There have been plenty of milestones signifying the growth of Central Ohio hockey over the years.
With the Blue Jackets now in season No. 24, the hockey community has exploded in the area, and a location that didn’t have the infrastructure to produce high-level players three decades ago now routinely sends players to high-level junior hockey, college hockey and pro hockey.
It’s taken an entire community to make it happen, something Sean Kuraly realizes. The Blue Jackets forward and Dublin native spent his youth watching such players as Rick Nash, Jody Shelley and Derek Dorsett – just to name a few who have settled in the Columbus area – on the Nationwide Arena ice.
Now, he’s carved out a professional career of his own, one that reached 500 career games last night in the Jackets’ 5-4 shootout win over Carolina at the downtown barn. It’s a milestone number for Kuraly, but also for a Columbus hockey community that can continue to point to such players as Kuraly as what's possible for those growing up in the area.
Not only is Central Ohio developing skaters who can make it to the NHL, it’s producing players who have long careers at the highest level. It’s part of a cycle that shows kids in the area what’s possible if you put in the work, use the resources available and dedicate yourself to the game.
And as Kuraly notes, the best is likely yet to come.
“You don’t think about it that much, but it crossed my mind the other day,” he said. “There are groups of kids trying to do the same thing I’m doing. I’m certain there will be plenty more to do it and do it much better. I think (the guys who came before) are proud of inspiring someone like me. I think I can be proud inspiring the next wave.”
In many ways, it was fitting that Kuraly didn’t just do it at Nationwide Arena, he did it with his longtime friend and teammate Jack Roslovic playing on the other side. The former Blue Jackets forward – who is just 35 games shy of 500 himself – was back in town as a member of the Hurricanes and scored his 12th goal of the season, part of a red-hot start to the season for the Columbus native.
The day before the game, Ohio AAA Blue Jackets president and founder Ed Gingher was at the arena to see his former proteges, a sign of just how strong the community is around the game.
And as Kuraly noted, that on-ice component of things cannot be overlooked. He can remember being in Nationwide Arena as a kid watching the Blue Jackets, with the players on the ice turning from heroes into teammates and friends over the years.
“We’ve been inspired by the players that have come before us,” he said. “We’re the first group of kids that had this organization and players like Rick and the guys like Jody and Dorse and (Jared Boll) and all the guys that played here before us. We’re the first ones that are benefitting by being inspired by former Blue Jackets, and hopefully we’re doing our part to do the same.”
Kuraly isn’t the first AAA Blue Jackets product to reach 500 games – that would be Connor Murphy, the Chicago defenseman who is the son of former CBJ assistant Gord Murphy – but he’s the first to do it in CBJ colors, adding even more of a local connection.
Kuraly grew up around the game as the son of Rick Kuraly, who played four seasons at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and remains the program’s all-time leader in goals scored. But growing up in Central Ohio and playing for the AAA team, he admits he never fully expected to make such a long career in the NHL, something the forward doesn’t take for granted.
“I don’t think so,” Kuraly said. “You don’t know if you’re going to play one NHL game. To play 500 is pretty cool. It’s a challenge. This league, they don’t just let you hang around because you’ve played this many games. It’s something that hopefully I can continue to do and continue to hang around and have a positive impact on my team. That’s my biggest focus.”
