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The uniforms of award winners from the 2024-25 NBA season will look a little different for opening week.

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Players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP), Evan Mobley (Defensive Player of the Year) and Stephon Castle (Rookie of the Year) will have their respective trophy icons sewn above the Nike swoosh on the front of their uniforms.

Members of the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams will also don a specific patch. However, individual awards have precedence over that one. For example, Gilgeous-Alexander will only wear an MVP patch, although he was named to the All-NBA first team.

The patch will be worn only for their season debut, with 35 different players set to wear one. The uniform will then be auctioned off by Sotheby’s, the official game-worn source of the NBA, during the season. Each player will receive a uniform to keep.

The NBA is launching a new trophy patch program for the first game of the 2025-26 season to recognize award winners. NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson (Coach of the Year) and Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti (Executive of the Year) will wear lapels to acknowledge their accomplishments.

According to Christopher Arena, head of on-court and brand partnerships of the NBA, the league recognized how some players who win individual awards don’t get their moment of recognition. The Rookie of the Year may be on vacation when the award is announced, Arena referenced. The MVP or Defensive Player of the Year likely gets to hoist the trophy in front of his home crowd during the playoffs.

With the NBA looking to highlight its trophy icons announced in December 2022, the patch idea came to life.

“We wanted to shine a little bit of a light on what those trophies are, what they look like and give those players a little moment. Now, do I think at the first game of the year they’re all gonna get out there and get a standing ovation? Maybe not,” Arena told ESPN. “But they’re gonna walk in that day, they’re gonna see that trophy patch on their jersey and they’re gonna remember that that’s what they did and maybe it’s motivation for that one night.”

It’s a first-of-its-kind program separate from that of Fanatics/Topps, which organized debut patches for every NBA rookie’s first game and gold logos on the back of the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year award winner uniforms for the entire season. However, the league drew inspiration from it.

The NBA is no stranger to patches — they’ve been featured on uniforms for special occasions like the NBA Finals or Christmas Day games. But this is the furthest the league has gone for player recognition.

Each individual award trophy is named after a former player and features specific iconography on the patch. The Michael Jordan Trophy for the league’s most valuable player has a player leaping in the air. The base also has five sides in a nod to Jordan’s league MVPs.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP patch has five sides, similar to the Michael Jordan trophy. NBA

The patch on Gilgeous-Alexander’s uniform is similarly designed with five sides. Mobley’s uniform patch is a player in a defensive stance, sharing similarities with the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy he received.

It will be the same for Jalen Brunson (Clutch Player of the Year), Stephen Curry (Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year), Payton Pritchard (Sixth Man of the Year), Dyson Daniels (Most Improved Player of the Year) and Jrue Holiday (Sportsmanship Award). Their patches also have elements specific to their award trophy.

The league will track how the players and fans respond with hopes of the patches being a long-term inclusion.

“We want this to be a tradition, so when a player does win an award and he does have the opportunity to hold the trophy up or not, he knows that next season, I’m getting a patch,” Arena said.

He also emphasized the inclusion of All-NBA team members in the program. With there being 15 All-NBA members as opposed to 24 NBA All-Stars, Arena called the 15-member group “elite.” He added that one of the first things mentioned when looking back at a player’s career is their All-NBA team appearances.

No different than other awards, players aren’t able to bask in recognition for this specific accomplishment.

“Just by the way it works out and how we issue awards, it’s sort of the last thing we issue and we talk about. And so it doesn’t get the flowers like we were talking about …,” he said. “These 15 guys accordingly were the best in the league that year and we thought that was worthy of a patch.”

The patch each All-NBA team member will wear for the first game of the 2025-26 season. NBA

The idea came together over the summer with weeks of deliberation. The league looked at various options for locations, though NBA uniforms have a concrete placement for specific patches.

The league had discussions about featuring the patch on the back of the jersey above a player’s last name, which holds the Larry O’Brien Trophy icon, indicating how many championships a franchise has won. However, with the trophy in the center, adding the patch made it off-center with decision-makers struggling to identify if they should move it left or right. A shoulder stripe was also an option. However, it’s typically reserved for commemoration.

Eventually, they landed on the right side of the uniform above the Nike swoosh.

“We love our trophies. We love the tradition we’ve built. We love the consistency. The icons that we want them to become,” Arena said. “And so we’re hoping by giving them some front-facing exposure here, that people will start to connect the dots and they’ll be as revered as any other trophy in sports.”

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Russell Westbrook isn’t interested in revisiting his Los Angeles Lakers days — at least not with a Sharpie in hand.

