After over a thousand games and four hundred plus career goals, 34-year-old forward Rick Nash decided on Friday to officially call it a career and hang up his skates. Nash has played with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins.
The Ontario, Canada native was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft; immediately joining them that season. Nash had an impressive career with the Blue Jackets, including scoring forty-one goals in his sophomore season. On March 12th, 2008, Nash was named the fifth captain in Blue Jackets franchise history.
As Nash’s play began to get better, unfortunately, the Blue Jackets did not. Once the 2011-12 season came around, Columbus began the season 2-12-1, one of the worst starts by any team and the front office was forced to make a change. Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers for forwards Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, and a 2013 first-round draft pick.
Nash had another stellar leg of his career in New York, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014 for the first time in twenty years. The following season, in 2014-15, Nash was unstoppable as he held the title of third-most goals in the league with forty-two, trailing only Steven Stamkos and Alex Ovechkin. In October 2016, Nash was named an alternate captain of the Rangers along with Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Derek Stepan.
Unfortunately, Nash’s cap hit of nearly $8 million was preventing the Rangers to rebuild their team and get the depth they desperately needed in the lineup. On February 25th, 2018, Rick Nash was traded to the Boston Bruins for Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, and two draft picks. It was a tough decision, but the Rangers front office knew it was the right move to make. Nash scored his first goal as a member of the Bruins just three days later.
Rick Nash’s decision to retire came as a result of lingering effects from a concussion he sustained in March 2018. He mentioned that the risk of brain injury was too high if he were to return to hockey. Nash has had an incredible career for the three teams he played for. He made fans everywhere he played and was a household name. He deserves nothing but the best, and when it comes to health and wellness, Rick knows he made the right choice.
