Rick Nash

Richard Nash (born June 16, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who serves as the director of player development for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was the eighth number one overall pick to score a goal in his first game and the first to do so in his draft year since Mario Lemieux in 1984.

That season, Nash was nominated for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, but lost to defenseman Barret Jackman of the St. Louis Blues.

He would, however, join Jackman on the NHL All-Rookie Team.

In Nash's sophomore campaign, he improved his rookie goal total from 17 to 41, a career-high that tied Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for most goals in the League.

At 19 years of age, Nash was the youngest player in history to lead the League in goals.

Recording 16 assists, Nash finished the year with 57 points.

He played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Marlboros minor ice hockey team.

As a member of the London Knights for two seasons in the OHL, Rick Nash began his major junior career with 66 points in his first year, receiving the Emms Family Award as the League's top rookie.

He played minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), where he caught the attention of OHL scouts in 1999.

Prior to turning professional, Nash was a highly regarded prospect with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he spent two seasons, earning the Emms Family Award in 2001 as the League's Rookie of the Year.

After being selected first overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Columbus, he played 15 seasons in the NHL for the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, and was selected to play in six National Hockey League All-Star Games.

He began his NHL career with the Blue Jackets immediately following his draft, in 2002–03, and was nominated for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

In his second NHL season, Nash scored 41 goals to tie with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk as winners of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal-scorer.

Additionally, he has represented Canada at the 2002 World Junior Championships, helping the team to a silver medal, and also competed for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Nash was raised in Brampton, Ontario, where he attended Brampton Centennial Secondary School.

The following season, he amassed 72 points in 54 games and was subsequently selected first overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The first NHL contract for Nash was negotiated minutes before the signing deadline by Gord Kirke.

It was the most lucrative contract for an NHL rookie at the time, valued at 1.2 million USD per season plus bonuses and incentives which ranged from 8 to US$12 million.

Joining the Blue Jackets in 2002–03, Nash debuted on October 10, 2002, and scored a goal in a 2–1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Nash played for HC Davos of the Swiss Nationalliga A (NLA).

He scored 26 goals and 46 points in 44 games and added 11 more points (nine goals and two assists) in 15 games in the NLA playoffs.

Joined by fellow NHL-er Joe Thornton, Davos went on to win the Swiss Championship, as well as the 2004 Spengler Cup.

With the NHL set to resume play in 2005–06, the Blue Jackets re-signed Nash to a five-year, $27 million contract.

The deal saw his annual salary increase each year, with $3.5 million the first season and $7 million in the last season of the contract for a $5.4 million average salary.

Knee and ankle injuries, however, sidelined Nash for much of the first half of the season.

Missing 28 games total, Nash was still named to Team Canada for the 2006 Olympics, shortly after being activated from the injured reserve.

Upon returning from a disappointing seventh-place finish in Turin, Nash completed the season at a point-per-game pace with 54 points in 54 games.

In 2006–07, Nash matched his sophomore points total with 57, and was named to the Western Conference All-Star Team for the second time in his career.

He was Columbus' lone representative both times.

Nash scored the game-winning goal in the West win.

Nash is a five-time NHL All-Star and was also awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award in the 2008–09 season for his charitable work in the Columbus community.

He is the all-time Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, points, and games played.

In 2022, Nash's number 61 was retired by the Blue Jackets.

The following season, on January 17, 2008, Nash scored what many commentators called the "goal of the year" in the final minute versus the Phoenix Coyotes.

Breaking a tied score, Nash deked around two defenders and the goaltender to score the eventual game-winner.

Later, at the end of the season, the goal was nominated for an ESPY Award in the category of Best Play.

Selected to his third All-Star Game in 2008 that season, Nash scored the quickest goal in All-Star Game history, just 12 seconds in and ended the game with a hat-trick.

Completing the season with 38 goals and 69 points, Nash nearly matched his personal best goals total and set a career high for points and assists.

Internationally, Nash has represented Team Canada, with whom he has won one gold and two silver medals at the World Championships, and two gold medals at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014.