wendy's throughout central Ohio during the month of August 1997. The franchise received 14,000 entries and, with help from the NHL, narrowed the list down to 10 names. Then, with the information received from owner McConnell regarding Columbus' history, the league and the franchise narrowed the list of potential names down to two – Blue Jackets and Justice. The former, which referenced Ohio's contributions to the American Civil War, was eventually announced as the team name in November.

On June 23, 2000, the NHL's two newest teams, the Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild, took part in the 2000 NHL expansion draft in Calgary. Under the draft's rules, 26 of the NHL's active 28 teams were allowed to protect one goaltender, five defensemen, and nine forwards, or two goaltenders, three defensemen, and seven forwards. The Atlanta Thrashers and Nashville Predators both had their full rosters protected because they were the two newest teams, only being in existence for one and two years, respectively. Both the Blue Jackets and Wild had to use their first 24 selections on three goaltenders, eight defensemen, and thirteen forwards. Their final two picks could be players of any position.

Early years (2000–2005)

The Blue Jackets played their first regular season game on October 7, 2000, a 5–3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Bruce Gardiner scored the franchise's first goal. Columbus finished with a 28–39–9–6 record for 71 points, last in the Central Division, and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Geoff Sanderson became the first player in team history to score 30 goals. Ron Tugnutt, who was signed in the summer of 2000, supplied solid goaltending with 22 wins, which tied the 74-year-old NHL record for wins by an expansion-team goaltender (New York Rangers' Lorne Chabot also had 22 wins in 1926–27).

The Blue Jackets finished next-to-last in the NHL in the following season, with only 57 points. Ray Whitney, acquired from the Florida Panthers the previous season, led the team in scoring with 61 points, setting a franchise record. Tragedy struck the Blue Jackets organization in March 2002 when 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil was killed after a deflected puck shot by Espen Knutsen struck her in the head while she was in the stands at Nationwide Arena. As a result of her death, large nylon mesh nets were installed behind the goals in all NHL arenas to shield spectators from pucks going over the glass. The team also wore small red hearts with the initials "BNC" on their helmets.

During the off-season, the Blue Jackets traded a second-round draft pick (32nd overall) and Ron Tugnutt to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Dallas' first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2002 NHL entry draft. On the morning of the draft, Columbus traded the third-overall pick and the option to flip draft spots in 2003 to the Florida Panthers; in return, Columbus received the first-overall pick, which they used to select Rick Nash.

The 2002–03 season started with Columbus putting up a 7–5–1–1 record after the first 14 games. However, as expectations from their fans grew higher, the team came back to mediocrity, finishing last in the Central Division for the third consecutive season with 69 points and missing the playoffs once again. Dave King, who had been the team's head coach since their debut in 2000, was fired mid-season and replaced by general manager Doug MacLean. Marc Denis was named starting goaltender; he played a franchise-record 77 games that season and set a league record with 4,511 minutes played in 2002–03. He tied for second all-time for games played in a season by a goaltender, just two shy of the league record held by St. Louis Blues' Grant Fuhr in the 1995–96 season.

Nash era and rebuilding (2005–2012)

In the summer of 2005, rugged Colorado Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote agreed to a three-year deal with the team. Heading into the 2005–06 season, it appeared the Blue Jackets would finally take the next step and make the playoffs. Instead, injuries to Rick Nash, Rostislav Klesla and Gilbert Brule, the team's 2005 first-round pick, led to the team putting up a dismal 9–25–1 record through its first 35 games. Superstar Sergei Fedorov was acquired from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim; Anaheim received Tyler Wright and Francois Beauchemin, and later claimed Todd Marchant off waivers. While again failing to make the playoffs, Columbus did manage to improve. They had the best overtime record in the NHL (14–4) and finished the season with franchise records for wins (35) and points (74). For the first time ever, they earned a third-place finish in the Central Division, behind Detroit and Nashville.

The 2006–07 season saw several changes made to the team. In the off-season, Marc Denis was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Fredrik Modin and goaltender Fredrik Norrena, making way for Pascal Leclaire to take the starting job. The Blue Jackets also signed Anson Carter when it looked as if Nikolay Zherdev would be playing the season in Russia; in late September, however, Zherdev and general manager Doug MacLean were able to reach a compromise. Partway through the season, on November 13, 2006, Gerard Gallant was relieved of his duties as head coach. The next day, Gary Agnew was named his interim replacement. On November 22, Ken Hitchcock, former coach of the Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers, was named the new head coach, effective the following day. Under Hitchcock's first year, two milestones were set: on December 10, 2006, the Blue Jackets scored a team-record five power-play goals in a 6–2 win over the Ottawa Senators, and on April 3, 2007, the Blue Jackets broke the modern-day record for most times being shut-out in a season (16) with a 3–0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

