Two years removed from inception, the Columbus Blue Jackets were rudderless when they selected Rick Nash with the first overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Nash, a behemoth of a winger who evoked comparisons to Eric Lindros and Brendan Shanahan for his enviable combination of size and scoring ability, was unfazed.

"Seems like a great situation to step into, so I'm very happy," Nash told the CBC at the time.

It wasn't, of course. The Blue Jackets had finished dead last in the Western Conference that year, struggling more than they did in their uninspired inaugural season, but Nash was the unflappable type. This only became clearer throughout his stellar NHL career, which came to an unceremonious end Friday after 15 seasons. Reeling, still, from the concussion he sustained last March, Nash announced through his agent that he's done playing hockey, as the risk of further brain injury is "far too great."

Through no fault of his own, Nash - who didn't bother fielding offers in free agency this past offseason amid persistent post-concussion problems - was constantly beset with something as a player, be it lousy teammates or an injury to his back, groin, or, too frequently, his head. In his nine seasons with Columbus, despite Nash's Herculean efforts, the Blue Jackets made the playoffs just once. With the New York Rangers, who acquired him ahead of the 2012-13 campaign, Nash was frequently ailing and eventually became a shell of the player he once was. Still, while circumstance rarely seemed to swing in his favor, Nash's talent and resilience nevertheless enabled him to compile one of the finest resumes of his generation.

In 1,060 games split between the Blue Jackets, Rangers, and, briefly, Boston Bruins (who landed him from New York ahead of last year's trade deadline), Nash potted 437 goals - tying him with Pavel Bure for 67th on the all-time list - while adding 368 assists. His comparably modest position on the all-time points leaderboard - with 805, he's tied with Milan Hejduk for 161st - evinces that he was often alone out there when he was at his most dominant, before the injuries started to pile up.

In his first season with Columbus, an 18-year-old Nash finished third in Calder Trophy voting and tied Tyler Arnason for second in points among rookies - behind only Henrik Zetterberg - with 39. The following year, Nash blossomed into a bona fide star, leading the NHL with 41 goals to become the youngest player ever to nab the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. (Ten players have scored that many goals in a season before turning 20, with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux among them.) He also earned his first of six All-Star nominations that year, cementing himself as one of the game's most prolific scorers.

From that superb sophomore campaign through 2011-12, only Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin, Jarome Iginla, and Dany Heatley put the puck in the net more times than Nash, a paragon of consistency who remained tireless in his efforts to lug the perpetually moribund Blue Jackets into the postseason. Once, he actually succeeded, carrying Columbus in 2008-09 to its first-ever playoff berth with a career-high 79 points. The Blue Jackets proceeded to get swept in the first round by the Detroit Red Wings. Nash, who was named the team's captain just a year prior, scored a goal and notched two assists in the series for a team-high three points.

After three more decidedly on-brand campaigns - a minimum of 30 goals per, that is - Nash, who signed an eight-year extension only two seasons earlier, was traded to New York. He stills owns the Blue Jackets' franchise records for games played (674), goals (289), power-play goals (83), short-handed goals (14), game-winning goals (44), goals per game (0.43), and assists (258). But while Nash's talents went mostly to waste in Columbus, he was a boon to Team Canada on international ice, most notably helping his country secure a championship at the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Quickly, though, after a terrific performance (42 points in 44 games) in his first season with the Rangers - the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign - Nash's effectiveness waned as his health problems increased. A concussion sustained early in 2013-14 precipitated his least productive seasons, in terms of total points and points per game, since his rookie year. His equally disappointing postseason - 10 points in 25 games - gave him a playoff reputation he never managed to shake.

Nash, then 30, rebounded with aplomb the following season, scoring a career-best 42 goals in 79 games, but decline rapidly set in; over the next three seasons, while battling a litany of groin, knee, back, and concussion problems, Nash averaged only 66 games per year, never once eclipsing 23 goals or 38 points. And now, nine months after his latest concussion, Nash's career is done, months before his 35th birthday.

And it's a tragically fitting end to a career colored by rotten luck. Nash spent his best days on an awful team, after all, and couldn't stay healthy - or approximate his former self - once he finally got to play for a contender. Bad luck is an occupational hazard in professional sports, though, and Nash still carved out a damn fine legacy in spite of his. Most athletes would kill to be so unlucky.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson opened up about his mental health struggles in an Instagram post on Friday, saying his arrest last year stemmed from a relapse after 23 months of sobriety.

The soon to be 27-year-old voluntarily entered the NHL's substance abuse program after the events that unfolded in June 2018.

"I am currently sober and committed to living a healthy lifestyle so that I can be the father, partner, teammate, and person I want to be," Watson's post read.

