Rick Nash reflects on time with Columbus Blue Jackets, from draft to trade to front office

Rick Nash is having his number 61 retired by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and ahead of that ceremony, he spoke about what the honor means to him. 

The former Blue Jackets captain is a five-time NHL All-Star, the owner of two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada and won the NHL Foundation Player Award in the 2008-09 season for his charitable work.

Nash also showered a great deal of praise on the man who made him the first overall draft pick in 2002, former Blue Jackets general manager Doug MacLean. 

And he shares the one thing he hopes he is most remembered for as a player. 

Here are Rick Nash's thoughts about his time in Columbus. 

Has it gone fast from November's announcement to the actual ceremony?

It really has. It’s an interesting question, because when they first told me and the dates came out, it was so far away. I couldn’t really process it. But I’m telling you, it went really fast. Between the family and traveling to see our prospects, it’ll be here before we know it. As special as a moment as that was, when they surprised me with it, it’s definitely kind of trucked along. It’s right around the corner now, so the excitement is becoming a little more real.

What will having your jersey retired mean to you?

I can honestly say, besides having my kids and my family and having my health, it’s the biggest honor of not only my career, but for sure my life. To think that number 61 will be up in the rafters forever, and my kids can come to Nationwide Arena and bring their kids and their grandkids and whatever it’s going to be, their dad will always be up in the rafters, honestly means more to me than any winning season or scoring goals or winning medals. Whatever it is, this is the biggest honor.

Did you know a lot about Columbus way back when?

No. I didn’t know much about it at all. I don’t think I’d ever even been to Ohio before getting drafted here. It’s kind of funny. You get drafted first overall and you’re coming to a fresh hockey market. The excitement and the buzz around the city was incredible. To think of coming here as a first overall pick and to go 20 years down the road and think about having your number in the rafters, I can honestly say it was never on my mind or in my thoughts that it would happen. It’s one of those things you dream of as a kid. Whether you go to the United Center and you look up in the rafters and you see some of those names or you go to Maple Leaf Gardens and you see the names up there — when I played road hockey by myself in my garage or out on my street, you always dream about that first NHL game, the first NHL goal, getting to 1,000 games. Whatever it might be, these are just dreams. Now, when the dream becomes a reality, it’s very humbling.

To be the first one in Columbus must be extra special.

I think you’re exactly right. I think through this whole process, I want to make sure that I get the point across that this is bigger than myself and number 61 going up in the stands. This is a whole organization and a whole city that this is the first one going up. There’s been so many people that have been part of it, and I want to make sure they understand how much I respect that. From the ticket ushers, the ticket sales, the sponsors, the owners, the trainers, the media, everyone that’s kind of been part of this career, it’s them going up to the rafters, too, and them being part of it. I’m really going to try to make sure that people understand it’s not just about me and my family going up there forever. It’s going to be history, being the first one.

Hockey is growing in Columbus. Did your impact ever dawn on you while you were playing here?

The first time it really hit home is when I got traded to Boston. Sean Kuraly told me that he had a picture of me in his bedroom, and now he’s getting dressed beside me. That’s where you truly felt like you actually had an impact, not only on the ice but in the city, growing the sport. I think a lot of us forget that the McConnell family did a lot to get this organization here. Then they kind of handed over the keys to Doug MacLean to grow the game and grow the excitement. I’m happy that Doug’s gonna be part of this night, hopefully, and we can pay our respects to him for all that he's done in growing that. Yes, I was the player that kind of did that, but he was the one that got me here, moved up in the draft to get me. It’s kind of come full circle. I think he’s been a huge part of it. Sometimes we forget about Doug.

They definitely wanted to move up and get you.

We were just talking about this, funny enough, talking about Doug and stuff and the deal. That was the deal. The next year, Florida had the option if Columbus finished worse to switch the pick again. It was a big move by Doug. He put his name on the line to jump up. That could’ve turned out a little ugly, no doubt. Just through this whole process, as I touched on earlier, I want to make sure that everyone that’s had a piece of my career is recognized. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to talk about everyone, but I think the one person that deserves some credit is Doug MacLean.

What did you think of the trade? Did you think you’d go at one, researching Florida?