On April 18, 2007, Doug MacLean, the team's first general manager and president, was fired after nine years and six seasons at the helm without a playoff berth. Mike Priest, president of Blue Jackets parent company JMAC, Inc., was named president of the club, while Assistant general manager Jim Clark served as general manager until the Blue Jackets named Edmonton Oilers Assistant general manager Scott Howson as the new general manager on June 15, 2007. On October 4, 2007, the Blue Jackets announced their affiliation with the Elmira Jackals, which replaced their former affiliation with the Dayton Bombers as the club's ECHL affiliate.

The Kekalainen years (2013–2024)

The Blue Jackets moved into the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference in the 2013–14 season after spending its first 13 seasons in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The other teams in the Metropolitan Division consist of the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, the latter six of which once composed the old Patrick Division. On April 9, 2014, the Blue Jackets clinched their second playoff spot in franchise history by winning a 3–1 game against the Dallas Stars. This game was also noted for being a game resumed after being postponed on March 10, 2014, due to Rich Peverley's cardiac event in which the Blue Jackets led 1–0. The NHL decided to keep the goal scored by Nathan Horton and resumed the game with a full 60 minutes. Nathan Horton made history by being credited for scoring a goal while not suiting up for the game.

The Blue Jackets faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. This series had a trend that was noted for making 3–1 leads end up as 4–3 loss. Games 1 and 2 were at the Consol Energy Center in downtown Pittsburgh. The Blue Jackets made a large jump in history when Jack Johnson scored the first goal of the game. This was the first time in franchise history that Columbus ever led a postseason game. The Jackets lead the game 3–1 at one point from goals by Mark Letestu and Derek MacKenzie. However, the Penguins rallied to win it 4–3. Game 2 was the opposite. Pittsburgh led 3–1 at one point, but Columbus rallied to win game 2 4–3 by an overtime goal from Matt Calvert. This was the first playoff victory in franchise history. Pittsburgh won game 3 by a score of 4–3. Game 4 was a memorable night at Nationwide Arena. Columbus was down 3–0, and 3–1 by the end of the first period. Boone Jenner and Ryan Johansen scored to make it 3–2 by the end of the second period. Brandon Dubinsky scored the game-tying goal with 22.5 seconds left in regulation, after a miss-play with the puck by Marc-Andre Fleury. Nick Foligno went on to score the game-winning goal in overtime. In the locker room during intermission, he supposedly told the team that he will score the game-winner. Pittsburgh, however, went on to win the next two games and took the best-of-seven series in six games.

The 2014–15 season was most notable for the number of injuries the Jackets incurred. The Jackets lead the league in man-games lost with 502. At one point, the injured reserve list consisted of 15 players, including stars Sergei Bobrovsky, Brandon Dubinsky, Jack Johnson, and Ryan Murray. When the team's injured players began to return in late February, they were able to accumulate wins the way they had the previous two seasons and in the process, set a franchise record earning nine consecutive wins. However, the Blue Jackets still finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs by nine points despite a 42–35–5 record. On May 20, 2015, Nick Foligno was named the sixth captain in team history. The position had been vacant since Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers in July 2012. On June 30, 2015, the Jackets traded centers Marko Dano and Artem Anisimov, along with wingers Jeremy Morin and Corey Tropp, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Brandon Saad. This move was the subject of much controversy in Chicago since Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had publicly said that Saad was going to be a part of the organization for many years to come. The Jackets also acquired Michael Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst in the trade. The Jackets signed center Gregory Campbell from the Boston Bruins a few days later.

Team information

Team name

The name "Blue Jackets" was chosen to celebrate "patriotism, pride, and the rich Civil War history in the state of Ohio and city of Columbus." When President Abraham Lincoln requested that Ohio raise ten regiments at the outbreak of the Civil War, the state responded by raising a total of 23 volunteer infantry regiments for three months of service. Ohio also produced a number of great Civil War figures, including William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, Philip Sheridan and George Custer; Sherman himself being a native of Lancaster, Ohio, about a 33-mile (53 km) drive from Columbus along U.S. Route 33 and is home to his childhood home and museum. Columbus itself was host to large military bases, Camp Chase and Camp Thomas, which saw hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers and thousands of Confederate prisoners during the Civil War.

