In celebration of 25 years of Blue Jackets hockey, it’s always fun to look back at milestones and fun memories from season’s past. This current 2025-26 campaign reminds me a lot of the 2013 season.
The 2012-13 season was a shortened season due to the lockout that lasted into December. A total of 48 games were played by each team as opposed to the typical 82. I like to call it the 2013 season because no games were played in the fall of 2012.
The Blue Jackets entered that season expecting to finish near the bottom of the standings, as it was the first season following the departure of Rick Nash and it followed the disastrous 2011-12 campaign (one in which the team finished dead last in the NHL with 65 points). The Blue Jackets were in the midst of a rebuild. There were no superstars on the team. A lot of young players and role-players.
The Blue Jackets struggled early in the 2013 season. By March 1st, they occupied the basement of the Western Conference with 14 points through 21 games. Then, something changed. The team found their groove, going 19-5-3 down the stretch. Everything seemed to be clicking.
They were getting great goaltending (from a young Sergei Bobrovsky, who went on to win the Vezina Trophy) and getting contributions from everyone. The biggest change was that the team was building its confidence. They went into every game expecting to win. This was something that had not been present in Columbus in the prior 12 seasons.
That 2013 team clawed their way back from the bottom of the standings. They fought with multiple teams (Sharks, Red Wings, and Wild) for a playoff spot. Despite their inspired play, they tied for the final playoff spot with the Wild at 55 points. Unfortunately, the Wild owned the tiebreaker, which left the Blue Jackets out of the playoffs.
While it was certainly heartbreaking not to make the playoffs, it was one of my proudest moments as a member of the 5th Line. They were left for dead because of the low expectations and the early struggles. But the team never gave up.
They could have tried to lose out with hopes of getting a high draft pick. But they didn’t. The team never quit. They fought back. They had bonded so well and success on the ice followed. It brought me great joy. Finally, a Blue Jackets team that showed fight and resolve.
This 2025-26 club reminds me of that 2013 team.
The Blue Jackets entered the 2025-2026 season with high expectations, as they narrowly missed the playoffs the season before. However, things got off to a rocky start. Through January 10th (2026), the team was in last place in the Eastern Conference. They had 43 points and were 9 points out of a playoff spot. They struggled maintaining leads and playing consistently. Then, something changed: Dean Evason was fired and Rick Bowness was hired as the new head coach of the team.
Since hiring Bowness, the Blue Jackets have gone 17-2-4. This great stretch has brought them from last place in the Eastern Conference to 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division. Over this stretch, the team has gotten good goaltending and contributions from everyone. But, most importantly, the confidence of every player has grown. They are gelling well as a team. That has catapulted them to playoff contention.
While the 2013 team and the 2025-26 team do have their differences, the similarities really stand out. First, both started poorly and were left for dead. Second, neither team gave up and fought their way back. Third, both teams had great chemistry and the players genuinely cared for each other. Fourth (and most importantly), both teams had great confidence and expected to win. The confidence of each team is what really stands out to me.
I think this year's team will have one difference from the 2013 club: they will make the playoffs. The 2013 club had a few disadvantages. First, the shortened season meant that the Western Conference teams only played Western Conference teams.
Thus, everyone competing for the playoff spots played each other and 3-point games were abundant. That really hindered the Blue Jackets rise in the standings. And secondly, the team only played 48 games. Over an 82-game schedule, the 2013 team may have been able to surpass a couple teams in the standings.
This year's team controls its own destiny. They have games in-hand and have head-to-head matchups against teams they are competing with for a playoff spot. If they continue their winning ways, it’s hard to imagine them not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the shortened 2019-20 season.