Nash's Blue Jackets legacy comes full circle, number retirement Saturday

Rick Nash
has an old figurine on his desk at Nationwide Arena, where he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and now works as director of player development.

It's of him in a Blue Jackets uniform. His stick is missing, and a message is scrawled on the base: "To Jack, Happy B-Day! Rick Nash."
"Everyone asks what it is," Nash said, "and it's a great story."
Especially now.
Nash will become the first Blue Jackets player to have his number retired when they raise No. 61 to the rafters before their game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, BSOH, NESN, NHL LIVE).
He was the face of the franchise for nine seasons, helped establish the market in the NHL and inspired Columbus-area kids like Blue Jackets forwards Sean Kuraly and Jack Roslovic to achieve their dreams.
When Nash and Kuraly played together for the Bruins late in the 2017-18 season, Kuraly told him he had a poster of him in his bedroom growing up. Early this season, Roslovic gave Nash the figurine he had in his bedroom growing up.
"I got it for my birthday," said Roslovic, who was 10 then. "I loved it. It was something that I obviously cherished."

Roslovic thought Nash would give it to his kids -- Mac, 7; Ellie, 5; and Finn, 3 -- but he kept it for himself.
"I think he liked it more than anything," Roslovic said. "I think it's kind of cool for him to have a player in the organization that grew up watching him at his biggest moments. It kind of comes full circle."
Exactly.
"When you say 'establish the market,'" Nash said, "that's something that didn't hit me until I retired."
Nash grew up in the Toronto area and had never been to Columbus before the Blue Jackets traded up to select him No. 1 in the 2002 NHL Draft. He made an instant impact with 6-foot-4 size and impressive skill.
As an 18-year-old in 2002-03, the Blue Jackets' third season in the NHL, he scored 39 points (17 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, which goes to the rookie of the year.
The next season, he scored 57 points (41 goals, 16 assists) in 80 games, sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy with Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers for leading the NHL in goals. He became the first Blue Jackets player to win an NHL award.
Each of the next seven seasons, he scored between 27-40 goals, 23-39 assists and 54-79 points. He became captain March 12, 2008, and led the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 2008-09.
Roslovic said he thinks he wore No. 61 for a season when he was little like a lot of Columbus-area kids did then.
"He was definitely one of my favorite players for sure, if not my favorite," Roslovic said.

Nash left for the New York Rangers via trade July 23, 2012. He enjoyed playing in an Original Six city and at Madison Square Garden for almost six seasons, scoring as many as 42 goals in 2014-15.
Five times he made the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Rangers, advancing as far as the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. After a trade Feb. 25, 2018, he made another playoff appearance with the Bruins.
But he kept coming back to Columbus each offseason and not just because his wife, Jessica, was from there. Quiet by nature, he's more Midwest than Manhattan.
"Columbus was always home," Nash said. "I always loved Columbus. I always knew it'd be home. Columbus suits my style."
Nash intended to sign with the Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018 if he were going to keep playing, but he decided to retire for health reasons, finishing with 805 points (437 goals, 368 assists) in 1,060 NHL games.
He had options for front-office roles elsewhere but chose Columbus, becoming special assistant to Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on June 13, 2019.
"With the Blue Jackets coming here, and then a player like Rick coming in and then coming back, it just keeps that growth going in the right direction," Blue Jackets president John Davidson said.
"A lot of athletes in the world today could learn to carry themselves the way Rick Nash does. It's very professional. The way he treats his family, the way he treats the fans, the way he treats the franchise, the city, it's not all about him. He knows where he got it all, and he's a pay-it-back guy."
Nash was promoted to his current role June 16, 2021, his 37th birthday. He works with college and junior prospects, still trying to make an impact, still inspiring. He remains the Blue Jackets' all-time leader in games (674), goals (289), assists (258) and points (547).
He kept the figurine for himself, but everyone will get to see his number in the rafters forever, including his kids.
"That can honestly almost bring a tear to my eye," Nash said. "That means the most to me, is my kids to go there, because they weren't around. They don't remember any of my career or anything. But to look up there and realize what I did."
Nash paused.
"And what I'm going to explain to them," he continued, "is that if they have dreams and they want to achieve it, it's doable if you put the work in."