Rick Nash

Minutes after being picked first overall in 2002, Rick Nash was thrust into a franchise where he would become its defining player. Raised in Brampton, Ontario, he rose through minor hockey, broke out with the London Knights in the OHL—winning the Emms Family Award as top rookie—and entered the NHL immediately after the draft.

Nash scored in his NHL debut for Columbus and earned a place on the All-Rookie Team. In his second season he scored 41 goals to share the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer. When the 2004–05 NHL season was lost to a lockout, he played for HC Davos, helping the club win the Swiss championship and the Spengler Cup.

He spent ten seasons with the Blue Jackets, was named team captain in 2008, and produced career-best totals in 2008–09 with 79 points and 40 goals as Columbus reached the playoffs for the first time. In 2012 he was traded to the New York Rangers, later moved to the Boston Bruins in 2018, and finished his playing career after chronic concussion symptoms forced him to retire on January 11, 2019. His NHL totals include 1,060 games played and he skated his 1,000th game in October 2017; Columbus later retired his number 61 in 2022.

Internationally, Nash represented Canada at junior and senior levels: a silver medal at the 2002 World Junior Championship, multiple World Championship medals including a 2007 gold where he scored twice in the final and earned tournament MVP honours, and Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.

What defines him on ice is a natural scoring instinct from the wing—early career goal totals and several milestone achievements underscore that trait. After hanging up his skates, he moved into a front-office position as director of player development with the Columbus Blue Jackets.