The Columbus Blue Jackets have 25 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #25.
Let's take a look.
Bruce Gardiner - 2001 - Drafted by St. Louis in 1991.
Gardiner scored the first goal in franchise history 7:34 into game one of the 2000 season. He played 73 games as a Jacket and had 22 points. Gardiner only played seven more NHL games after he left Columbus.
Gardiner left for Europe, where he played in Russia and Finland. He retired in 2005.
These days, Gardiner is a police officer with the Barrie Police Department. He was charged with criminal harassment and extortion on Feb. 4, 2022, but the charges were dropped in July of 2024.
Andrew Cassels - 2003-2004 - Drafted by Montreal in 1987.
Cassels signed with Columbus in 2002. He played 137 games for the CBJ over the course of two seasons, scoring 26 goals and totaling 94 points. Cassels signed with Washington in 2005, which would be his final pro hockey season. He was released in January of 2006.
After retiring, Cassels stuck around Columbus and been a coach for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets since 2018. His son Cole currently plays in Slovakia and was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 2013. He also spent a year with the Cleveland Monsters in 2021-22.
Jason Chimera - 2006-2010 - Drafted by Edmonton in 1997.
Chimera was traded to Columbus by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played in 331 games for the Jackets before being traded to the Washington Capitals on December 28, 2009, in a trade that brought current Cleveland Monsters GM Chris Clark to the Columbus organization.
He last NHL season would be the 2017-18 season.
Kyle Wilson - 2011 - Drafted by Minnesota in 2004.
Wilson played 32 of his 39 career NHL games with Columbus during the 2010-11 season after signing on July 2, 2010. He spent the rest of the season with the Springfield Falcons.
He left North America for Europe in 2013, and played until 2017 in Latvia, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany. He retired in 2017.
Ryan Russell - 2012 - Drafted by the New York Rangers in 2005.
The twin brother of for Blue Jacket and long-time NHLer Kris Russell, he played 41 games for Columbus during the 2011-12 season after being traded to the Jackets on July 7, 2011. He spent most of that season, and the next playing for the Springfield Falcons.
He left for Sweden, playing two seasons, and then played in England one season before retiring. He has spent the last nine seasons as an Amateur Scout for the San Jose Sharks.
Luke Adam - 2015 - Drafted by Buffalo in 2008.
Adam played three games for Columbus after his trade from the Sabres on December 16, 2014.
In 2016, he left for Europe, where he would play seven years in Germany, and then a year each in Czechia and Slovakia.
In 2024, he returned to North America where he would sign with the Tahoe Knight Monsters of the ECHL. He was named Captain of the team and will serve Captain again this upcoming season.
William Karlsson - 2016-2017 - Drafted by Anaheim in 2011.
It's a common misconception that Karlsson was drafted by the CBJ. Taken by the Anaheim Ducks in 2011, he was traded to the Jackets in March 2015. He played 165 games for Columbus and had 47 points, mostly as a fourth-line grinder and penalty killer.
He was chosen by Vegas in the expansion draft of 2017 and has been there ever since. His career in Vegas has been up and down, but he's managed to get 396 points playing for Vegas. In 2018, he won the Lady Byng, and in 2023, he helped his team win their first Stanley Cup.
Mikhail Grigorenko - 2021 - Drafted by Buffalo in 2012.
Grigorenko signed with Columbus in July of 2020. He played in 32 games and had 12 points. He left for Russia again after his time in Columbus and still plays there today.
He is signed to play for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL.
There are 25 days until opening night at NWA.
Next up is training camp, which kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Camp will run until the pre-season begins and then transition directly into the full pre-season schedule. Here’s what the Blue Jackets have lined up so far.
After the first few days of camp, most rookies who received an invite will be cut and sent back to their junior teams. From there, the cuts will come more often as pre-season play gets underway.
The pre-season schedule is as follows:
Sunday, Sept. 21 vs. St. Louis Blues, 5 p.m. ET
Monday, Sept. 22 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Sept. 24 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 27 at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Sept. 30 vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Oct. 4 at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
* Games in bold are home games *
After that, the Blue Jackets will open the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
There are 26 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
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