Logos and jerseys

The team logo is a stylized version of the flag of Ohio, which is a burgee (i.e., swallowtail pennant), in the form of a "C" wrapped around a star, representing both patriotism and Columbus's status as state capital. Previously used as an alternate logo starting in 2003, it became the primary logo as part of a Reebok-sponsored redesign for the 2007–08 season. The original logo had a red ribbon with 13 stars representing the Thirteen Colonies, unfurled in the shape of the team's initials, CBJ, with an electric gold hockey stick cutting through the center to represent the "J." An additional star atop the stick represented Columbus's status as state capital.

Since their inception, the Blue Jackets have worn navy and white jerseys with red pants. The initial uniforms had the "CBJ" crest on the chest and an alternate "Stinger" logo on the shoulders. In 2003, "Stinger" was replaced by the new "flag" logo, which also served as the main crest of their navy alternate jersey. This design contained black stripes and three stars on the sleeves, along with the "CBJ" crest on the shoulders.

In 2007, with Reebok now the league's uniform supplier, the Blue Jackets promoted their alternates to primary status, removing the black elements and using only one star on the sleeve. In 2010, they added an alternate navy uniform, unveiling a new "cannon" crest while replacing red with light blue, silver and vintage white accents. The "cannon" crest later replaced the "CBJ" on the primary uniforms in 2015, recolored to the red and navy color scheme, while letters and numbers were updated in 2017. Besides some slight tweaks to the lettering and a one-year absence in the 2017–18 season following the NHL's move to Adidas, the Blue Jackets continued to wear the navy and vintage white alternates since.

For the 2020–21 season, the Blue Jackets would wear "Reverse Retro" alternate uniforms designed by Adidas. The uniform resembled the original white "Stinger" uniforms from 2000 to 2007 but with a red base and white sleeve stripes.

Starting with the 2022–23 season, the Blue Jackets' road white uniform would be paired with blue pants, a combination the team previously wore on May 1, 2021, against the Carolina Hurricanes. The blue pants were also used with the "Reverse Retro" uniform during that season. Also during the season, the Blue Jackets unveiled their second "Reverse Retro" uniform, using the 2003–2007 alternate uniform but with a black base and light blue stripes taken from their current alternates.

"The Cannon"

Prior to the start of the 2007–08 season, the Blue Jackets organization brought a hand-made replica 1857 Napoleon cannon into Nationwide Arena. The cannon is "fired" at home games whenever:

the Blue Jackets take the ice at the start of the game

the Blue Jackets score a goal

the Blue Jackets win the game

When the Blue Jackets score a goal, the title line of "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC is played when the cannon is fired followed by the chorus of "The Whip" by Locksley.

Broadcast

On FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, Steve Mears serves as the television play-by-play announcer alongside former Blue Jacket Jody Shelley providing color analysis. Brian Giesenschlag is the host of Blue Jackets Live, the televised pre-game, intermission and post-game shows, with former Blue Jacket Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre.

On radio stations WBNS-FM (flagship), WBNS (flagship), WXZX (alternative flagship that airs games that conflict with WBNS's and WBNS-FM's coverage of Ohio State football or men's basketball), and 34 other affiliates in Ohio and West Virginia, Bob McElligott provides play-by-play coverage. McElligott joined the Blue Jackets radio broadcast in July 2009 as a color analyst and became the play-by-play analyst for the 2013–14 season, taking over for George Matthews who had been calling Blue Jackets games since the team's inception in 2000. McElligott, along with Dylan Tyrer, hosts the pre-game and post-game radio shows. Fans can interact by e-mail and Twitter with McElligott and Tyrer

during and after the game.

Mascot

Stinger is the official mascot of the Blue Jackets. Stinger is a 6-foot 9-inch Yellow Jacket that walks amongst the crowd during the games and skates on the ice between periods while wearing a Blue Jackets jersey and a blue hat. Stingers eyebrows are black hockey sticks. Stinger was originally yellow, but was changed to green, eventually mixing with the team's blue. The image of Stinger was on the original Blue Jackets jerseys, eventually being removed in 2003. The team also had another mascot, an anthropomorphic cannon named Boomer, for half of the 2010–11 season.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Blue Jackets. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Columbus Blue Jackets seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated July 24, 2026

Retired numbers

The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Honored members

Johnny Gaudreau

John H. McConnell

Hall of Famers

Sergei Fedorov, C, 2005–2008

Ken Hitchcock, coach, 2006–2010

Records

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history as of the 2025–26 season. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

* – current Blue Jackets player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Franchise goaltending leaders

These goaltenders rank in the top ten in franchise history for wins as of the 2025–26 season. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season.

* – current Blue Jackets player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts

Single-season records

Single-season records include: