"It was an incredibly hard working group and a group that really fought and played for each other," Hitchcock told the crowd. "You led the charge so others could follow, and they followed very quickly."
MacLean, who also served as coach in Nash's tenure, returned to Columbus for the ceremony, and it was fitting considering how drafting might have been his crowning moment running the team.
Columbus went into the 2002 draft holding the No. 3 overall pick, but MacLean wanted Nash and left no stone unturned to get him. In a stunning draft-day deal, MacLean was able to trade up to the No. 1 spot and selected Nash with what remains the only top overall pick in franchise history.
"I think of it so often because we were lucky to get Rick Nash the player, but we were even more lucky to get Rick Nash the person," MacLean said. "We knew he was a talented hockey player, but we sure didn't know how good a person he was. He was a better person than he was a hockey player, and that's saying a lot."
Indeed, as much history as Nash made on the ice, he was just as appreciated for his work off the ice. The 2009 winner of the NHL Foundation Player Award given annually to one player in the league "in recognition of his commitment and service to charities in his community," Nash became in integral part of the fabric of Columbus.
"John H. McConnell brought this team to this community because it had been so good to him and his family," master of ceremonies Jeff Rimer said. "Mr. Mac wanted a team that gave 110 percent on the ice and was committed to improving the lives of those in need. He lived his life and he built his business on The Golden Rule -- treat others as you would like to be treated.
"That was the expectation that he had for every member of the Blue Jackets organization, and Rick Nash, ladies and gentlemen, certainly has lived up to it."
John H. McConnell II, the grandson of the CBJ founder and majority owner, agreed, pointing to a relationship that was so special between the elder McConnell and Nash that the player delivered a eulogy at McConnell's funeral in 2008.