I went down to Florida on a visit, funny enough, when they used to do that, and met with all of them. I sat with my agent, Joe Resnick, the night before we met with Columbus. We both were just saying how perfect of a fit Columbus was, because they drafted Klesla, the D-man, and then Pascal Leclaire, the goalie, and then they were kind of going for that forward. Florida had, I think, Stephen Weiss the year before — I can’t remember who else. Someone else. And then Atlanta, who was up there, they had Heatley and Kovalchuk. It was just kind of the perfect situation with Columbus.

We went to the meeting with Doug and Don Boyd, who was the head scout at the time. Doug expressed how I was his top guy, but I guess some other teams like Philadelphia, and I forget who else it was, were trying to move up to get the desired player.

Doug wasn’t sure if I was going to be there. Joe and I expressed thinking how good of a fit it would be for me in Columbus. That’s how the meeting ended, and I remember sitting at the ACC, at the time, in Toronto and sitting there with my mum and dad and brother. There’s five minutes on the clock before the draft started, before Florida went on the clock. I remember Gino Reda from TSN came running and found me in the stands. He said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but Columbus just swapped picks with Florida.’ That was kind of the first time my stomach turned, and it set in that I was going to be the first overall pick.

Did you have a sense that it would’ve been a daunting or tough challenge to get the team competitive?

I feel like when I got here, it was still in the honeymoon stage of a fresh organization. Games were sold out. Everyone was just excited to be at a hockey game. I can honestly say that at the time, I didn’t realize how much of a commitment it would be off the ice in growing the game. Talking to the fans. Just coming from Toronto or Chicago or Detroit, you didn’t have to have that interaction of growing the game because people are on waitlists for season tickets. That was definitely an adjustment for me, growing the game off the ice and keeping the fans engaged. It was probably the biggest thing that I didn’t expect. It comes along with playing in Columbus and playing in this market. Since I was captain and the face, we’ve had some guys do a great job, whether it was Nick and now Boone, understanding the market and that we have to grow the game in Columbus still.

Have you run into people with dogs or kids named Nash?

A couple times, funny enough. I feel like it’s a trendy first name now, but I remember I was in my second or third year and this one family was waiting for me outside the gate where we drive out. They had a newborn baby and they told me they named the baby Nash. I will never forget that. Multiple, multiple dogs where it’s happened, but yes, this one family sticks out to me. It’s always been so cool. Obviously, Nash is a bit of a trendier name now, but at the time, it was really cool to have that impact on a family where they’re using your name.

My son plays on a hockey team, or played on a hockey team last year, where a kid’s first name was Nash, funny enough. I never asked the guy who he named him after or if it was just a trendy name, but when he was screaming for Nash to pick it up and skate harder and all those things, it was just kinda funny.

You're a reserved guy, did you find the public-facing part of your role and the charity work hard?

It was different. Having kids now, I wish I could’ve done more. I was talking to Jody Shelley about it and he was like, ‘I was there, and you did a lot.’ Maybe just having kids and feeling so lucky to have them healthy, you wish you could’ve done more. I always did my stuff through the Blue Jackets’ foundation and tried to do as much as my time allowed. I got recognized by the NHL the one year, with the NHL Foundation Player, and I started a reading program through The Dispatch that kind of got some traction. Traveling around to schools, having the kids fill out a journal of what they read and trying to make sure you expressed how important it was. You try to find that niche. My mum had breast cancer, my grandma had breast cancer, so I tried to go through the foundation and through a couple Toronto hospitals and do the breast cancer stuff. I’ve always tried to do it. Just being retired now and having the family, I just always look back and wonder if I could’ve done more.

It's a fine balance. When you’re leaving high school at 18 years old, you’re kind of thrown into this mix. I don’t think you’re ever really prepared for it, and you become the face of the franchise so early. It’s tough. You’re trying to navigate your career and your hockey game and then it takes a little bit of time to understand that you’re more than just a hockey player. You have to get involved in these charities. For me, never wanting to be in the spotlight or kind of be the guy up front, it was definitely an uncomfortable thing at first. It became more comfortable, but it’s a good question, because you’re just thrown into the mix and you’re a first overall pick and you’re in a new organization and a new franchise. There’s so many things that are just new, that I don’t think anyone could ever prepare for. I was lucky that I was surrounded with guys like Tyler Wright that had the Hats for Heroes. Obviously, Jody gave a ton back to the city of Columbus. To see Nick come in and do what he did for the hospitals, it was fun to watch. It was tough being a 24-year-old captain and figuring out the off-ice stuff.

How much did you follow Columbus after the trade?

