Rick Nash was born June 16, 1984 in Brampton, Ontario. The 1st choice, 1st overall selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Nash is a graduate of the OHL's London Knights where he captured OHL Rookie of the Year honours in 2000-01 and was a member of the OHL First All-Rookie Team and CHL All-Rookie Team.
A member of the OHL's Third All-Star Team in 2001-02, Nash was also a member of Canada's 2002 Silver Medal World Junior Team and member of Canada's Gold Medal Under-18 Team at the 2001 Six Nations Tournament where he led Canada in scoring (5-5-10 in five games).
In 2002-03, Nash made the jump from junior to the NHL and quickly became one of the bright young stars of the future. In 74 games with Columbus, Nash tallied 39 points (17-22-39) and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league's top freshman. Following a strong rookie season, Nash exploded offensively in 2003-04, tying for the league lead in goals (41) with Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk. Nash became a co-winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer and this in only his second season in the league.
After a strong NHL season in 2003-04, Nash suited up HC Davos in 2004-05 following the NHL labour dispute and subsequently helped Canada capture a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. Nash's international experience carried over into the 2006 Winter Olympics where he skated with Team Canada.
That year Nash and Team Canada were unsuccessful in taking home the Gold Medal, however the following year Nash would lead team Canada to a World Championship. Nash was named MVP of the tournament after netting two goals in the game that lead Canada to its record 24th world title. He returned to the World Championships again in 2008, however managed to only capture a silver medal.
At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Nash was part of the Canadian team that captured gold on home soil.
The 2011-12 season was a difficult one for Nash and his Blue Jackets teammates. Though Nash reached the 30 goal mark for the 7th time in his career, the team finished the season in last place in the NHL standings.
After months of rumours and speculation, Nash was traded to the New York Rangers on July 23, 2012. In exhange, the Rangers shipped Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and a first round draft pick to Columbus.
In 2014 Nash was called upon to represent his country once again at the Olympic Winter Games. This time held in Sochi, Russia, the result was more of the same for Nash and Canada. They went undefeated during tournament play en route to capturing the country's second consecutive gold medal.
Nash would establish a new career-high in goals during the 2014-15 season. His 42 markers were third most in the NHL. On October 23rd, 2017, Nash became the 312th player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 NHL games. He was the 77th player to appear in at least 1,000 games and score at least 400 goals.
With free agency looming and the Rangers intent on rebuilding, the veteran winger found himself available at the 2018 NHL trade deadline. He was shipped to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, Ryan Lindgren and a first round draft pick. Nash would suit up in 11 regular season games for the Bruins, recording the 800th point of his career in the process, as well as 12 playoff contests before the club was eliminated from Stanley Cup contention by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On January 11, 2019, with numerous injuries lingering, Nash officially announced his retirement. He left the game as the Columbus Blue Jackets all-time leader in games played, goals, assists and points.
