Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets entered the NHL in 2000 alongside the Minnesota Wild as expansion teams. Playing at Nationwide Arena in the Arena District of downtown Columbus, the franchise faced the typical struggles of an expansion club. The early rosters featured journeymen and young players learning to compete at the NHL level, and wins were hard to come by.

Rick Nash was drafted first overall in 2002 and quickly became the face of the franchise. A power forward with elite goal-scoring ability, Nash gave Columbus its first true star and provided a reason for fans to invest in the team. Despite Nash's individual brilliance, the Blue Jackets struggled to build a competitive roster around him, missing the playoffs in each of their first eight seasons.

The Blue Jackets finally made the playoffs in 2008-09 under coach Ken Hitchcock, a watershed moment for the franchise. Though they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings, simply qualifying was a significant achievement for the young organization. Steve Mason won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year that season with outstanding goaltending.

The franchise continued to develop, trading Rick Nash to the New York Rangers in 2012 for a package of players and prospects that helped reshape the roster. Sergei Bobrovsky was acquired from Philadelphia and won the Vezina Trophy in 2013, giving Columbus an elite goaltender. The Blue Jackets were building the foundation for sustained success, though consistency remained elusive.

John Tortorella's hiring as head coach in 2015 brought intensity and structure to the Blue Jackets. The 2016-17 season saw the team win a franchise-record 50 games, anchored by Bobrovsky's second Vezina Trophy season and the emergence of players like Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, and Zach Werenski.

The franchise's defining moment came in 2019 when, after going all-in at the trade deadline by acquiring Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the Blue Jackets swept the President's Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. The upset was one of the greatest in NHL playoff history and remains the franchise's most celebrated achievement. However, the all-in approach came at a cost, as key players like Artemi Panarin, Bobrovsky, and Duchene all departed as free agents that summer.