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50 free Columbus Blue Jackets trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The Columbus Blue Jackets took the ice in 2000 with a name lifted from Ohio's Civil War history, a mascot that is a yellow jacket, and an owner who privately promised the commissioner an arena even after the city voted one down. This Blue Jackets trivia quiz covers the whole story: the expansion draft shared with the Minnesota Wild, Rick Nash's Rocket Richard season at 19, the netting rule that followed a tragedy at Nationwide Arena, Ken Hitchcock, John Tortorella, two Vezina Trophies for Sergei Bobrovsky, the 16-game win streak, and the 2019 sweep of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Lightning. Questions range from easy ones any fan will get (what fires when Columbus scores?) to expert ones about the expansion-draft deal with San Jose, the 1857 Napoleon replica, the CBJ logo's thirteen stars and the franchise's first European-born general manager. There are questions on the arena, the uniforms, the retired number, the captains and the Johnny Gaudreau era too. Every answer was checked against encyclopaedic and reference sources before publishing, and each question carries a citation you can follow. Looking for more hockey? Try our NHL trivia and hockey trivia pages as well.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In what year did the Blue Jackets begin play as an NHL expansion team?
2000
The Blue Jackets began play in 2000, opening their first season on October 7 at home to Chicago; that expansion took the NHL to 30 teams.
Q 02The Blue Jackets' name and logos are inspired by which chapter of Ohio history?
The Civil War
The Civil War inspired the name: Ohio sent hundreds of thousands of men to the Union Army, Grant, Sherman and Sheridan among its native sons, and the Union's blue uniform coats gave the club its name.
Q 03Which other franchise joined the NHL in the same 2000 expansion as Columbus?
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild entered alongside Columbus, the two clubs sharing the expansion draft held in Calgary that June; the Wild brought the NHL back to Minnesota after the North Stars' move to Dallas in 1993.
Q 04What was the only other finalist name alongside Blue Jackets in the 1997 'Name the Team' contest?
Justice
Justice was the other finalist; from thousands of entries a list of ten was cut to the final two, and Blue Jackets was announced as the name in 1997.
Q 05Which fast-food chain helped run the 1997 'Name the Team' contest across central Ohio?
Wendy's
Wendy's is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, just outside Columbus.
Q 06The company that privately financed Columbus's arena after a failed 1997 referendum is in what business?
Insurance
Insurance: Nationwide financed the arena privately after voters rejected a 1997 sales-tax plan, and Nationwide Arena opened for the club's first season across the street from the company's Columbus headquarters.
Q 07Which owner privately guaranteed Gary Bettman that an arena would be built, referendum or not?
John H. McConnell
John H. McConnell, founder of the steel processor Worthington Industries, was the franchise's majority owner; after the 1997 vote failed he assured Bettman an arena would be built, and he led the club until his death in 2008.
Q 08Which ECHL club did the Blue Jackets replace in the city, a team that once sold out 83 straight games?
The Chill
The Chill of the ECHL played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum from 1991 to 1999.
Q 09Who scored the first goal in Blue Jackets franchise history, on October 7, 2000?
Bruce Gardiner
Bruce Gardiner scored it in a 5–3 home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the first game ever played at Nationwide Arena.
Q 10Which goaltender's 22 wins in 2000-01 tied a 74-year-old NHL record for an expansion-team netminder?
Ron Tugnutt
Ron Tugnutt won 22 games for the Blue Jackets in their first season, matching Lorne Chabot's 1926–27 mark for a goaltender on a first-year club.
Q 11To which team did Columbus trade the third pick in 2002 to move up and take Rick Nash first?
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers took the third pick (Jay Bouwmeester) and an option to swap first-rounders in 2003; Nash, taken first overall, scored 289 goals in nine Columbus seasons.
Q 12A 2002 tragedy at a Blue Jackets game led the NHL to mandate what safety change in every arena?
Netting behind the goals
'Netting behind the goals' became mandatory league-wide for 2002–03 after young fan Brittanie Cecil was struck by a deflected puck at Nationwide Arena in March 2002 and died two days later.
Q 13Which NHL award did Rick Nash share in 2003-04 with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk?
Q 21Jarmo Kekäläinen was general manager of which Finnish club before Columbus hired him in 2013?
Jokerit
Jokerit of Helsinki employed Kekäläinen as general manager from 2010 until Columbus hired him in February 2013, when he became the NHL's first European-born GM.
Q 22Columbus moved from the Central Division to which division for the 2013-14 season?
