It is still known in CBJ lore as "The Goal," and Blue Jackets fans were on cloud nine after Nash scored it. The victory gave the team a 23-18-6 record, good for second in the Central Division and keeping the team -- which was riding a franchise record six-game home winning streak -- in a bona fide playoff race, with just two points separating the Blue Jackets from the eighth and final spot.
Unfortunately, the excitement couldn't last. Columbus went 4-8-3 in its next 15 games, and the Blue Jackets would clearly be sellers instead of buyers by the late February trade deadline.
That turned out to be a doozy. The Blue Jackets already had dealt longtime enforcer and fan favorite Jody Shelley to San Jose on Jan. 29, but two more familiar faces were traded Feb. 26. Sergei Fedorov was sent to Washington for defenseman prospect Theo Ruth, while team captain Adam Foote went back to Colorado in a deal for draft picks in a deal that still resonates among CBJ fans.
But better days were in the offing, and despite all the turnover, they started with the moves made this season. First, the man making those deadline deals was new general manager Scott Howson, who took over the job June 15 and started work on putting together a playoff team. The season also was the first full campaign for Stanley Cup-winning coach Ken Hitchcock, and the future became the present March 12 when Nash was named the team's captain.
The Blue Jackets would end up finishing 34-36-12, setting a new franchise record with 80 points and outpacing
the previous season's total by seven
. Taking on the personality of its famously detailed coach, Columbus was ninth in the league defensively but just couldn't score enough to get the job done, placing last in the league in goals.
A pair of 23-year-old first-round picks led the way on the scoresheet, as Nash made his third straight All-Star Game thanks to team-high totals of 38 goals and 69 points. Nikolai Zherdev was right behind as he tallied 36 goals and 61 points, but the next highest scorer was Peca, the sturdy veteran who posted an 8-26-34 line in his first year with the team. Perhaps the most impressive debut, though, was made by Jan Hejda, a free agent defenseman signed with little fanfare who would finish plus-20, the best mark in franchise history to that point.
In net, the Blue Jackets got a breakout season as well from former first-round pick Pascal Leclaire, who took over the No. 1 job and posted standout marks. Leclaire played in 54 games, going 24-17-6 with a 2.25 goals-against average and .919 save percentage as well as nine shutouts, including six in his first 15 games.
The season ended with some fanfare, as the team's April 5 win vs. St. Louis allowed Hitchcock to become just the 20th NHL coach in history to coach 900 games. But there was also sadness to follow, as on April 25, the team's majority owner, John H. McConnell, passed away at age 84. A tremendous outpouring of support followed for Mr. Mac, whose tireless efforts to bring hockey to Columbus resulted in the team's establishment in 1997.
