Columbus Blue Jackets officials could hardly believe their luck when they persuaded superstar Johnny Gaudreau to pass up larger markets and sign here two years ago.
Ecstatic fans looked to “Johnny Hockey” to score goals and jump-start the fortunes of a struggling team that had reached the playoffs just six times in the previous 21 seasons and advanced beyond the opening round only twice.
A few other big stars had spent time with the Blue Jackets, but for one reason or another they didn’t work out or didn’t care to hang around. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin were beloved by fans and led Columbus to a playoff sweep of
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