Rick Nash’s No. 61 will be the first jersey to be retired by the Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Thursday that they’ll retire Rick Nash’s No. 61.

Nash’s jersey will become the first jersey to be retired in Blue Jackets franchise history on March 5 when Columbus hosts the Boston Bruins, the team he finished his career with back in 2018.

“Rick Nash was the face of our franchise and our best player for a decade and represented our club on and off the ice with excellence, class, and humility,” Blue Jackets Majority Owner John P. McConnell said. “No one is more deserving of this honor than he and we are looking forward to celebrating Rick and his family in what will be a historic and memorable night for all of us on March 5th.”

The Blue Jackets selected Nash with the first-overall pick in the 2002 NHL draft. He stepped into the league as an 18-year-old rookie and scored 17 goals and 39 points.

The following season, Nash broke out with 41 goals, which was tied for the league-lead with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk. He became the youngest player ever to lead the NHL in goals and only the eighth teenager to reach the 40-goal plateau.

Nash would play nine seasons with the Blue Jackets. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in games played with 674, goals with 289, points with 547, and game-winning goals with 44.