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Blue Jacket comes up golden
By Ryan Cost, CNATI.com Posted March 2, 2010 11:20 PM ET
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Olympic gold hasn't changed Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash. At least not yet.
The unassuming star said the enormity of winning the gold medal in his home country hasn't quite sunk in as he recounted his whirlwind Olympic experience in front of the Columbus media on Tuesday afternoon at Nationwide Arena.
"I think after tonight we have about three or four days off until our next game. I think that will give it some time to sink in," Nash said. "It's truly amazing to win gold in your own country."
Nash flew back to the states with Team USA center Ryan Kesler whose Vancouver Canucks played Nash and the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. But Nash said it was a "headphones in, laptop up"-type of flight, which also included Canucks and Team Canada goaltender Roberto Luongo.
"We're Canadian. We don't gloat," Nash said with a smile. "It's over. We definitely created history, and the US had one the best tournaments in their history."
According to those that have covered him for years in Columbus, that's Rick Nash. A humble superstar.
He chose to hang out with his family after the win rather than parade himself in front of millions at the closing ceremonies. And he hasn't even shown off his new neckwear to his teammates or the local media yet. Nash said he didn't want it to be a distraction.
Nash finished the tournament with two goals and three assists and not surprisingly, he didn't mind that his megastar countryman Sidney Crosby was the man to cap it all off in what Nash called a "fairy tale ending."
"It seems like a book was already written that Crosby would score that goal and be the hero," Nash said. "If you ask me 20 years down the road it'd be the same answer. I didn't care who scored the goal as long as it went in and we won a gold medal for our country. That's all that matters."
But don't mistake his humility for nonchalance. Nash is aware of how monumental the win was for Canada and his career.
"I definitely think it's the biggest thing that's happened in my career so far," Nash said. "I think it will be a bigger deal down the road once things sink in and we actually realized what we accomplished. It was amazing. We had a lot of pressure on us."
Now Nash goes from a pressure-packed, life-changing experience to a rarely-packed arena, a disturbing commonality in non-traditional NHL towns like Columbus. A year removed from their first playoff appearance, the Blue Jackets are floundering with the second-worst points total in the Western Conference. But Nash is hopeful the buzz created from the electrifying Olympic tournament will spark more NHL interest across the country.
"I think it was great for the Americans to do so well," Nash said. "To watch that last game, that was some of the best hockey I've ever been a part of. Hopefully fans are biting onto it and realize it."
The Blue Jackets and Canucks honored the group of Olympians that included Nash, Kesler, and Luongo before faceoff of Tuesday night's game. The Blue Jackets fell 4-3 in overtime, and Nash had his personal point streak snapped at seven games.
Categories: Columbus Blue Jackets, Featured Stories, Ohio State
Tags: Blue Jackets, Rick Nash, Team Canada, Vancouver Olympics
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