At the Kings’ preseason matchup against the Lakers, Westbrook greeted a line of young fans holding jerseys from all the teams he played with across his NBA career. He signed two Oklahoma City Thunder jerseys, skipped over two Lakers ones, and then autographed a Houston Rockets jersey.

“I donâ€t know about signing that jersey,†Westbrook said. “I’ll sign something else for you, though.”

The clip surfaced shortly after Westbrook agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million free-agent deal with the Kings.

Westbrookâ€s journey to Sacramento has been a long and winding one. When he joined the Lakers in 2021, expectations were sky-high, but the fit quickly soured. Westbrookâ€s ball-dominant style clashed withLeBron Jamesand Anthony Davis, and his shooting inconsistencies became a lightning rod for criticism throughout the 2021-22 NBA season.

By February 2023, the Lakers dealt Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade — ending his turbulent stint in purple and gold. Utah bought out his contract within days, clearing the way for him to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In the summer of 2024, the Clippers traded Westbrook to Utah once again in a sign-and-trade, and he promptly was waived. He then signed with the Denver Nuggets, where he continued to add to his historic résumé — becoming the first player in NBA history to record 200 career triple-doubles and later surpassing 26,000 career points.

Now 36, Westbrook joins Sacramento as one of the NBAâ€s most experienced and accomplished guards — and, judging by his reaction to those Lakers jerseys, a man ready to fully embrace his next chapter.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:Today we jump back 15 years to two back-to-back episodes of the PWTorch Livecast from Oct. 14 and 15, 2010.

On the Oct. 14, 2010 episode, PWTorch editor Wade Keller and columnist Pat McNeill, they take live calls for the full hour with topics including the Jim Cornette-Mark Madden rivalry, Bruce Prichard’s history, TNA’s lack of strict face/heel definitions, TNA’s Jersey Shore cross promotion, Gail Kim and Mickie James, Shocking Angles, and more. Plus in the VIP Aftershow, Keller and McNeill discuss the possible big changes WWE might initiate in the face of declining business.

On the Oct. 15, 2010 episode, PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell and PWTorch columnist Greg Parks includes discussion with live callers on last night’s TNA Impact, including an in-depth review of the key segments and overall show and why they didn’t work despite TNA’s best efforts, plus discussion of Impact viewership that came in before the Livecast, Matt Hardy’s release and why WWE finally released him, his future likely in TNA, the one missing element from Impact with brief focus on Kurt Angle’s retirement, a Jenna vs. Sharmell reference, why the “no wrestling” beginning to Impact wasn’t a bad concept, just bad execution, Cena vs. Nexus and what WWE could do with the angle going forward. Plus, more phone calls in the Bonus Livecast on Hardy’s heel turn and first heel promo, Dixie’s “smug s—” comment & Tweet, and in the VIP Aftershow, in-depth preview of Smackdown and an overview of the Bragging Rights line-up to this point and why it’s not worth ordering yet.

Then, in the previously VIP-exclusive Aftershow, they discussed Matt Hardy in TNA, Kevin Nash, and more.

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The Blue Jackets host the New Jersey Devils at Nationwide Arena tonight in the home opener.

The home opener for Columbus is always a great event. Before, during, and after the game is always a fun time in the arena district. I encourage you to attend.

Now for the game. The Blue Jackets seem to always have a hard time winning against the Devils, so this one could be tough. The CBJ are coming in off a crazy game in Minnesota, where they gave up four power play goals and took 8, yes 8, penalties. That cannot happen again if they stand a chance against the NJD.

The Devils come into Columbus having beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-3 on Saturday. Connor Brown scored a pair of goals in the win. Jacob Markstrom has started both games for New Jersey so far and expect him to get the nod in favor of Jake Allen tonight.

CBJ defenseman Erik Gudbranson took a hard shot from Marcus Foligno that sent him from the game on Saturday night. We’ll find out later if he can go, or if Jake Christiansen will need to step in.

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play – 25% – 9th in NHL
• Penalty Kill – 58.3% – 30th in NHL
• Goals For – 8 – T-4th in NHL
• Goals Against – 6 – T-2nd in NHL

Devils Stats

• Power Play – 0% – 28th in NHL
• Penalty Kill – 85.7% – 12th in NHL
• Goals For – 8 – T-4th in NHL
• Goals Against – 9 – T-7th in NHL

Series History vs. The Devils

• Columbus is 29-21-1-3, and 17-11-0 at home all-time vs. New Jersey
• The Blue Jackets went 1-2 vs. the Devils last season, and lost the only game played at NWA.
• The CBJ have killed 27 of the last 30 Devils power plays over the last 14 games at NWA.

