The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League (the NHL). The Columbus Blue Jackets play in the Central Division of the Western Conference with four other teams: the Detroit Red Wings, the Chicago Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators.  Blue Jackets tickets will be a hot item during the 2009-2010 NHL hockey schedule.

Columbus Blue Jackets 2009-2010 Outlook

The Columbus Blue Jackets have high hopes for the 2009-2010 NHL season.  The Blue Jackets qualified for the post-season for the 1st time in franchise history by racking up 41 wins and 92 points to finish as the 8th seed in the Western Conference.  Although the Red Wings swept the Blue Jackets out the playoffs in the Conference Quarterfinals, the initial taste of playoff hockey has the Blue Jackets, and their fans in Columbus, salivating for more.  The Blue Jackets have 2 of the best wingers in the game today - Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius.  And while teams focus on shutting down the goal-scoring chances for Nash and Huselius, Centers Antoine Vermette and R.J. Umberger and wingers Jakub Voracek and Raffi Torres are good enough to make teams pay if they don't defend the entire ice.  The Blue Jackets defense is solid, but not spectacular.  Anton Stralman and Fedor Tuyutin are good defenders who also create scoring chances for the front lines, while Jan Hejda, Rostislav Klesla and Mike Commodore like to clean up messes in front of the net.  Goaltender Steve Mason will likely start most games for the Blue Jackets, but look for Mathieu Garon to see plenty of action if he can show consistent play for Head Coach Hitchcock.  If the Blue Jackets avoid any serious injuries, and if the team continues to gel under the leadership of Hitchcock, there is a good chance that the Blue Jackets will qualify for post-season play for a 2nd consecutive season.  How far they go in the 2009-2010 playoffs will depend on how well Mason plays in net and how well the defenders limit scoring chances for the opposing team.  Get your Blue Jackets hockey tickets at the Nationwide Arena before it's too late.

History

The Columbus Blue Jackets franchise was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 2000.  In the franchise’s short existence, the Columbus Blue Jackets have never won more than 35 games and have never finished better than 3rd in their division.  The Columbus Blue Jackets are the only active NHL franchise to not qualify for post-season NHL play.  The team name “Blue Jackets” was selected to celebrate the “patriotism, pride, and the rich Civil War history in the state of Ohio and city of Columbus. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets have not retired any players’ numbers of their own.  However, the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's jersey number #99 league-wide on February 6, 2000.

Columbus Blue Jackets TV/Radio

All Columbus Blue Jackets hockey games can be seen on the FSN Ohio television network in the greater Columbus area.  ESPN has television rights to Columbus Blue Jackets hockey games based on the popularity of the game. Tune into the Columbus Blue Jackets flagship stations WBNS 1460 on your AM dial and WWCD 101.1 on your FM dial to catch each Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game on the radio.

The Columbus Blue Jackets play their home games in Nationwide Arena.  Nationwide Arena opened in 2000 and is owned by Nationwide Financial Services, a Columbus-based financial services company whose headquarters are located across the street from the arena.  In addition to hosting Columbus Blue Jackets NHL hockey games, Nationwide Arena also hosts all of the home professional football games for the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League.  Nationwide Arena holds a seating capacity of 18,136 devoted die-hard Columbus Blue Jackets fans.  Nationwide Arena has played host to numerous memorable and historic concerts and special events during its brief 8-year history, including the World Wrestling Entertainment’s King of the Ring in 2002 and the last WWE Bad Blood in 2004, the Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC 68 in 2007, the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and the first and second round games for the 2004 and 2007 NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.

Stadium:                Nationwide Arena
                                200 West Nationwide Blvd.
                                Columbus, Ohio 43215

http://bluejackets.nhl.com
www.nationwidearena.com