Rick Nash's No. 61 Jersey to Be Retired by Blue Jackets; Will Be 1st in CBJ History

Former Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash will become the first player in Columbus franchise history to have his number retired, the team announced Thursday. 

Nash's No. 61 will be placed in the rafters before a March 5 matchup against the Boston Bruins. 

"Rick Nash was the face of our franchise and our best player for a decade and represented our club on and off the ice with excellence, class and humility," Blue Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell said in a release. "No one is more deserving of this honor than he and we are looking forward to celebrating Rick and his family in what will be a historic and memorable night for all of us on March 5th."

The Blue Jackets selected Nash first overall in 2002 and he played for the team through the 2011-12 season. He served as the team's captain from 2008-12 and is Columbus' all-time leader in games (674), goals (289), assists (258) and points (547). 

Nash had seven 30-plus goal seasons in his Blue Jackets career and signed two contracts that tied him to the franchise for 13 years. He represented Columbus in five NHL All-Star Games and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer during the 2003-04 season.

In addition to playing for the Blue Jackets, Nash also spent time with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. The 37-year-old tallied 145 goals and 107 assists in 375 games for the Blueshirts. He was traded to the Bruins during the 2017-18 season and appeared in 11 games for the club, scoring three goals and adding three assists. 

In 1,060 career games, the Ontario native tallied 437 goals and 368 assists for 805 points. He added 18 goals and 28 assists in 89 playoff games. 

Nash announced his retirement from the NHL in 2019 after 15 seasons because of "unresolved issues/symptoms" from a concussion. He returned to the Blue Jackets as a special advisor to general manager Jarmo Kekalainen in 2019 and was named director of player development in June 2021.