Metropolitan
The Metropolitan Division, created in the 2013 realignment, moved Columbus to the Eastern Conference after more than a decade in the West, grouping it with six former Patrick Division clubs and Carolina.
Q 23Why was Nathan Horton credited with a goal in an April 2014 game he never played?
It was the resumption of a postponed game
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy
The Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy goes to the top goal scorer; Nash, Iginla and Kovalchuk each finished 2003–04 with 41 goals, and at 19 Nash was the youngest player to share it.
Q 14Which Swiss club did Rick Nash play for during the 2004-05 NHL lockout, alongside Joe Thornton?
HC Davos
HC Davos, with Nash and Joe Thornton in the lineup, won the 2004 Spengler Cup and the 2004–05 Swiss National League A title.
Q 15Which star was acquired from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim during the 2005-06 season?
Sergei Fedorov
Sergei Fedorov came from Anaheim in November 2005 for Tyler Wright and François Beauchemin; the three-time Stanley Cup winner played parts of three seasons in Columbus before a 2008 trade to Washington.
Q 16Which coach, formerly of the Stars and Flyers, took over Columbus in November 2006?
Ken Hitchcock
Ken Hitchcock, who had won the 1999 Stanley Cup with Dallas, replaced Gerard Gallant in November 2006 and went on to coach the Blue Jackets to their first playoff appearance.
Q 17In what year did the Blue Jackets clinch their first Stanley Cup playoff berth?
2009
The 2009 berth was sealed with a 4–3 shootout win over Chicago on April 8; Detroit then swept the Blue Jackets in four games in the first round.
Q 18Which All-Star center did Columbus get from Philadelphia in 2011 for Jakub Voracek and picks?
Jeff Carter
Jeff Carter arrived in June 2011 for Jakub Voracek and picks that became Sean Couturier and Nick Cousins; unhappy in Columbus, he was dealt to Los Angeles that February for Jack Johnson and a first-round pick.
Q 19Which team acquired Rick Nash from Columbus in July 2012?
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers sent Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round pick to Columbus for Nash on July 23, 2012.
Q 20Sergei Bobrovsky was acquired from which team at the 2012 draft for draft picks?
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers, with Ilya Bryzgalov signed as their starter, sent Bobrovsky to Columbus on June 23, 2012 for a second-round pick and two fourth-rounders; he was the club's starter for seven seasons before leaving for Florida in 2019.
'It was the resumption of a postponed game': the March 10 game in Dallas was halted after Rich Peverley collapsed with Columbus up 1–0 on Horton's goal, and that goal stood when play resumed on April 9.
Q 24Whose overtime goal in Game 2 against Pittsburgh in 2014 gave Columbus its first-ever playoff win?
Matt Calvert
Matt Calvert's goal in double overtime on April 19, 2014 gave Columbus a 4–3 win in Pittsburgh, the first playoff victory in franchise history.
Q 25Which defenseman did the Blue Jackets receive from Nashville for Ryan Johansen in January 2016?
Seth Jones
Seth Jones came from Nashville for Ryan Johansen on January 6, 2016; he became the Blue Jackets' top defenseman before a 2021 trade to Chicago for Adam Boqvist and the pick that became Cole Sillinger.
Q 26Under whom did Columbus rattle off a franchise-record 16-game win streak in 2016-17?
John Tortorella
John Tortorella coached the streak, which ran from late November 2016 into early January 2017; along the way he became the first American-born coach to reach 500 NHL wins.
Q 27Columbus's 16-game win streak was the second longest in NHL history behind which team's 17?
1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins
The '1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins' won 17 straight; Columbus's 16 ran from November 29, 2016 to January 3, 2017 and ended with a 5–0 loss in Washington on January 5.
Q 28Which opponent did Columbus beat 10-0 on November 4, 2016, for a franchise-record goal total?
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens, then leading the league standings, were routed 10–0 at Nationwide Arena on November 4, 2016; backup Al Montoya was left in to allow all ten goals.
Q 29Whom did the Blue Jackets receive from Chicago in June 2017 when they sent Brandon Saad back?
Artemi Panarin
Artemi Panarin came from Chicago with Tyler Motte on June 23, 2017, Saad and Anton Forsberg going the other way; Panarin led Columbus in scoring in each of his two seasons before leaving as a free agent in 2019.
Q 30Which Presidents' Trophy winner did Columbus sweep in 2019 for its first playoff series victory?
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning had tied the NHL record with 62 wins, yet Columbus swept them in four games in April 2019, the first time a Presidents' Trophy winner had been swept in the opening round.