The Dark Blue Jacket's Definitive History of the CBJ

We here at the Dark Blue Jacket are eagerly awaiting the beginning of training camp, and of course, dying for content, just like everyone else.  When the words 'storied franchise' are spoken, the Columbus Blue Jackets is not the franchise that comes to mind.  But with the beginning of our second decade in the NHL, we have a history.  For better or worse.  So it seems appropriate at this time to review where we have been.  With that in mind, we bring you The Dark Blue Jackets Definitive History of the CBJ, a multi-part series designed to tide us over to the start of training camp.  Sure hope this works, the waiting is killing me.

The Inaugural Season - Our Lovable Bums

The Columbus Blue Jackets initial team logo

The first season of the Columbus Blue Jackets had arrived for the 2000-01 NHL season. The NHL has come to Columbus, Ohio!   You can still smell the new car smell in Nationwide arena.  The team ends the season with 28 wins - 39 Losses, and 9 ties and 6 overtime games for a total of 71 points.  It would be 2005-06 before we saw another CBJ team achieve that point total.  This was good for a tie for 4th in the Central Division, and 13th in the Western Conference.

Many Blue Jackets fans still think of this period with a sort of soft, fuzzy feeling.  The team rallied late in the season with an all out, team effort game in spite of their noticeable lack of talent.  Ron Tugnutt sets a record for most wins by an expansion franchise goalie.  This team won the admiration of their fans for their pluck, and their effort.  It was long before those good feelings wore off.  Doug MacLean, the President and General Manager had pulled off a significant accomplishment.  The launching of an NHL franchise in a place that had only seen minor league hockey in the past.

A good time was had by all!


This team had a winning record at home, to 26 sell out crowds, going 19W-15L-4T-3OT.  The results were not quite as good on the road, where they were 9-24-5-3.

Pertinent Records for that season.

Games Played - 81 - Serge Aubin, Lyle Odelein

Points - 56 - Geoff Sanderson

Goals - 30 - Geoff Sanderson

Assists - 42 - Espen Knutsen

Plus/Minus - 7 - Jamie Pushor

Penalty Minutes - 140 - Tyler Wright

Power Play Goals - 14 - Steve Heinze

Shorthanded Goals - 1 - Tyler Wright, Robert Kron, Jamie Pushor

Game-Winning Goals - 7 - Geoff Sanderson

Game-Tying Goals - 1 - Tyler Wright, Serge Aubin, Chris Nielsen

Shots on Goal - 199 - Geoff Sanderson

Shooting Percentage - 17.7 - Espen Knutsen

Face-off Winning Percentage - 57.4- Kevyn Adams

Points by Defenseman - 27 - Jamie Heward

Goals by Defenseman - 11 - Jamie Heward

Hat Tricks - 1 - Geoff Sanderson, Tyler Wright, Deron Quint

Ice Time - All Players - 24:05 - Deron Quint

Ice Time - Forwards - 18:49 - Steve Heinze

Goal Tenders


Games Played - 53 - Ron Tugnutt

Goals-Against Average - 2.44 - Ron Tugnutt

Save Percentage - .917 - Ron Tugnutt

Wins - 22 - Ron Tugnutt

Notable - A late season trade with the Florida Panthers brought Ray Whitney to the CBJ for Kevyn Adams, one of our good young players.  Rostislav Klesla was selected with our first number 1 draft pick.  Lyle Odelein is the first team Captain.

Up Next - The MacLeanian Epoch - The Early Deludian Period

Below is the team roster.

#	POS	PLAYER	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PP	SH	GW	S	S%
8	L	GEOFF SANDERSON	68	30	26	56	4	46	9	0	7	199	15.1
21	C	ESPEN KNUTSEN	66	11	42	53	-3	30	2	0	0	62	17.7
57	R	STEPHEN HEINZE	65	22	20	42	-19	38	14	0	3	125	17.6
28	C	TYLER WRIGHT	76	16	16	32	-9	140	4	1	2	141	11.3
9	R	DAVID VYBORNY	79	13	19	32	-9	22	5	0	1	125	10.4
10	C	SERGE AUBIN	81	13	17	30	-20	107	0	0	2	110	11.8
28	D	JAMIE HEWARD	69	11	16	27	3	33	9	0	1	108	10.2
21	D	DERON QUINT	57	7	16	23	-19	16	3	0	0	148	4.7
25	R	BRUCE GARDINER	73	7	15	22	-1	78	0	0	1	60	11.7
17	C	KEVYN ADAMS	66	8	12	20	-4	52	0	0	1	84	9.5
18	C	ROBERT KRON	59	8	11	19	4	10	0	1	1	134	6.0
29	R	ALEXANDER SELIVANOV	59	8	11	19	-11	38	5	0	2	104	7.7
24	D	LYLE ODELEIN	81	3	14	17	-16	118	1	0	0	104	2.9
33	D	PETTERI NUMMELIN	61	4	12	16	-11	10	2	0	0	99	4.0
11	R	KEVIN DINEEN	66	8	7	15	2	126	0	0	3	74	10.8
5	D	JAMIE PUSHOR	75	3	10	13	7	94	0	1	0	64	4.7
3	D	MATTIAS TIMANDER	76	2	9	11	-8	24	0	0	1	68	2.9
22	R	CHRIS NIELSEN	29	4	5	9	4	4	0	0	1	36	11.1
4	D	FRANTISEK KUCERA	48	2	5	7	-5	12	0	0	0	51	3.9
15	R	MIKE MANELUK	39	5	1	6	-11	33	2	0	2	31	16.1
34	D	JEAN-LUC GRAND-PIERRE	64	1	4	5	-6	73	0	0	0	33	3.0
17	L	STEVE MALTAIS	26	0	3	3	-9	12	0	0	0	30	0.0
13	L	RAY WHITNEY	3	0	3	3	-1	2	0	0	0	3	0.0
43	R	JAN CALOUN	11	0	3	3	-8	2	0	0	0	14	0.0
32	D	RADIM BICANEK	9	0	2	2	1	6	0	0	0	11	0.0
19	L	KRZYSZTOF OLIWA	10	0	2	2	1	34	0	0	0	5	0.0
40	C	WILLIAM BOWLER	9	0	2	2	-3	8	0	0	0	3	0.0
97	D	ROSTISLAV KLESLA	8	2	0	2	-1	6	0	0	0	10	20.0
20	L	MARTIN SPANHEL	6	1	0	1	-1	2	0	0	0	8	12.5
16	R	BLAKE SLOAN	14	1	0	1	-2	13	0	0	0	16	6.3
23	D	KEVIN DAHL	4	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	3	0.0
12	C	TED DRURY	1	0	0	0	-3	0	0	0	0	3	0.0
24	D	MICHAEL GAUL	2	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	3	0.0
36	L	SEAN SELMSER	1	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	2	0.0
41	R	MATT DAVIDSON	5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	0.0
45	L	JODY SHELLEY	1	0	0	0	0	10	0	0	0	0	0.0
52	L	MATHIEU DARCHE	9	0	0	0	-4	0	0	0	0	9	0.0

Goal Tenders

#	GOALIE	GPI	GS	MIN	GAA	W	L	OT	SO	SA	GA	SV%	G	A	PIM
31	RON TUGNUTT	53	53	3129	2.44	22	25	5	4	1528	127	.917	0	1	2
38	MARC DENIS	32	29	1830	3.25	6	20	1	0	940	99	.895	0	0	2
35	JEAN-FRANCOIS LABBE	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0