The Columbus Blue Jackets have 36 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #36.
Let’s take a look.
Sean Selmser – 2001 – Selmer was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1993 NHL Draft.
Selmer played one game for the Jackets during the 2000-01 season, his only NHL game. He spent the rest of that season playing for the Syracuse Crunch and had 26 points.
He left North America in 2002 for Europe, where he would land in Scotland. From there, he played 9 of the next 10 seasons in Poland before retiring in 2012.
Donald MacLean – 2004 – MacLean was drafted by the LA Kings in the second round of the 1995 NHL Draft.
On July 17, 2002, MacLean signed as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He would only play in four games for Columbus and had a single goal. He played most of his games with the Syracuse Crunch, where he had 68 points in 77 games.
He left North America in 2007, where he would play in Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, and Croatia. He retired in 2011 and coached in Croatia until 2015.
Mathieu Roy – 2010 – Roy was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2003.
On July 14, 2009, Roy signed a one-year contract with the CBJ. He would total 10 points in 31 games playing for Columbus. He also played for the Syracuse Crunch that season. On March 3, 2010, he was traded to the Florida Panthers.
He left for Europe in 2012 and landed in Germany. He also played in Poland and France before returning to North America to play in the LNAH. He retired in 2023 and went into coaching.
Jonathan Marchessault – 2013 – Marchessault was undrafted out of Cap-Rouge, Quebec.
Marchessault signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets just before the 2012-13 season, where he played just two games. He spent the rest of his time playing for the Springfield Falcons of the AHL, where he had 67 points in 74 games.
On March 5, 2014, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending his time with Columbus. He would finally get his shot when he signed with the Florida Panthers in 2016. But after just one season, they chose to expose him in the 2017 expansion draft, where the newly formed Vegas Golden Knights would scoop him. He played the next seven seasons for Vegas, scoring 192 goals and totaling 417 points.
He left for the Nashville Predators in 2024, signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract.
Marchessault is considered “The one who got away” by many CBJ fans.
Michael Paliotta – 2016 – Paliotta was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft.
On June 30, 2015, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets with Brandon Saad in exchange for Jeremy Morin, Marko Dano, Artem Anisimov, Corey Tropp, and a fourth-round draft pick. Paliotta would appear in just a single game for Columbus, instead spending his season with the Lake Erie Monsters.
In 2016, he was not tendered a contract and would sign elsewhere. He hasn’t played since the end of the 2020 season.
Jussi Jokinen – 2018 – Jokinen was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 2001 NHL Draft.
On January 16, 2018, after a long and storied career, the LA Kings put Jokinen on waivers. The Jackets claimed him, and he would play in 14 games for the Jackets.
On February 26, 2018, Jokinen and Tyler Motte were traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Thomas Vanek.
He returned to Europe and played another three seasons before retiring on May 18, 2021.
Justin Richards – 2023 – Richards was undrafted out of Orlando, Florida.
Richards signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 19, 2022. He played in only two games and spent all of his time playing for the Cleveland Monsters. He played in 61 games in his only season with Cleveland.
He left for Europe before the start of last season and played in the DEL. He is signed to play in Italy for next season.
Christian Fischer – 2025 – Fischer was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Fischer came to Columbus at the trade deadline in 2025. He played in a single game for Columbus. He was scratched for the rest of the games in 2025 after coming over from the Detroit Red Wings.
Fischer announced his retirement from professional hockey, to pursue a business opportunity in golf.
With 36 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena, the anticipation for the season is in full swing. Take a look at the schedule of events below.
Blue Jackets Participate in 2025 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo
The Blue Jackets will take part in the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo from Thursday, Sept. 11 to Sunday, Sept. 14. They’ll play three games and have one day off.
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The schedule looks like this:
Thursday, Sept. 11 7 p.m. vs. New Jersey Devils
Friday, Sept. 12 `No Game Scheduled
Saturday, Sept. 13 7 p.m. at Buffalo Sabres
Sunday, Sept. 14 3:30 p.m. at Pittsburgh Penguins
This will be the second year Columbus has participated in the Prospects Challenge. Before that, they played in the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City. As for the roster, it won’t be released until closer to the tournament.
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