“(There was) a lot of excitement, doggy pile … (the) boys were just ecstatic, and you get that first playoff win and make it a series,” Calvert said. “Obviously you’ve got to get the first win somewhere, and it was pretty cool to be a big part of that.”
Although the Penguins won that first-round series, Calvert was a huge part of that milestone season for Columbus as well as playoff runs in 2017 and '18. A core group, bolstered by the acquisitions of such players as Nick Foligno, Sergei Bobrovsky and Jack Johnson, had been established and was pushing toward success.
“You're always judged by results and winning, and that's pro sports and that'll never change, but that locker room, we became a family in there,” Calvert said. “We all meshed together well. There were guys from other teams that maybe had something to prove, that never had the opportunity on their previous teams, and there were young guys like ourselves that had to show that we're NHLers, and I thought we bonded well.”
“We had some success and unfortunately couldn't get over the hump in the playoffs, and if you don't win, the group doesn't stay together. But a lot of great memories with that group of guys.”
Returning to Columbus for the 25th Anniversary celebration was especially meaningful for Calvert and his family, as he was able to reunite with some of those former teammates and reflect on his eight years as a Blue Jacket.
“I brought my dad with me, and you walk around the city, you walk around the rink, and it brings up new memories that you forgot about,” Calvert said.
“I get to see former teammates and different guys you watched as kids around here, and now they’re the new Columbus Blue Jackets and it’s just pretty special, full circle, and kind of some closure.”
Denis Went The Distance
Throughout the 2002-03 season, Denis played 77 games for the Blue Jackets, which remains tied for the third-most all-time for a goaltender in a single season in NHL history more than 20 years later.
That season, he also was on the ice for 4,511 minutes played, which was at the time the most ever for a goaltender in NHL history.
“(I’m) almost exhausted thinking about it,” Denis said.
NHL legend Martin Brodeur grabbed the record from Denis a year later, but it’s still a lot of hockey. In Columbus, 77 games played is still the number to beat, and Denis holds the top two spots for most games played by a goaltender in a season. His 66 starts the following season in 2003-04 holds second place in Blue Jackets history.
In an era where goalie tandems are becoming increasingly common and starting goalies are averaging less games played, 77 games is almost unthinkable.
“It’s almost surreal to think that was once a reality,” Denis said. “Just like Major League Baseball pitchers, pitching until their arms fell off. That’s what made sense back then; it doesn’t anymore.”
“The fact that we did that (as the) easternmost team playing in the Western Conference, basically a time change for every road game, it’s pretty amazing.”
In one of the highlights of his career, Denis vividly remembers reaching the minutes-plaued milestone in front of the fans at Nationwide Arena.
“(I’m) grateful that when that happened, it happened at home in front of the crowd, and the linesman fixed an imaginary hole in the ice to make sure that people could acknowledge it,” Denis said.
As a member of the team’s inaugural season, Denis was a Blue Jacket from the beginning. Across his five seasons in Columbus – and now visiting in his role as an analyst for RDS television in Montreal – he has witnessed the city develop.
Especially regarding the growth of local youth hockey, he is proud of how far it’s come and how the Blue Jackets have helped facilitate that progress. He even remembers enrolling his kids in learn to skate programs at the OhioHealth Chiller ice rinks, just like many others who have grown up in Central Ohio.
“The outreach of this organization in the community is absolutely tremendous,” Denis said. “There were only a few ice sheets really when we first started, and they were basically popping up at that time.”
“Just to see the minor hockey, to see players originally from Columbus being in the NHL now that played with the (Ohio AAA Blue Jackets) and on the national development team, it's pretty amazing to think that we had a little say in that to promote a game and to be there.”
Denis was certainly an impactful part of the establishment of the Blue Jackets on and off the ice, and he was excited to return as an alumnus to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.
“It's obviously a time to reminisce and to reflect, and it’s just tons of emotions, and there's always a little bit of that feeling like you're coming back home,” Denis said. “Just to think we're part of the first few building blocks of what's now a quarter century old is pretty cool. It’s pretty amazing.”
Dubinsky Gives Back
Since being traded to the Blue Jackets from the New York Rangers in 2012, Dubinsky has come to call Columbus home.
Now retired from professional hockey, and with his family and business established in Columbus, he continues to bring that same work ethic and drive as a parent and coach in the area’s youth hockey system. All three of his boys are playing hockey in the area, including one on the same team as the son of Rick Nash, the player he was originally traded for in 2012.
“It's fun to give back,” Dubinsky said. “It's fun to help these guys. It's fun to think about the things that you went through growing up and trying to pass those messages along.”
Coaching runs in the family, and Dubinsky often takes advice from his dad, Bill, a longtime minor hockey coach.
“My middle (child) jokes with me because occasionally I'll call my dad and ask him for some tips (because) he coached minor hockey for so long,” Dubinsky said. “I’ll call him for some practice ideas or tell him what's going on with the team and just ask for his feedback. Afterwards (my middle child) always says, ‘You did exactly what Grandpa Bill said on the phone.’
“Those moments are special too, and it's just fun to be around your kids and help them with their journeys in hockey.”
Although the organization has yet to reach the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, Dubinsky was an important part of propelling the Blue Jackets toward playoff success, including the sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Those milestones and the competitive culture he helped build stand out to him when reflecting on his tenure as a Blue Jacket.
“Obviously, we didn't get to where we wanted to in all those years, but I think during my time here, we built something that was pretty special and made the city pretty proud of Columbus Blue Jackets hockey,” Dubinsky said
