He retains friendships with such CBJ mainstays as Jody Shelley, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre and Andrew Cassels, all of whom have chosen to make Columbus their home. It also helps that Odelein isn’t that far away these days, living just a short three-hour drive from Central Ohio in Pittsburgh, and the avid golfer finds his way back quite often to tee it up at some of the city's top courses.
Selected in the expansion draft by the Blue Jackets in 2000, Odelein signed a contract with the squad less than a week later, and general manager Doug MacLean had him pegged for a leadership role right away.
“I kind of knew when I signed here I was going to be the first captain,” Odelein said. “I wasn’t sure, but I kind of thought I would be. It was such an honor and a big thrill for me because I had worn a letter everywhere I was. We had a lot of leaders on this team, so it was quite an honor.”
Odelein came to Columbus with a reputation as one of the league’s most respected players, a defenseman who wasn’t afraid to get his nose dirty with physical play, determined effort and the occasional dropping of gloves. The Quill Lake, Saskatchewan, native made his debut 1989-90 with Montreal and spent seven seasons with the Canadiens, capturing the 1993 Stanley Cup with the team.
After that came four years on one of the most imposing defenses in NHL history, suiting up with such names as Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer on successful Devils teams. Unfortunately for Odelein, a chance at a second Stanley Cup disappeared when he was dealt to Phoenix at the trade deadline in 2000 before the Devils went on to win it all.
After finishing that season with the Coyotes, Odelein was left available in the expansion draft and ended up in Columbus. He joined a squad that featured such NHL mainstays as Geoff Sanderson, Robert Kron, Kevin Dineen, Tyler Wright and Kevyn Adams, but Odelein was a natural choice to lead the inaugural team.
That squad went on to surprise some by going 28-39-9-6 the first season, becoming just the third first-year team since the 1966-67 expansion to top the 70-point mark and going .500 over its final 55 games.
“We had a lot of character guys,” Odelein said. “We weren’t the most talented team, but everybody in our dressing room was really close. We all went out together, whether it was the guys or the families and stuff. It was just a great experience, and one of my best times was in Columbus.”
That original squad was backed up by enthusiastic crowds that filled Nationwide Arena. Hockey had built a foothold in Columbus when the ECHL’s Chill became an overnight sensation in the 1990s, leading to the momentum to bring the sport’s highest level to town, and it was clear just how ready the capital city was when Nationwide Arena opened and the Blue Jackets posted a 58-game sellout streak in the early seasons.
Fans also embraced the team in the community, as the Blue Jackets became the first of the major four pro sports leagues to come to Columbus.
“It was a different experience, I would say, but they picked up on the game pretty quick,” Odelein said. “We were sold out every night, so it was awesome. We knew we had the crowd behind us. We played as hard as we could and actually had a pretty good year that first year.”
Odelein was traded to Chicago ahead of the trade deadline in 2002 for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and a draft pick, finishing his CBJ tenure with 146 games played, five goals, 33 points and 207 penalty minutes. He went on to skate with the Blackhawks, Stars, Panthers and Penguins before his career ended after the 2005-06 season.
In his career, he played 1,056 NHL games, racking up 50 goals, 252 points and an eye-popping 2,316 penalty minutes, placing him 30th in league history in the stat. He played in an era where physicality was just as important as skill, where fans knew there was a pretty good chance they’d see a scrap if they came out to a game, and Odelein himself dropped the gloves nearly 150 times in his career.
Of course, that often made him a fan favorite, as his fight total nearly tripled his goal total in his 16 seasons.
“The game has totally changed,” Odelein said, punctating a story with a laugh. “I retired in ‘06, but the game is a lot different. I remember I had a hat trick one night, and I was never going to get another hat trick. And I think I fought Tony Twist, and I was in the bar after the game, they said, ‘What a great fight!’ And I’m like, ‘What about my hat trick?’ They were like, ‘No, we just want you to fight.’”
Now 57, Odelein keeps the game and Columbus in a spot in his heart, and he also cherishes every day. Eight years ago, as detailed by The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, Odelein survived a health scare that included having his liver, kidney and a heart valve replaced at once. After being in a coma for more than a month, Odelein survived the ordeal, and it gives one of the NHL’s toughest alums a new perspective on life.
“I think you look at life in a different way,” Odelein said. “You get up every morning, I’ve always been a happy guy and been a lot of fun, but you don’t take life for granted. I have a great wife, so it’s good.”