Who To Watch For The Devils

• Luke Hughes leads the Devils through two games in assists and points with 4.
• Jesper Bratt leads NJD with two goals.
• Jacob Markstrom is 1-1 with an .837 SV%.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Devils

• Sean Monahan has 25 points in 20 career games against NJD.
• Zach Werenski has 9 points in 24 games against the Devils.
• Boone Jenner has 20 points in 36 games against New Jersey

Injuries – None

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 0

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight’s game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

Let us know what you think below.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 3 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Jersey #3 is one of the more popular numbers to be worn.

Let’s take a look at who wore 3, and where they are now

FrantiÅ¡ek KuÄera – 2001 – Drafted by Chicago in 1986.

He played 48 games as a Jacket and had seven points in the first year of the Blue Jackets’ existence.

He retired in 2004 after returning to his home country of Czechia.

Jaroslav Å paÄek – 2002-2004 – Drafted by Florida in 1998.

Å paÄek played 153 games for Columbus and had 72 points in the early years of Columbus.

His son David Å paÄek, born in Columbus, was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2022. He will start this season with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. David was born in Columbus.

Nowadays, the elder Å paÄek is the Director of Youth Hockey for HC Plzeň in Czechia.

Marc Methot – 2009-2012 – Drafted by the Blue Jackets in the 6th round of the 2003 NHL Draft.

Methot played six years and 275 games for the CBJ, totaling 51 points on the Columbus blue line. He was the definition of a defensive defenseman.

On July 1, 2012, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators for future CBJ Captain Nick Foligno. After the trade to Ottawa, he would play another 349 NHL games.

He retired during the 2018-19 season after playing 9 games.

Jordan Leopold – 2015 – Drafted by Anaheim in 1999.

Leopold played 18 games for Columbus after being traded from the St. Louis Blues on November 15, 2014. On March 2, 2015, he was dealt again, this time to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Justin Falk. He retired after the 2015 season.

He has been an assistant coach for Andover High in Minnesota for the past couple of years.

Seth Jones – 2016-2021 – Drafted by Nashville in 2013.

Jones played 381 games for the Jackets after coming over from the Nashville Predators. He scored 50 goals and totaled 223 points during his time in Columbus. Jones is currently second all-time in CBJ history in goals by a defenseman, second in assists, and second in points. He’s also 7th in all-time assists and 10th in all-time points.

He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021 in exchange for Adam Boqvist. Chicago traded him to the Florida Panthers in 2025, where he went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The son of former NBA player Popeye Jones was described by Elite Prospects as, “A defenseman with an excellent frame. Jones’ athleticism allows him to be a very good skater for a player of his size. He has excellent mobility and is solid both offensively and defensively. Jones gives a smart first pass and is also capable of utilizing his skating ability to bring the puck up himself. He has good hockey sense and is an asset on the power play thanks to his mobility, puck-handling, and a very dangerous slap shot.”

Jack Johnson – 2025 – Drafted by Carolina in 2005.

Johnson played 486 games for Columbus after being traded from the LA Kings for Jeff Carter. He scored 36 goals and had 156 points in seven years.

He’s bounced around since leaving Columbus, but finally won a Stanley Cup in 2022. He found his way back to Cannon City in the summer of 2024. Unfortunately for Johnson, he only played in 41 games for Columbus last year and had 6 points.

He and Head Coach Dean Evason didn’t see eye to eye, leading to Johnson being scratched most of the season. Johnson’s family even boycotted the family day held ahead of the 2025 Stadium Series Game at Ohio Stadium.

There are three days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #3?

Game one against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena didn’t end well for the CBJ. They played well; they just couldn’t beat Juuse Saros. They thought they took the lead, but a very iffy goalie interference call took the goal back.

The Jackets also came out of Nashville relatively healthy. Dean Evason said that defenseman Dante Fabbro, who missed a couple of shifts in the last two periods, is going to be ok. The Jackets are in Minnesota and will practice today.

Mathieu Olivier – “I thought our game was really good. We put a lot of pressure on them, did the right things to win. Ultimately, their goalie was really good. So was Jet. It was a very tight game, and thatâ€s just the way it goes sometimes, but as far as the way we played, I donâ€t think thereâ€s much to look at and not be satisfied with. We played well. Just not satisfied with not getting the two points, but other than that, not a bad performance by our group.â€

Let us know what you think below.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 5 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at everyone’s favorite number – Jersey #5.

Let’s take a look at who wore 5, and where they are now.

Jamie Pushor – 2001-2006 – Drafted by Pittsburgh in 1989.

