Nash’s New Comfort Zone

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Rick Nash

When the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted left winger Rick Nash with the first overall pick of the 2002 National Hockey League Draft, he was looked at as a building block for their club. The Blue Jackets didn’t begin playing in the NHL until 2000 and like most expansion teams they struggled as they only made one playoff appearance with Nash which wasn’t any fault of his. With the Blue Jackets, Nash was a five-time NHL All-Star along with finishing third in 2003 for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. In eight of his nine seasons in Columbus, Nash led the Blue Jackets in goals. Nash is the Blue Jackets all-time leader in games played (674), goals (289), assists (258), points (547), and game-winning goals (44).

After rampant trade rumors, the Blue Jackets finally traded Nash to the New York Rangers in 2012. Like many players before him, there were many expectations placed on the shoulders of Nash upon his arrival in New York City. In Nash’s first season with the Rangers, New York was eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Boston Bruins in five games. And one of the scapegoats by the New York media for this was none other than Nash. The Rangers would make the Stanley Cup Final last season for the first time since 1994 and when they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in five games, it was Nash that was once again public enemy number one in the Big Apple. But so far this season things have been different for Nash.

http://fulltiltnyr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/rick-nash1.jpgAfter a slow start to the season, the Rangers have surged and become one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference with Nash being a big part of it. This season Nash has been on fire as he leads the NHL in goals with 28 including a pair in the Rangers 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins this afternoon. Nash’s strong season has not gone unnoticed as he has been selecting to the NHL All-Star Game for the seventh time in his career. But this year’s game will have added meaning for Nash because it will be played in Columbus where he starred at for so many years.

Overall, Nash appears to have finally gotten comfortable with the Rangers and in New York City. There was so much that was expected from Nash as soon as he joined the Rangers due to the fact that many people simply expected him to put the Blueshirts on his back and lead them to a Stanley Cup Title and unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. To quote Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Nash has simply been able to “R-E-L-A-X” this season and the proof is in the pudding. Nash has focused on playing hockey while letting everything else take care of itself and it has benefitted both him and the Rangers alike.

After falling three victories short of winning the Stanley Cup Championship last season, the only thing left for Nash and the Rangers to do this spring is to bring the coveted trophy back to Madison Square Garden. If the Rangers are able to once again hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup it will be a team effort, but Nash will have a big say in it as well.

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By | 2015-01-18T22:13:24+00:00 January 18th, 2015|Categories: National Hockey League|Tags: , |0 Comments

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