For all the noise that can fill Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets still don’t really have the kind of true NHL rivalry that sticks. That’s the awkward truth after 25 seasons: Columbus has had plenty of frustration, a few bright flashes, and a whole lot of being on the wrong end of things.
A real rivalry usually needs two teams pulling on the same rope, with enough meaningful games and enough bad blood to make it matter. The Jackets have rarely had that kind of setup.
Outside of one surprising first-round sweep of a stunned Tampa Bay Lightning team and a playoff bubble play-in series win the next year, there just hasn’t been much for Columbus to hang its hat on. It’s tough to build hate when the other side keeps winning the important games.
Still, if you break the team’s history into eras, a few opponents stand out more than others.
In the 2000s, the Detroit Red Wings were the obvious target. When Columbus entered the league, Detroit was already deep into one of its great stretches, and the Blue Jackets spent their first 13 seasons in the Central Division of the Western Conference.
That put the Wings right in their path. For fans in Central Ohio, they were the team many people latched onto as the one to dislike.
Detroit, of course, had far more reason to shrug than to care. The Red Wings were stacked, won two Stanley Cups, and finished as the runner-up in another year.
Columbus, meanwhile, was badly managed and never built a roster that could truly threaten them. The one time the Jackets gave the Wings something to answer for was the 2009 playoff series, which Detroit won without ever trailing in a game.
Even with the occasional loud night at Nationwide Arena, that was never a rivalry with two equal sides. Detroit’s fans had little reason to think about Columbus at all.
The 2010s brought a different kind of frustration, and a lot of it pointed toward Pittsburgh. The Blue Jackets finally became more competitive during that decade, reaching the postseason five times in seven years and four straight times from 2016-17 through 2019-20. But even then, the matchups rarely broke their way.
Three of those playoff trips ended against the eventual Stanley Cup champions, including the 2016-17 Penguins. Pittsburgh also knocked Columbus out in the first round in 2014.
The 2014 series stood out because it delivered some of the best moments in Blue Jackets history, including their first postseason win at home. The 2017 series, though, is remembered for one of the worst calls in modern NHL history, a moment that helped Pittsburgh tie Game 3 late in the second period.
From Columbus’ side, those series mattered. From Pittsburgh’s side, they were just another stop on the way to bigger things. The Penguins won three Stanley Cups in the Sidney Crosby era, and the Blue Jackets were never more than a hurdle.
That’s part of the problem. Detroit and Pittsburgh may stir plenty of feeling in Columbus, but the feeling doesn’t run both ways. The fans in those cities look at the 5th Line and, in the article’s words, wonder who we even are.
The 2020s haven’t changed much. Over the last six seasons, the Jackets haven’t made real noise against anybody. If there’s one opponent that draws some hate, it might be the Calgary Flames, who they only see twice a year.
So the answer, at least right now, is simple: the Blue Jackets don’t really have a true rival. They have teams their fans dislike.
They have old grudges. They have memories that still sting.
But those are one-sided feelings, and they change from person to person.
For that to turn into something bigger, Columbus has to become a team that matters more often. Only then can another club start to care enough to make it a real rivalry.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Broadcast Change Could Finally Address A Major Fan Frustration
The Blue Jackets are making a notable change to how fans will watch the team, announcing a new broadcast deal with NHL Productions that is set to bring a different production setup to Columbus. Marc Gregory, the clubs vice president of business intelligence and broadcasting, said the organization is eager to tap into the leagues resources to improve game coverage, a move that fits a growing trend around the NHL as more teams look for help upgrading their regional telecasts.
The timing matters for a fan base that has had plenty to debate about its viewing experience, even if the shift will not arrive right away. The Blue Jackets will join a group of clubs that already includes the St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild in working with NHL Productions, and the next question for Columbus is how the new arrangement will ultimately reach viewers once it takes effect in the 2026-27 season. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets TV Plan Is Finally Here But One Big Question Remains
The Blue Jackets television situation finally has a landing spot for this season, and it comes through a new partnership with the NHL after the team moved on from FanDuel Sports Network. Columbus is joining a small group of clubs in the league-backed setup, with games set to be carried across cable, satellite, streaming video and over-the-air television, giving fans a wider mix of ways to find the broadcasts.
What still makes the arrangement feel unfinished is what happens around the booth and behind the scenes. The team is taking on more of the business side of the operation, including ad sales, production costs and its own content creation, while the broadcast cast remains in flux as the new plan comes together. For a fan base that just wanted clarity on where to watch, the answer is in place, even if the full picture around the people making those telecasts is not. [Read more 🡒]
Can Evan Gardner Finally Ease The Blue Jackets Goalie Anxiety
The Blue Jackets have spent plenty of time trying to settle the most important position on the ice, so it is easy to see why Evan Gardner keeps drawing attention. Drafted in the second round in 2024 after Columbus moved up to get him, the Saskatoon Blades goalie arrives with a reputation as one of the organizations more intriguing young prospects as he heads into his first professional season.
Gardners recent WHL numbers have trended in the wrong direction, which is enough to make any goalie conversation in Columbus feel a little uneasy. Even so, he is still viewed as a prospect with real NHL upside, and the Blue Jackets are hoping the next few years bring the kind of development that could turn him into part of the answer in net. [Read more 🡒]