I followed the Blue Jackets every step of the way. I honestly felt like I’ve always been a Blue Jacket. I’ve only ever signed contracts here in Columbus. It wasn’t a fun time, leaving this city and leaving this organization. But at some point, you learn that this is a business and you’re a product and you want to win a Stanley Cup. Any kid that straps on skates and plays in the NHL wants to win a Stanley Cup. During that whole process, I was up front with the management, and they were up front with me. Their plan was to rebuild, and I was coming into, I think, close to my 10th year with four playoff games to my name. I just didn’t feel that, being in my prime, I was ready for another rebuild. In some ways, they ended up coming around to agree. Like you said, they spring-boarded into a lot of good years with the pieces they got for me and I got to compete for a Stanley Cup and made it to the finals. It was awkward coming back here, but I kept my house here. I always knew this was home. There were no hard feelings. The fans are passionate about their hockey, and I appreciated that. It was always kind of awkward coming back here, but I think, at the end of the day, I had to be selfish with my career. The way that the Jackets wanted to go wasn’t the same vision that I envisioned after 10 years.

Looking back at your career, you scored 61 goals the year before you actually wore 61 for the London Knights.

That’s funny. I didn’t even really realize that.

That's almost two goals a game. Do you remember much about that season with the Toronto Marlies bantam team, your teammates, how the season went or your coaches?

Yeah, so, it’s kind of funny. That season … I played with the Marlies the whole way up, but the year before that I went to a different organization in the GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League), called the Mississauga Rebels. And then, one coach named Keith Carrigan came back to the Marlies. He took a year off. So, I went back to the Marlies when he went back there and we had a pretty good team.  

We didn’t win the all-Ontarios, like, the whole thing, that year, as far as I remember, but we had some great players on that team that went on to have OK pro careers or semi-pro careers. We had a goalie named Chris Beckford-Tseu, who played for St. Louis. He’s working with the Mississauga Steelheads now, which is funny. I go see (Blue Jackets prospect) Ole Holm and Chris is the goalie coach in Mississauga, so that’s kind of a fun connection. 

We had a guy named Adam Keefe, who’s the little brother of the Leafs’ head coach (Sheldon Keefe), that I played with all the way up. He’s a coach over in the British league now, in the English league (Belfast Giants). We had some good players. Had a guy named Rick Janco, who ended up being an OHL ref. We had a pretty successful team with some guys who went on and played in Europe and played in the AHL, so it was kind of a hockey hotbed there in Toronto.

You were 33 when you retired, right? 

Correct.

How tough was that decision to make and how long did it take for you to move past it?

Yeah, it was hard. To not go out on your own terms 100% … I feel like I still could’ve played. If I would’ve taken another hit or gotten another concussion, who knows what would’ve happened or if I would’ve come back from that. It’s definitely hard and it’s been hard. I don’t think those things ever get 100% easy, but, you know, I picked my family and my kids and trying to live a healthy lifestyle for them moving forward. But it’s tough. And the one thing that I feel will give me true closure, and not just on my playing career but the whole Columbus connection, is the 61 going to the rafters. But I couldn’t sit here and tell you that I’m 110% at peace with it. As a competitive professional athlete, I think it will always be hard. But when I get to wait in line and pick up my kids from school or go on the ice with them or go to the playground with them … whatever it is … I know I made the right decision.” 

With CTE studies ongoing, have you ever considered donating your brain to research after you pass like some other hockey players have pledged?

You know, honestly, I haven’t given that a lot of thought. I think it’s … I do think it’s important that we do as much research and gain as much knowledge as we can on these concussions. Every one’s so different. It’s not like a shoulder surgery or a wrist surgery. Everyone has different symptoms, different timelines. I will say I think we’ve come a long way from when I first started my career, with concussions, to where we are now. But as for donating my brain after I’m gone, I honestly couldn’t comment on that because I haven’t given it enough thought to make a decision on that or have weighed the pros or if there even are cons. So, I don’t know how to answer that.

When people come to Nationwide Arena and look up at the 61 in the rafters, what would you like them to know or remember about the guy who wore that number?

You know, I’d hope the first thing that would come to mind is 'a good teammate,' from the people that know me, a person that would put someone else before them, I think, is the most important thing in my career. If I was known as a good teammate, then I’d be happy. As for people that don’t know me and only know me as a player on the ice, I’d hope they would think of someone that brought them to their feet and brought excitement to Nationwide Arena and brought the effort each night to try to help the Blue Jackets win.