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retire61already · 4 years

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A Brief* Guide To Some Vintage CBJ Players

(*I lied, it's not brief at all)

Sometimes your team has half their players end up on IR and you start thinking about the guys who used to play here.

Then you wonder if they're watching the Clevelumbus Blue Monsters fight for a playoff spot and get nostalgic and fall down an old school highlight rabbit hole.

Then you wonder how many people know who some of these guys are anymore, and whoops suddenly your hand slips and you write a thing. I dont know what else I'm going to do with this so I may as well actually post it.

Enjoy this long ass thing that I can't put under a cut because I'm on mobile.

Rusty Klesla

His real name is Rostislav but no one but broadcasters ever actually called him that.

he was easily the hottest player in any room he walked into. The Alex Wennberg of the 2000s.

The first ever CBJ draft pick!

Went on to play for the Coyotes when they also sucked terribly and after being traded to the Sabres, basically he refused to report and retired instead of being forced to play for yet another terrible team. Fair enough.

Was supposed to be like Ryan Murray but that's not actually what happened due to being rushed into the league. Still a solid player in his own right and probably actually still holds our blocked shots record as of 2020, but won't ever get credit for it because he played for three years before the league bothered to record blocked shots as a stat.

Created an early franchise meme by ending every interview with our rinkside reporter Jim Day (you may also know him if you're a Cincy Reds fan, also if you are I'm so sorry) with "thank you Jim Day".

Went viral toward the end of his time in Phoenix for having to be stretchered off the ice but giving the crowd a thumbs up. Was okay, thankfully.

Jody Shelley

Yes, this is the TV guy. Our happy optimist TV color commentator was an absolutely fucking terrifying heavyweight enforcer.

He was called the scariest guy in the league to fight by Georges Laraque, a force of nature in his own right.

When he wasn't terrifying the opposition he was busy being the nicest person and spent huge amounts of his free time giving back to the community.

About the only guys who've done as much for the community as him are Foligno and Rick Nash.

Once fought his childhood hero Bob Probert and called him Mr. Probert while challenging him. Has not stopped kicking himself since.

A Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame inductee as of 2019!

Gerard Gallant used to use him on the power play as a goalie screen because he's basically a living refrigerator. One time two goals went in off of him in one night and the crowd lost it like he just scored in game seven of the finals. He never scored more than three a year. Enforcers were... interesting.

Traded to San Jose in 07-08 and went on to play for NYR and Philly before retiring and coming home. Played for Torts with Brandon Dubinsky and fellow CBJ alum Artem Anisimov in New York.

Torts still loves him. The team took advantage of this by using Jody to spring a tribute for his 600th win on him because Jody was the only guy who could get away with it (warning: Torts swears lol)

One time in the first few years the team existed my dad saw him on the morning news being interviewed about media day. The newscaster asked if they all put their fake teeth in for team pictures and Jody replied "nah we all share the same set and have to take turns. That's why it takes so long." This man is an unsung legend.

Rick Nash

You clearly saw this coming based on my URL.

The artist formerly known as (and also currently known as) Big Dick Rick.

CBJ took him first overall in 2002 and he was a Blue Jacket till 2012. He's currently our special assistant to the general manager.

The youngest person ever to lead the league in goal scoring. Not even Ovechkin won the Rocket Richard at 19. Suck it Ovi.

It is seriously impossible to overstate the level of skill this man had before the concussions. He was a Team Canada staple every damn year for very good reasons.

His time with CBJ is best known for this ridiculous goal.

Held basically every possible CBJ record for forwards until Cam and PLD started breaking them over the past few years.

Absolutely massive impact on Columbus youth hockey. The number of kids enrolled in hockey in central Ohio went from like 50 to 5000 in his first several years.

Became team captain at all of 23 under some real tough circumstances.

At 24 years old he dragged a relatively untalented team of misfits kicking and screaming into the playoffs.

The coach at the time pulled him out of practice because he was overexerting himself so hard.

Traded to the Rangers in 2011 under controversial circumstances. The GM claimed Rick wanted out, Rick said he told the GM he'd offered to waive his contract's no-move clause if the GM thought it could help the rebuild and that was being twisted.

Was very desperately missed until he shoved our goalie, at which point he was booed until his career ended.

Rick said after his retirement that Bob was taking little whacks at him all night and didn't shove him till Bob speared him in the junk, which is a perfectly valid reason to shove someone tbqh.

Retired after 15 years with CBJ, NYR, and Boston due to concussion symptoms.

Nobody has ever been loved like we loved Rick Nash. People adore Foligno but it was almost a mania with Nash. He was the only truly good thing we had in the dark ages.

For all the booing people straight up cried on Thank You Rick night, then cried again when he said he'd made up his mind that if his health had let him play again he was going to be a Blue Jacket.

I still haven't come to terms with the fact that he wasn't able to retire here. I am not even close to the only longtime fan who needs a grief counselor or something over this.

#columbus blue jackets #blue jackets #cbj #nhl hockey #rick nash #jody shelley #rostislav klesla #Rusty klesla #long post

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