In this ten-part series, I will be dissecting ten different careers thus far. The series is fully called “Players Ages 28 and Younger who will end up in the Hall of Fame.”  Feel free to argue a selection or the rankings at the end of the series.

Here’s a riddle: What does a young hockey lover do when it gets too dark to skate on the pond outside?

Answer: You turn on the lights to your dad’s van so you can see.

That is what Rick Nash did as a young kid, so he was able to skate for hours on the pond across the street from his house.  On that pond, he learned how to skate, and he fine-tuned all of the skills that he uses now in the NHL.

His true playing career started in London, Ontario, when the Knights of the OHL picked Rick fourth overall in the 2000 priority selection.  He would only play two seasons in the OHL, but he put up 138 points in 112 games, including 66 in his rookie campaign, earning him the Emms Family Award for the top rookie in the OHL.

Because of his unbelievable play, the Columbus Blue Jackets made him the top pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.  He had an okay rookie campaign in the NHL as an 18-year old, scoring 17 goals and 39 points in 74 games.  He earned himself a Calder Trophy nomination, but lost to Barrett Jackman of the St. Louis Blues. 

He rebounded the next year, and was one of three Maurice Richard Trophy winners, tying for the league lead in goals with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk with 41.

He was named to the NHL All-Rookie team in 2003, and is a three time All-Star, making the team in 2004, 2007, and 2008.  He has won a gold medal at the World Championships in 2007, and was named the tournament’s MVP.  He also was on the World Championships All-Star team in 2007 and 2008. Nash won a silver medal for Team Canada at the 2002 World Junior Championships.

In his short NHL career, Nash has amassed 154 goals, 122 assists, and 276 points in 363 games with the Blue Jackets.  These numbers are just good, not overly impressive—but one must remember that he has played his entire career on a less-than-talented Columbus squad.

At 24, he is still extremely young, especially for the captain of an NHL team. But if he simply averages 80 points per season, which he is very capable of, he will have more than 1,100 points, which is definitely worthy of a Hall of Fame nod. 

In a few years, when Columbus is a borderline playoff team, Nash will put up extremely impressive numbers, which is why he is number eight on the list of players 28 and under who will be in the Hall of Fame.


Other articles in this series:

10. Jason Spezza

9. Henrik Lundqvist