Nash notebook: Remembering a special night in Nationwide Arena

Hockey players are creatures of routine, so it couldn't have been easy for both the Blue Jackets and the Boston Bruins to have those thrown off Saturday night.
But, of course, it was for a good reason.
An
hourlong pregame ceremony celebrated the career of Blue Jackets legend Rick Nash
, as his No. 61 became the first number retired in the history of the CBJ franchise.

By the time the ceremony concluded, the set was taken down and warmups took place, the game didn't start until much closer to 8 p.m. than a usual 7 p.m. start. But it didn't take long for either team to get into it, as there was plenty of energy in what turned into a 5-4 win in a shootout for the visiting Bruins.
It probably also helped that a Nationwide Arena-record crowd of 19,434 was in attendance, and its roar when Jakub Voracek -- the only current player on the roster to share the CBJ locker room with Nash during their playing careers -- scored the game-tying goal with 2.8 seconds to go was one of the loudest in the building's history.

Add it all up and it was a night in downtown Columbus that no one will ever forget.
"It's not just the game," head coach Brad Larsen said. "It was an exciting game, obviously, but to be part of this and close to this one -- I've seen some (number retirement ceremonies) before, but this was a special night. To honor Rick and see his humility as always, he's more about his teammates and his coaches and the organization and the community. There were some great speeches I thought. I thought it was just excellent. It was an hour long, but I didn't feel like an hour. I like how they did it.
"And the game itself was great. The fans are so awesome here. They are. We are playing on a back-to-back here and they are rested and it's a pretty good hockey team with Boston, so you're already a little bit nervous about what we're going to have in the tank, but that 5th Line carried them through. It does, it gives them energy. I think that they were real big for us tonight."
Voracek spent three years as Nash's teammate during his first stint in Columbus from 2009-11, and he acknowledged that some of the current Blue Jackets asked him around the locker room what it was like to play with Nash, who remains the franchise's all-time leader in games played, goals, assists and points.
The veteran winger, who played his 1,000th NHL game earlier this year to join Nash in that exclusive club, also said he enjoyed a pregame ceremony that featured speeches from Nash; CBJ president of hockey operations John Davidson; John H. McConnell II, the grandson of CBJ founder and majority owner John H. McConnell; former general manager and coach Doug MacLean; former coach Ken Hitchcock; and one of Nash's best friends, former teammate Aaron Johnson.
The team also played videos throughout the night that featured congratulatory messages from figures across the hockey world, including Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton and such former teammates as David Vyborny, Luke Richardson, Pascal Leclaire and Manny Malhotra.

"It was amazing," Voracek said. "It was a great experience to be part of it, hearing those speeches, and to see the videos on the Jumbotron from all those big names, it tells you how big Rick was in hockey and still is. When I was growing up, when he got drafted, when he won the Rocket (Richard Trophy), every time somebody said Blue Jackets, you think of Rick Nash."
While the beyond capacity crowd went home disappointed after David Pastrnak scored the winning goal for the Bruins in the shootout, the atmosphere, intensity and history of the night won't soon be forgotten.
"It felt like a playoff game kind of," Zach Werenski said. "It's that time of year right now, and obvioulsy they are ahead of us in the standings. Just with the whole building being full and the excitement in the air, you could feel it on ice level that it felt like a playoff game. Those games are a lot of fun to play. We would have liked to get two points and win, but I think games like that are good for our group moving forward."

Captains Reunite

The Blue Jackets have had seven full-time captains in their 21-season team history, but only three have served since late in the 2007-08 season.
After the trade deadline deal that sent Adam Foote to Colorado in 2008, Nash was named the team captain March 12, 2008. He finished out the season in that role and then was captain for four full seasons. The team then went without a full-time captain for three seasons, then Nick Foligno took over ownership of the role on May 20, 2015.
Foligno was then traded near the end of last year with his contract set to expire, and Boone Jenner -- an alternate captain since 2015 alongside Foligno -- was named the captain before this season.
The three united for a moment pregame, as Nash dropped the ceremonial puck before the game with Jenner representing the Blue Jackets and Foligno taking the draw for the Bruins, with whom he signed in the offseason.

"It's really cool," said Nash, who is now the CBJ director of player development in the team's front office. "You don't get those situations too much where you see the past three captains, but it was really impressive what Nick did on the ice and off the ice. I think it's been really impressive how Boone has embraced the challenge of being the captain. He had big shoes to fill, but his game on the ice has been incredible and the way he's been handling himself off the ice has been awesome."
On such a busy night, the Blue Jackets also made sure to honor Foligno during a television timeout in the first period with a tribute video welcoming him back to Nationwide Arena. The short video included clips from Foligno's CBJ tenure -- including his playoff game winner from 2014 that served as the first home postseason win in franchise history -- before the former captain was shown on the video board.
He took a short lap around the ice and waved to the fans, also pointing to his heart to show his love for the Nationwide faithful.
"It was emotional," Foligno told Bally Sports Ohio after the game. "Better than I expected. It was special. I was so happy for Rick, first of all. Being able to be here for that meant a lot to me just to see that. I have so much respect for him and what he's done in this organization and continues to do. I was thrilled for his family, and I think that set the tone for the night.

