Columbus Blue Jackets History.

Columbus Blue Jackets, men’s professional ice hockey team and one of five teams in the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club name reflects the significant participation of Ohio residents in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The club mascot is Stinger, a bee that wears a blue uniform resembling that of a Union soldier. The team colors are red, white, and blue. The Blue Jackets play in Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

On June 25, 1997, the NHL officially announced that Columbus; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Saint Paul, Minnesota, had been awarded NHL franchises. Businessman John H. McConnell is the Blue Jackets’ majority owner, and Doug MacLean is the general manager. Columbus’s first season in the NHL was the 2000-01 campaign. Before the season the team filled its roster by selecting players in a series of drafts.