The Columbus Blue Jackets and National Hockey League announced members of the club’s First and Second Quarter-Century teams tonight as part of the NHL’s plans to recognize the top 25 players from the past 25 years. Each Club’s First and Second Quarter-Century Teams were selected by a panel of media, retired players and executives specific to that team. Players under consideration for selection were those who appeared in a game for the respective franchises since Jan. 1, 2000.
The players selected to the Blue Jackets’ First Quarter-Century Team are forwards Rick Nash, Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin; defensemen Zach Werenski and Seth Jones; and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Nash is the club’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points and ranks second in games played as he registered 289 goals and 258 assists for 547 points in 674 games from 2002-12. The first overall pick of the 2002 NHL Draft, he represented Columbus at five All-Star Games and on Mar. 5, 2022, became the first player in franchise history to have his number retired when 61 was raised to the rafters prior to that evening’s game vs. the Boston Bruins. The CBJ captain from 2008-12, he won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer in 2003-04, the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2008-09 and was an All-Rookie Team selection and Calder Cup Trophy finalist in 2002-03.
Atkinson tallied 213-189-402 in 627 games with the club from 2011-21. Selected by Columbus in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Draft, he currently ranks second all-time on the club’s goals and points lists, is third in games played and fifth in assists. He represented the franchise at the 2017 and 2019 All-Star Games. The forward trio is rounded out by Panarin, who racked up 55-114-169 in 160 games as a Blue Jacket from 2017-19. He owns the two-highest single-season points totals in club history with 28-59-87 in 79 games in 2018-19 and 27-55-82 in 81 contests in 2017-18.
Werenski is the franchise leader in goals, assists and points by a defenseman with 101-241-342 in 524 games since being selected by the Blue Jackets with the eighth overall pick at the 2015 NHL Draft. Among all CBJ players, he ranks second in assists, fourth in points and eighth in goals and games played. He has represented the club at two All-Star Games (2018, 2022), earned NHL All-Rookie Team honors in 2016-17 and is tied for fifth among all NHL defensemen in goals since making his NHL debut in 2016.
Jones played in three All-Star Games (2017, 2019, 2020) in five-plus seasons as a Blue Jacket and ranks second among all franchise blueliners in goals, assists and points with 50-173-223 in 381 games from Jan. 6, 2017, through the 2020-21 campaign.
Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender and earned NHL First Team All-Star honors in 2012-13 and 2016-17 during his seven seasons as a Blue Jacket. He went 213-130-27 with a 2.41 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and 33 shutouts in 374 games from 2012-19. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in wins, saves (10,193), save percentage, goals-against average, shutouts and games played.
