On this day in history, a legend was made in one of the most memorable Blue Jackets games of all-time

The 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets were memorable for a lot of different reasons. That year, the team set franchise records for wins (50) and points (108), which still stand today. They also had one of the longest streaks in NHL history, winning 16 straight games from November 29 until January 5, which included a perfect 14-0-0 December.

Before all of that took place, we witnessed one of the gutsiest performances I've ever seen in sports. Not just Blue Jackets hockey, or hockey in general - I mean any sport, all-time. On November 18, 2016; Matt Calvert was left bleeding profusely after taking a puck to the face in the second period of a game against the New York Rangers.

Watching the game live, my heart sank. This one looked very bad on TV, with Nick Holden's shot ramping straight up into Calvert's face 15 feet away. There was no deflection, nothing to take the steam off of this shot. You can see a replay of it on YouTube, if you're so inclined (warning: graphic).

Of course it was Matt Calvert...

As part of the culture movement with the Jackets, Calvert was a fan favorite who laid it all on the line each and every night. Despite his 5'11" frame, he was a scrappy, physical do-it-all bottom-six player for this team. Need a penalty kill? Calvert. Need a shift in the offensive zone? Calvert. Need a timely goal in a crucial moment? Yep, Calvert.

The problem with playing a reckless, all-in style? He would spend a lot of time out of the lineup, recovering from various ailments. In fact, Matt would only play all 82 games once in his career: 2018-19 with the Colorado Avalanche. So, when a player blocked a shot with his face and was left bleeding on the ice, of course it was Matt Calvert. It was heartbreaking.

He came back to the ice and did something amazing...

Still, to this day, I can't believe what I'm about to put into words. Matt Calvert returned in the third period, with his head bandaged so heavily that you could clearly see it under his helmet. Later, Brandon Dubinsky quipped to the media that he couldn't believe it, holding his hands apart while saying something along the lines of "that thing is disgusting, it's like that big!".

Dubinsky was a darn tough player in his own right, so for him to point out how impressed he was that Calvert returned, speaks to how incredible this was. But he didn't just return to the game, he came back and made a huge difference. In fact, he won the game, with 30(!) stitches to his forehead.

Mid-way through the third period, with the Blue Jackets shorthanded and Calvert on the PK (of course), he streaked down the ice and beat Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist with a shot far-side, giving the Jackets a 3-2 lead. They would score an empty netter with one second left on the clock to win 4-2, giving them their seventh straight home win.

There are a lot of moments we can point to from that season as being very memorable. But, I'm not sure many of them happen without this night from Matt Calvert. These are the kind of games and moments that galvanize a team. Legendary.