"And then they got me pretty good with that tribute. I didn't expect to get emotional like that, but it's hard. There's so many things that run through your head. Seeing that video reel play, there's a lot of great memories here. I love the fans, I love this organization and I tried to play with my heart and wore it on my sleeve. A lot of great moments in nine years."

Family Matters

While Nash certainly put the work in to become one of the top power forwards of his generation, he certainly didn't do it alone.
During his speech, Nash made sure to recognize his father Jamie and mother Liz, his wife Jessica, and his kids Mac, Finn and Ellie.
"To my mom, dad and brothers, it wasn't easy," he said. "We had to work for everything we got, whether it was working for a snowboard jacket or a new pair of glasses before I left for London. You always made sure to get it done. Playing minor hockey was expensive. You had to do bake sales, bingo nights and whatever it took just to get the money that it cost.
"I remember my dad telling me a story one time of him coming to see me play for the London Knights. He stopped at a gas station to fill up his car, knowing he had no money to make it to London. He went inside and he handed them his guitar as collateral. He then went back the next week when he could afford the gas and traded the guitar back for his gas. That's the stuff my parents went through in order for me to play hockey. That's what makes nights like tonight so special.

"Jessica, my wife. I know I'm not the easiest person to live with. I want to thank you for giving up your career for my dreams. It means the world to me, and along the way we made a beautiful family. You have always picked me up when I've been down, and you truly are a huge piece of tonight. Most of all, you are a great mom, and that's what I love about you the most.
"To my kids, Mac, Ellie and Finn. You guys probably won't remember this, but we can watch it in video as we get older. You guys are my life. You guys are my world. I hope tonight you can just think of what a young 18-year-old kid from Brampton did when he dreamed. He dreamed of being an NHL hockey player, and he got to live his dream out. I love you."

Johnson Has Jokes

Johnson had two stints with the Blue Jackets, as the defenseman was drafted in the third round in the 2001 NHL draft and debuted with Columbus during the 2003-04 season. He played in three seasons for the team before going to the New York Islanders, but he returned to play for the Jackets during the 2011-12 season.
In all, he played in 172 games in union blue, and along the way he became one of Nash's closest friends. Now the two work in close proximity, as Johnson was added to the front office this year as a team relations specialist.
And his speech Saturday night also shows he has quite a sense of humor. Johnson turned the event into a roast, making jokes about himself as well as Nash, MacLean and Hitchcock.
"5th Line, you may not remember me, but I remember you," Johnson began. "I actually played most of my career on the fifth line, so we have that in common."
He then went on to joke about the lack of playing time he received during his CBJ tenure.
"Hitch gave me the best seat in the house most nights to watch Rick play -- usually on the bench or right up in the press box."

It was a bit of levity that added some laughs to the ceremony, though some of the reviews were mixed.
"I thought Aaron Johnson's speech was great," Nash said afterward.
"It's amazing how brave people get when you're retired and they're retired," Hitchcock said to laughter at a post-event press conference. "It's just amazing."

Welcome Back

MacLean and Hitchcock were big parts of the early building process for the Blue Jackets. MacLean was hired as the first general manager of the team in 1998 and also became the team president, and he even tried his hand at coaching for the end of the 2002-03 season and the start of the 2003-04 campaign.
While MacLean acknowledged he wishes there had been more successes early in his tenure, he did hire Hitchcock, a decorated and Stanley Cup-winning coach who piloted the Blue Jackets to the playoffs for the first time in 2009.
Both played key roles in Nash's development in Columbus, and both said they were impressed to see how hockey and the Arena District have grown in the city since they left. For both, plenty of memories flooded back as they spent time in Columbus ahead of the ceremony.
"I am just so impressed with the whole complex, the whole area, the Arena District," Hitchcock said. "I know when I coached here, I moved to the Arena District and loved it. To me, this is the prefect scenario. You got the practice rink next door, you have a rink that is full, you have a great fanbase, you have great spots to go out after the game. It's the perfect attraction. To me, the perfect way to run an NHL franchise is what they've done here."
"There's just so many great memories flashing through your head," MacLean said. "To see the arena and how great it is and the district, it's amazing. It's just amazing when I think back the 20 years, how it has come."