Watson - who admitted to dealing with anxiety, depression, and alcoholism since the age of 18 - was handed an 18-game suspension after being arrested for domestic assault.

He pleaded no contest and agreed to a judicial diversion program that would dismiss the charge if he served three months probation and completed treatment and batterer's intervention programs.

Both Watson and his partner Jennifer struggle with alcoholism.

"Jennifer and I are in a good place. We are healthy, happy and committed to our own individual sobriety as well as continuing to strengthen our relationship. We have learned from our mistakes and are excited to move forward in our relationship. We wish only to raise our daughter Olivia in the most healthy and loving atmosphere as we can provide."

The NHL initially suspended Watson for 27 games but an arbitrator reduced the suspension to 18. He was reinstated in November and has six goals and two assists in 28 games with the Predators this season.

Here is Watson's full statement:

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed goaltender Casey DeSmith to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.25 million, the team announced Friday.

"Casey has excelled for us at every level, first in Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and now here in Pittsburgh," general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement.

The 27-year-old is enjoying his longest stretch of games in the NHL after just 14 appearances with Pittsburgh last season. In 26 games in 2018-19, DeSmith has gone 12-7-4 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average.

DeSmith's extension will keep him with the Penguins through the 2021-22 season.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky are hoping to put a recent incident that saw the former Vezina Trophy winner benched Thursday in the rear-view mirror.

A day after the club announced Bobrovsky was being held out against the Nashville Predators for failing to meet certain "expectations and values," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told TSN's Pierre LeBrun that the issue has been resolved and the Blue Jackets are "moving on" from the situation.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Kekalainen refused to divulge what exactly the incident entailed, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. The club's GM wouldn't comment on whether the team had asked Bobrovsky to waive his no-movement clause.

Bobrovsky was back with his teammates at practice Friday and spoke to reporters at its conclusion.

"Tuesday night against Tampa was a tough loss for everybody, so ... it was emotional," Bobrovsky said. "We might play them in the playoffs. I let my emotions get to me when I shouldn't. So, yeah. We had the meeting with the team.

"I've been always ... I pride myself to be a good teammate all the time, wherever and whomever I've played. I addressed that to the team. It is what is it. What happened has happened. We cleaned the air and we're ready to move on. It's unfortunate for the fans, too, that it happened. But it's going to stay in the room and between us and that's it."

Bobrovsky will travel with the team to Washington for a game against the Capitals on Saturday night, though Portzline notes there's no word yet on whether the Russian will get the start.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon says his outburst directed at head coach Jared Bednar during Wednesday's game was unacceptable.

The 23-year-old was seen screaming at Bednar on the bench in a game the team dropped 5-3 to the Calgary Flames.

"That's unacceptable on my part," MacKinnon said on Friday, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I can't be doing that stuff... I was just really frustrated, but I love playing for Bedsy."

"We spoke after the game and Bedsy’s the least sensitive guy ever, so it’s all good."

MacKinnon said he became frustrated when the Avalanche didn't pull their goalie with the team trailing by two goals late in the game.

Bednar, meanwhile, held no hard feelings toward MacKinnon, and was happy to see his star player show passion.

"All of us, at the time, were frustrated. I thought we played two really good games, could've come out with four points," Bednar said. "To me (the outburst) didn't bother me at all. That's what I love about Nathan and about certain guys on our team is the fire and passion and emotion they play with, they have. That's what you need in this game... that’s what makes him so good, so I never want to curb that."

The club has lost eight of its last nine games, which could also be causing some frustration. The Avalanche will look to get back into the win column Saturday when they take on the Canadiens.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Six-time NHL All-Star Rick Nash is retiring, citing ongoing concussion symptoms and the risk of further brain injuries, his agent announced in a statement Friday.

The 34-year-old most recently played for the Boston Bruins in the 2017-18 season after being acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the New York Rangers. Nash suffered a concussion in March 2018 and missed the end of the regular season, but returned for the playoffs. Boston was eliminated in the second round.

He was an unrestricted free agent this summer. Leading up to July 1, he informed teams that he would forgo the process, since he hadn't decided whether he would return for another season.

In October, Nash said that while he missed the game, there was a good chance that he wouldn't return.

Nash captured the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (along with Ilya Kovalchuk and Jarome Iginla) during the 2003-04 season. He also enjoyed incredible success on the international stage, winning two Olympic gold medals for Canada and three silvers at the World Championship.

The 2002 first overall pick still ranks first in Blue Jackets history in games played (674), goals (289), assists (258), and points (547).

Nash concludes his career with 437 goals and 805 points in 1,060 games split between the Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Bruins.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.