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CAPTAIN: Columbus Blue Jackets - Rick Nash
By Bethany | March 16, 2008
Alright, I didn’t want to do my own Rick Nash post, so I talked to Sarah at Neutral Zone Trap and she agreed to do something on Captain Nash. Here is what she had to say!
I’ll be fair and not judge Rick Nash’s ability to captain the Blue Jackets effectively based just on last night’s crap-fest of a game. Although last night’s game should tell us one thing — Nash is still developing as a player and a leader, and overnight results are not to be expected. Like the team as a whole, Nash’s captaincy is going to be a work in progress for the foreseeable future.
Still, to be at this point now is pretty exciting. Before the changeovers at the top of the CBJ organization of the past year and a half, Nash had a real tendency to float, to ignore the defensive zone, and just generally to give off the appearance of being a gifted player, yes, but a potential team leader, not so much. Since Hitchcock took over, though, we’ve really seen Nash stepping up his all-around play. He’s even used on the penalty kill now, which would have been unthinkable in the Gerard Gallant/Doug MacLean days. That’s not to say he never has moments now when he tends to hang around the opposing blue line a little too much, but in general, it’s obvious that Nash has matured quite a bit over the past season into a more complete hockey player. Enough that he does seem to be legitimate captain material.
Nash strikes me as a fairly quiet and reserved guy, so I doubt we’ll see the day when he’s guaranteeing wins in playoff games in the media. And I don’t see him as the guy getting in other players’ faces and yelling when they’re not pulling their weight. In that, he maybe doesn’t fit the stereotyped image of a “leader” in pro sports, but reserved players who lead by example have been very successful captains in the NHL — cf. Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman. Ideally, that’s the kind of captain Nash will be, as long as he’s given the space and time to develop into that.
As a fan of the Blue Jackets franchise, it is exciting to me to see the team appointing its first homegrown captain. It’s a sign that, while the team is still far behind where I’d like them to be eight years after they started playing, they are developing into a solid NHL franchise.
So there you have it, all about Captain Nash, from yet another CBJ fan!!
March 16th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I like Rick Nash- he’s a great player. You guys are lucky to have him.
March 16th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
He is a great player you are correct! Although, I am a little jealous of Ovie…lol.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Oh my…he looks like Grizzly Bear!!! =P
March 17th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
LOL, ya he does!! So cute though!!