The Columbus Blue Jackets are excited to announce that the organization’s first head coach Dave King and four former players from the inaugural 2000-01 season will return to Columbus for the first of five 25th Anniversary Celebration games, presented by Toyota, on Saturday, October 18. Prior to the team’s home game vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena, the club will recognize King, along with defenseman Rostislav Klesla, forward Kevin Dineen, goaltender Ron Tugnutt and defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre. This marks the first event in a season-long series spotlighting notable alumni and moments that have defined the Blue Jackets’ 25 years in the National Hockey League (NHL).
As part of the festivities, season ticket holders will have the exclusive opportunity to attend a private luncheon with the alumni on Friday, October 17. On Saturday, King and the four players will participate in an autograph session beginning at 6 p.m. on the Nationwide Arena concourse. The alumni will then be recognized in an on-ice ceremony prior to puck drop, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
King was named the first head coach in club history on July 5, 2000 and led the Blue Jackets to a 28-39-9-6 record and 71 points in 2000-01, which at the time was the second-best record by an NHL expansion team excluding 1967-68 when the league doubled in size from six to 12 teams. Prior to arriving in Columbus, the native of North Battleford, Saskatchewan served as head coach of the Calgary Flames and spent nearly two decades as head coach of Canadian National Team, including at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, leading Team Canada to a silver medal in 1992. After leaving the Blue Jackets in January 2003, he spent the next 15 years coaching the NHL, Europe and Russia.
Klesla was the first draft pick in franchise history, selected fourth overall at the 2000 NHL Draft and remains one of the longest-tenured players in club history. The Nový Jičín, Czechia native registered 41-92-133 and 508 penalty minutes in 515 games with the Blue Jackets from 2000-11 and still ranks 10th on the club’s all-time games played list. Among defensemen, he ranks fourth in games played and sixth in points. In 659 career NHL games, he tallied 48-111-159 in 659 games with the Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes.
Quebec City native Kevin Dineen suited up in 129 games over two-plus seasons with the Blue Jackets and was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in each of the club’s first two campaigns. Columbus was the final stop in his 19-year NHL career which saw him record 355 goals and 405 assists for 760 points and 2,229 penalty minutes in 1,188 games from 1984-2002. He has spent the past two decades coaching in the NHL and American Hockey League.
Ron Tugnutt served as the team’s first starting goaltender during each of the club’s first two seasons. He made 21 saves to record the first win in CBJ history at Calgary on October 12, 2000, and registered the club’s first shutout with 27 saves at Montreal on Dec. 18, 2000. He went 22-25-5 with a 2.45 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and four shutouts in 2000-01, setting a then-NHL record for wins by a goaltender on an expansion team. The Scarborough, Ontario native appeared in 537 games with eight teams during his 17-year NHL career.
Grand-Pierre was selected by Columbus in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft from the Buffalo Sabres and went on to appear in 202 games with the Blue Jackets during the club’s first three seasons. He appeared in 64 games during the team’s inaugural season and set career highs in penalty minutes and games played with 90 PIM in 81 contests in 2001-02. He went on to play nine seasons in Europe before retiring in 2013. The Montreal, Quebec native has served as the television studio analyst for Blue Jackets hockey since 2019.
The October 18 celebration is the first of five 25th Anniversary Celebration games during the 2025–26 season. Additional games will be held on Saturday, November 15 (presented by Nationwide) vs. the New York Rangers, Saturday, December 13 vs. the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, January 24 (presented by OhioHealth) vs. Tampa Bay, and Saturday, March 21 vs. the Seattle Kraken. Additional alumni honorees and event details will be shared in the coming months
For more information on the Blue Jackets’ 25th Anniversary, visit www.CBJHistory.com.
