8 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: The History Of Jersey #8

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 8 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #8.

Let's take a look.

Geoff Sanderson - 2001-2006 - Drafted by Hartford in 1990.

Sanderson played 268 games as a Jacket and had 168 points. In the franchise's first season, he dazzled the NWA crowds when he scored 30 goals and had 56 points. Sanderson was a very good player for the Blue Jackets and brought some excitement to a fledgling franchise desperate to win some games. He's the only player in CBJ history to score 4 goals in a single game and was the first player in franchise history to have 5 points in a game.

He retired in 2008 after playing 1100 games and totaling 700 points. Last season, he was a pro scout for the New Jersey Devils.

His son Jake is now a star defenseman for the Ottawa Senators.

Jan Hejda - 2008-2010 - Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003.

Hejda signed with Columbus in 2007 after playing one year with the Edmonton Oilers. In all, he played with Columbus for four seasons and totaled 302 games. He scored 11 goals and 67 points playing on the Columbus blue line.

He left for the Colorado Avalanche in 2011 when free agency opened. He would play there until 2015. He signed a PTO with the Lake Erie Monsters in December of 2015 and was released in January of 2016 and would retire.

Scottie Upshall - 2011 - Drafted by Nashville in 2002.

Upshall played 21 games as a Jacket and had seven points after being traded on February 28, 2011, from the Phoenix Coyotes. After his time in Columbus, he played for the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues.

He left for Europe in 2019 to play a single season in Switzerland.

Maksim Mayorov - 2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2007.

Mayorov played 22 in Columbus and totaled 11 points. He never played another game for the Jackets.

He left for Russia 2012 and played there until he retired in 2021. He is now an amateur scout for the Washington Capitals.

Nathan Horton - 2014 - Drafted by Florida in 2003.

Horton only played 36 games for Columbus after signing with the Jackets in 2013. After netting 19 points, he was forced to medically retire due to a back issue.

During the first period of a March 10, 2014, game against the Dallas Stars, Horton scored a goal to put the Blue Jackets ahead, 1–0. Shortly thereafter, Dallas Stars center Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench. Play was suspended, and on April 9, 2014, the game restarted from the beginning, with the Blue Jackets leading, 1–0. Horton was unavailable for the restarted game due to an injury. However, his goal from the original game was still recorded in official statistics, making him the only NHL player known to score in a game in which he did not play.

Zach Werenski - 2017-2025 - Drafted by Columbus in 2015.

Zach Werenski has cemented himself as the best defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets history. Werenski came into the league like a lion and really hasn't stopped since. Unfortunately, injuries set him back during his career, but last year, he stayed healthy and became a top-scoring, elite defenseman.

Last season, he set single season records for a Blue Jackets defenseman in goals (23), assists (59), and points (82). He also passed CBJ legend Rick Nash in career assists, a mark that will probably take two decades to catch, if it's ever caught. His assist mark stands at 271, and there isn't an active Blue Jacket that even has 100 career assists. By the time his career is over, he could very well have 500 assists.

Per the NHL, Werenski is looking to become just the seventh U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history with three career 20-goal seasons.

He'd join Phil Housley (7x), Reed Larson (6x), Brian Leetch (5x), Gary Suter (3x), Al Iafrate (3x), and Mark Howe (3x) as the only ones to do so to date.

Last season, he also had a historic home points streak. The streak tied Phil Housley for the third-longest by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. It was also the fourth-longest home point streak by an active player in the league, with only Nathan MacKinnon (35 GP in 2023-24), Connor McDavid (26 GP in 2023-24), and Nikita Kucherov (24 GP in 2022-23) having a longer streak.

Zach Werenski will look to continue his spectacular play when the season starts next week in Nashville. How many points do you think Werenski will have this season?

Let us know what you think below.

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