The Columbus Blue Jackets have 42 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today we look at the history of jersey #42.
Let’s take a look.
Kevyn Adams – 2000-01 – Adams was drafted 25th overall in the 1993 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins.
Adams was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2000 NHL expansion draft. He would Adams would score 22 points in 66 games with the Blue Jackets before being traded at the trade deadline to the Florida Panthers alongside a 4th round pick in the 2001 NHL entry draft in exchange for Ray Whitney and future considerations.
Although it felt like Adams played in Columbus for a long time, his stay was very short, and CBJ fans at the time were not happy about the trade initially. But when Ray Whitney stepped into Nationwide Arena, that all changed.
Adams went on to play until the 2008-09 season. In January of 2009, Adams retired from the league and became a player agent. He was hired by the Buffalo Sabres as a Development Coach in 2009 and has held various positions including Asst. Coach, Director, Youth Hockey Supervisor, Vice President, and Sr. VP of Business Administration. On June 16, 2020, however, he was promoted to the big job of General Manager of the Sabres, where he still holds that position today. He is however, on the hot seat, as the Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since 2011.
Brett Harkins – 2001-02 – Harkins was drafted in the 7th round of the NHL Draft by the New York Islanders in 1989.
Harkins is a North Ridgeville, Ohio Native and attended the famed St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. Harkins also went on to play four years at Bowling Green State University in northwest Ohio, where he was a star. He had 208 points in his four years at BGSU. Harkins is also the first Ohio-born player to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Harkins played 25 games for the CBJ in 2001-02, after playing just over 50 career NHL games. he had a total of 2 goals and 14 points. After his year in Columbus, he would go to Europe and play six seasons in Finland and Sweden. He would retire in 2008.
Harkins has worked for the Boston Bruins for the last nine seasons as the Head College Scout / Amateur Scout.
Duvie Westcott – 2001-08 – Westcott was undrafted and signed by the CBJ in 2001.
Wescott played in 201 games for the Blue Jackets from 2001 to 2008. He scored 11 goals and totaled 56 points. Wescott was described as “a gritty defenseman with a solid all-around game. Has good passing ability and powerplay skills.”
After playing for Columbus, Wescott went to Europe and played the next seven seasons in the KHL, DEL, and Swiss National League. He retired in 2015.
Mark Hartigan – 2003-07 – Signed with the Atlanta Thrashers as an undrafted free agent.
Hartigan played in 48 games with Columbus after being traded by the Atlanta Thrashers to the Blue Jackets. He scored 11 goals and had a total of 19 points.
On January 26, 2007, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross. He would leave for Europe in 2008 and retire in 2012.
Chad Kolarik – 2009-10 – Kolarik was drafted in the 7th round of the 2004 NHL Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes.
On March 3, 2010, Kolarik was traded from the Coyotes to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Alexandre Picard. After playing in two games for Columbus, he was traded to the New York Rangers on November 11, 2010.
He left for Europe in 2013 and played until 2020. After coaching various levels of the USNTDP, he was hired by the Bridgeport Islanders as an assistant. Coach for the 25-26 season.
Artem Anisimov – 2013-15 – Anisimov was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers.
Anisimov was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the New York Rangers with Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon, and NY Rangers’ 1st round pick in the trade that sent superstar Rick Nash to New York. After playing in 168 games for the CBJ, he was then traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in the trade that brought forward Brandon Saad to Columbus.
Anisimov announced his retirement in October of 2024.
Alexandre Texier – 2018-24 – Texier was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Texier played a total of 201 games for the Blue Jackets. His career started with a bang when he came over from Europe and made his debut in April of 2019, just before the end of the season. He ended up playing in the legendary series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and four of the games against the Boston Bruins. He scored 2 goals and 3 points in the postseason that year.
Texier would return to France for the 2022-23 season after it was reported that he lost family members to a crash. He played one season for the ZSC Lions and then returned to Columbus for the 2023-24 season. He played in 78 games and had 30 points in his NHL return.
Unfortunately for him, the Jackets hired a new GM in Don Waddell, who traded him to St Louis on June 28, 2024, for a fourth-round pick. His tenure in Columbus ended with him scoring 34 goals and totaling 79 points.
Last season for the Blues, he played in 31 games and had 11 points. He has one year left on his current deal and will then be an RFA.
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