This is part four of my Columbus Blue Jackets' All-Decade Team. I have written about my selections for top goaltender, top two defensemen, top three forwards, and best overall player. The fourth installment will cover the best player of the decade.
The suspense must be unbearable. Who is the best player to have worn a Columbus Blue Jackets sweater over the first decade of the franchise's existence? My previous pieces during the decade-in-review have featured the top goaltender, Marc Denis, the top two defensemen, Rusty Klesla and Jaroslav Spacek, and the top three forward, Ray Whitney, Geoff Sanderson, and Rick Nash. Taking those six names in to account, it's probably pretty easy to figure out the best player of the decade.
Number 61 has been the most consistent and most talented Blue Jacket over the first ten years of the franchise. Rick Nash, the first overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft has lived up to his lofty expectations, despite rarely being surrounded with talent comparable to his ability. Nash has two forty-goal seasons, made more impressive by the fact that Nash has never played with a bona fide top line center.
Nash, for all of his Blue Jackets accolades, also has five international medals. He won gold with the 2010 Canadian team in this past Olympics and in the 2007 World Championships in Moscow. He also has two silvers from previous World Championship tournaments and silver in the 2002 World Junior Championships. He has also been the cover boy for NHL2K9.
Rick Nash has been the unquestionable face of the franchise. He even passed up greener pastures by signing an eight-year contract extension in 2009 to remain a Blue Jacket through the 2018 season. In a day and age where very few players spend their entire career with one team, Nash may be one of that cherished group of individuals
Read more...