Brandon Dubinsky signed what would be his last NHL contract on this day in 2014. He signed a six-year deal that would keep him in Columbus until 2021.
Dubinsky was traded to Columbus in the summer of 2012, in the now-infamous Rick Nash trade. Coming to Columbus with Dubinsky were Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a draft pick, who would later become Kerby Rychel.
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Dubinsky played a hard-nosed style of hockey and would not hesitate to jump into or cause a scrum. He was notorious for trying to get under Sidney Crosby‘s skin, and even if he couldn’t, he kept trying.
Dubinsky has a ton of highlights, but for fans of Columbus, there must be only one. In the first round of the 2014 playoffs, the Blue Jackets were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Down in the game 3-2 and in the series 2-1, Marc-Andre Fleury would attempt to play the puck behind his net. Ryan Johansen would steal it from behind the net and sling it directly into the middle of the ice where Dubinsky was standing. He quickly gathered it on his stick and shot it between two defenders and a diving Fleury. The goal rocked Nationwide Arena and the City of Columbus. Columbus would go on to win that game in overtime.
Sadly, after the 2018-19 season, Dubinsky’s career was cut short due to what was described as a “chronic condition” in his wrist. He embodied what it meant to be a Blue Jacket 10 years ago. A hard worker who would do anything to beat you. He would finish his CBJ career with a stat line of 72-153-225, and his faceoff % was over 50% every year he played in the NHL.
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He played his last regular season game on April 6, 2019. A month later, after helping the CBJ defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his last playoff game against the Boston Bruins.
These days you can routinely catch him at CBJ games sitting amongst the crowd. Dubinsky is also a partner with JBM Development, a construction company focusing on developing and managing multi-family housing in Columbus.
Today we salute you, Brandon Dubinsky.
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