October 7, 2026
October 7, 2026
2008-2009 Columbus Blue Jackets: The Grind
The Columbus Blue Jackets ranked dead last in power play efficiency during the 2008-2009 NHL regular season, but they had a knack for grinding out wins even when they trailed late in games. Head coach Ken Hitchcock was entering his third full season in Columbus, and his players were beginning to buy into the style of play he wanted to see.
The Blue Jackets went 41-31-10 with 92 points in 2008-2009, finishing fourth in the Central Division and seventh in the Western Conference standings. They finished 10 games and 20 points behind the division-winning Detroit Red Wings, going 3-3 against them in head-to-head play.
Left winger Rick Nash was the undisputed captain of the Blue Jackets for most of his tenure in Columbus, and he had a knack for scoring goals when his team needed them most. Nash had 40 goals and 39 assists for 79 points, with 5 game-winning goals, 263 shots on goal, 1,650 minutes on the ice and 71 hits. Nash won the NHL Foundation Player Award, which honors a player who represents the core values of a hard-working NHL player.
Center R.J. Umberger had 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points on 234 shots, along with 404 face-off wins, 1,539 minutes on the ice, 92 hits and 52 blocks. Left winger Kristian Huselius had 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points on 212 shots in 1,444 minutes on the ice. Right winger Jason Williams had 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points. Left winger Raffi Torres had 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points, with 6 game-winning goals and 75 hits. Center Manny Malhotra had 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points on 116 shots in 1,387 minutes, with 74 hits, 52 blocks and 801 face-off wins. Center Derick Brassard had 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points, along with 40 hits.
Right winger Jakub Voracek had 29 assists in 1,013 minutes, with 101 shots and 32 hits. Defenseman Fedor Tyutin had 9 goals and 25 assists for 34 points on 167 shots in 1,928 minutes, with 103 hits and 98 blocks. Center Andrew Murray had 3 game-winning goals along with 147 hits and 36 blocks in 67 games. Defenseman Mike Commodore had 19 assists in 1,854 minutes, with 103 shots, 201 hits and 162 blocks. Center Michael Peca had 18 assists in 1,001 minutes, with 54 hits, 56 blocks and 417 face-off wins. Defenseman Jan Hejda had 18 assists in 1,835 minutes, with 168 hits and 157 blocks.
Goaltender Steve Mason won the Calder Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s version of the Rookie of the Year Award, thanks to his tremendous play in net. In 61 starts, Mason went 33-20-7, allowing 140 goals while recording 1,518 saves on 1,658 shot attempts. Mason recorded 10 shutouts along with a .916 save percentage and a 2.29 goals against average.
The Blue Jackets never went on any long winning streaks, but they had plenty of short ones. In fact, they had three separate four-game winning streaks throughout the season. Their first winning streak started with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on December 27, 2008, and ended on January 2, 2009, with a 6-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Their second winning streak started with a 3-2 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks on February 7 and ended on February 14 with a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Their third winning streak started with an 8-2 pounding of the Detroit Red Wings on March 7 and ended on March 13 with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 2008-2009 season was a special one for the organization. By finishing seventh, within the eight available playoff spots, they qualified for the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in Columbus Blue Jackets franchise history. Once they entered the playoffs, however, they ran right into one of their biggest rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, who promptly swept the Blue Jackets four games to none in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
While the final score of Game 4 on April 23 reads 6-5 in favor of the Red Wings, the Blue Jackets made their opponents work for the victory in front of their home crowd at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
At 2:58 of the first period, Detroit scored first courtesy of defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom on a power play, with an assist from defenseman Brian Rafalski. At 6:12, Kristian Huselius scored a power play goal with assists from Rick Nash and defenseman Kris Russell. At 7:09, Detroit left winger Tomas Holmstrom scored with assists from defenseman Brad Stuart and center Pavel Datsyuk. At 10:02, Detroit right winger Dan Cleary scored with assists from centers Tomas Kopecky and Valtteri Filppula.
At 1:44 of the second period, Nash scored with assists from defenseman Rostislav Klesla and Huselius. At 5:38, R.J. Umberger scored a power play goal with assists from Raffi Torres and Steve Mason. At 6:59, Detroit right winger Marian Hossa scored with assists from defenseman Niklas Kronwall and Stuart. At 11:25, Hossa scored again with assists from Holmstrom and Lidstrom. At 15:45, Russell scored with an assist from Torres. At 18:04, left winger Fredrik Modin scored a critical goal for Columbus to tie the game 5-5, with assists from defenseman Aaron Rome and left winger Jason Chimera.
The deciding goal came just before time expired in the third period, when left winger Johan Franzen scored at 19:13 with assists from center Jiri Hudler and Kronwall. Despite the result, the noise at Nationwide Arena reached its loudest point in years, thanks to all the hard work the Blue Jackets had put in to get there. The grind of the entire season was a learning experience for every member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, as they found ways to win hockey games with the talent they had.
7th February, 2017
17th June, 2026
5th March, 2016
29th March, 2016
17th April, 2016
October 7th, 2026 2
October 7th, 2026 2
October 6th, 2026 2
