24 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: The History Of Jersey #24

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 24 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #24.

Let's take a look.

Mike Gaul - 2001 - Drafted by Los Angeles in 1991.

Played two games for Columbus during the franchise's first season in 2000. He didn't score a point and never played another NHL game.

He left for Europe in 2001 and played in Switzerland until 2004. After retiring from professional hockey in 2004, Mike took a position as a senior partner at an Investment Bank, Vires Capital VII, where he is currently developing and overseeing a portfolio of infrastructure projects totaling over $80B.

Hannes Hyvönen - 2003 - Drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 1999.

He played 36 games for the Jackets in 02-03, totaling 9 points, after the CBJ claimed him off waivers. He never played another NHL game after Columbus loaned him to Färjestads BK in 2003.

He would go on to play in Finland, Switzerland, Russia, and Norway. He retired in 2016 and went into coaching in 2019. Hyvönen is currently an asst. coach for Ässät of LIIGA.

Todd Rohloff - 2004 - Undrafted out of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Played 24 games for the Jackets in 03-04, getting two points. The defenseman also played four years at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, before turning pro.

Rohloff retired after the 2005–06 season after never playing another NHL game.

François Beauchemin - 2006 - Drafted by Montréal in 1998.

Beauchemin only played 11 games as a Jacket before being traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Sergei Fedorov trade of 2005. Had he stayed a Jacket, he could've easily been listed as the best player to have worn #24, and possibly one of the best defensemen to ever wear a CBJ uniform.

He went on to play 903 NHL games, score 288 points, and win a Stanley Cup in 2007. He returned to Anaheim in 2017, where he would play his last NHL season before retiring.

Cam Severson - 2006 - Drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 1997.

After his trade from Calgary to Columbus, Severson played four games in 05-06 and had 0 points.

He left for Europe in 2006 to play in Germany, Poland, and Romania, and would never play another NHL Game. He retired in 2010.

Kris Beech - 2008 - Drafted by Washington in 1999.

After being claimed off waivers, Beech played 16 games for Columbus in 07-08. He had 9 points in those 16 games. and would leave for Europe in 2009, where he would play until 2016.

After playing for Columbus, Vancouver, and Pittsburgh in 07-08, he left for Europe and played in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Germany, Austria, and England. He retired in 2016.

He is now an assistant coach for HV71 of the Swedish Elite League.

Aaron Rome - 2009 Drafted by LA in 2002.

Rome played 25 games for Columbus and had three points over two seasons, after being traded from the Anaheim Ducks.

After playing for a few different teams, he would retire in 2015.

Derek MacKenzie - 2010-2014 - 2008-2009 - Drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999.

MacKenzie played 279 games over the course of seven seasons for Columbus. He signed in Columbus in 2007 and made his debut in December of that year.

He left for the Florida Panthers in 2014 and would play there until he retired in 2019. Later that year, he was named an asst. coach for Florida. He's spent the last two seasons as an asst. coach for the Nashville Predators.

Nathan Gerbe - 2018-2021

If this were a popularity contest, Gerbe wins by a landslide. He only played 41 games over three seasons, but it felt like he played a decade. Gerbe spent much of his five seasons with the organization in Cleveland, where he was the Captain for two seasons.

He retired in 2022 and joined the Nashville Predators as a development coach.

Mathieu Olivier - 2023-2025

Olivier is entering his fourth season in Columbus and is a fan favorite. He has played 202 games and has 59 points. He also has 290 PIMs and is considered the team's enforcer and authoritarian.

Last season, he set career highs in goals, assists, points, and PIMs. For his efforts, he was awarded a 6-year, $18,000,000 contract, keeping him away from free agency. This is one of the best signings in team history, if you ask some people.

There are 24 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.

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