Blue Jackets promote executives Rick Nash, Chris Clark
The Columbus Blue Jackets have promoted former players and current executives Rick Nash and Chris Clark to new roles in their hockey operations department, the club announced Tuesday.
“Chris Clark and Rick Nash have each done an exceptional job as members of our hockey operations leadership group and are very deserving of these promotions,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said in a statement.
“They are former Blue Jackets players who care very deeply about this organization. They are intelligent, extremely hard-working and committed to our succeeding at the highest level and I am excited that they will continue to play important roles here as we move forward.”
Well deserved promotions! 🎉 Rick Nash has been promoted to Director of Player Personnel/ Development and Chris Clark has been promoted to Assistant General Manager! Congratulations Chris and Rick 💥 📝 cbj.co/hockeyops-tw-0…
Nash, 41, has worked with the Blue Jackets since 2019 and has now been named the club’s director of player personnel and development. He previously served as the organization’s director of hockey operations.
Clark, 49, has been in the Blue Jackets’ front office since 2012 and will now serve as their assistant general manager. He was previously named GM of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ top affiliate, in 2019.
Nash and Clark both spent significant parts of their playing careers with the Blue Jackets. Nash debuted with Columbus in 2002 and captained the club from 2008 until his departure in 2012; Clark, who previously captained the Washington Capitals, played in Columbus from 2009 to 2011.
The Blue Jackets originally selected Nash with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NHL Draft. The London Knights standout quickly emerged as a star in the NHL, tying for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in his sophomore season in Columbus and being named to Team Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
In 1,060 career NHL games split between the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins, Nash collected 437 goals and 805 points; the 6’4″ left winger added 18 goals and 46 points in 89 career playoff contests. Nash retired as a player following the 2018-19 season, at age 34, due to lingering concussion symptoms.
Clark joined the Blue Jackets at the tail end of his career after tenures with the Calgary Flames (1999-2004) and the Capitals (2005-2009). He helped the Flames reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2004 and subsequently played on a line with Alex Ovechkin for parts of his tenure in Washington, scoring a career-high 30 goals with the club in 2006-07.
The Blue Jackets have been one of the NHL’s hottest teams over the last month, having gone 9-1-0 since hiring Rick Bowness to replace Dean Evason as their head coach in January. They currently sit four points outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference with a 27-20-7 record and 61 points in 54 games.