Heward played 97 games with Columbus and had 30 points. 69 of his games came during the inaugural season for Columbus.

After several years in Europe, he returned to the NHL and retired with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. Heward has been an Asst. Coach for the Henderson Silver Knights since 2020. Former Monsters captain Ryan Craig is the head coach for Henderson.

Darryl Sydor – 2004 – Drafted by LA in 1990.

Sydor played a total of 49 games for Columbus during the 2003-04 season. He was traded to the Jackets in the Summer of 2003 and then traded to the Lightning during that season. He had 15 points for Columbus.

He went on to play another five NHL seasons before retiring on July 13, 2010. After retiring, he transitioned into coaching, serving as an assistant for the Blues and Wild. He also owns the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.

Christian Bäckman – 2009 – Drafted by St. Louis in 1998.

Bäckman played 56 games for the Jackets in 2008-09 after being acquired by Columbus in the trade that sent Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the Rangers.

He left for Europe in 2009, where he signed with

Frölunda HC in Sweden. He retired in 2015.

Aaron Johnson – 2012 – Drafted by Columbus in the 3rd round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Johnson played 172 games for the Jackets over two stints. Scouts said of Johnson was “A puck-moving defenseman, Johnson is a very good skater. Has good offensive instincts and can quarterback the power play. Can play a tough and physical game. Needs to improve his play in his own end.”

During his time with Columbus, he also spent three years with the AHL Syracuse Crunch, where he had 73 points in those three seasons.

In 2016, he left North America and signed on with Adler Mannheim of the DEL in Germany. He then left for England, where he played for the Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL. In 2021, he became a Player-Asst. Coach for a season. He came back home to Columbus in 2021 and joined the Jackets as a Team Consultant. Last season, he was the Team Relations Specialist for the Jackets.

Jack Skille – 2014 – Drafted by Chicago in 2005.

Skille played 61 games for Columbus and had 12 points. On July 6, 2013, Skille was signed as a free agent by the CBJ, but the following summer, he left in free agency. On October 5, 2014, Skille was claimed off waivers by Columbus, where he would play in 45 games. He left Columbus again and would play a season in Colorado and a season in Vancouver.

In 2017, he left for Europe, where he played in Russia, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. He retired in 2021 and went into coaching. He’s currently a skills coach and the Director of Skills Development for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies franchise. The Grizzlies are moving to Trenton, New Jersey, at the end of the 25-26 season.

Gavin Bayreuther – 2022 – Undrafted out of Canaan, New Hampshire.

Bayreuther played 103 games for Columbus and totaled 23 points over three seasons. He also played for the Dallas Stars.

He was made famous in 2021 when he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft. One week later, he signed a two-year deal with Columbus, marking the end of his long tenure with Seattle.

After playing last season in Switzerland for Lausanne HC, he has come back to North America and will play for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

Denton Mateychuk – 2025 – Drafted by Columbus in 2022.

Mateychuk was called up mid-way through last season and never looked back. He played in 45 games for the CBJ and scored 13 points. He was also a plus-4, which isn’t bad for a young defenseman.

Before being called up from the Cleveland Monsters, he was having himself a season in the AHL. Playing in just 27 games, he scored 9 goals and totaled 25 points, so the Jackets had no choice but to call him up.

Mateychuk was named to the NHL’s all-rookie team for his play last season. This season, he will be looking to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and continue to be a solid blueliner for the upstart Jackets.

Elite Prospects said of Mateychuk in their draft guide, Constant motion allows Mateychuk to break from his team’s structure in the offensive zone and seek opportunities that just aren’t there for other defenseman. He prods for soft ice, finds it, and times his entrance into that space at the best possible moment for a shooting opportunity or a chance to hit his teammate elsewhere with a perfectly weighted pass for a chance of their own.”

There are six days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #6?

The start of the 2025-26 season starts this Thursday, as the CBJ travel to Nashville to play the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

The season kicks off this Thursday in Nashville against the Predators at Bridgestone Arena. This is going to be an interesting season, and if the Jackets can stay healthy, they should have a decent year.

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.

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Just an hour before WWE NXT vs. TNA ShowDown went live, Trick Williams added a little spice to the locker room—and reminded everyone whoâ€s calling the shots.

In a video posted by WWE, Trick was handing out custom NXT jerseys to his teammates ahead of the big Survivor Series-style clash. When he got to NXT Champion Ricky Saints, he couldnâ€t help but throw in a jab.

“I know they ran out of xtra mediums, so I got you a youth large and if you look closely, I got you that captain ‘câ€. Itâ€s lower case but itâ€s all good, you know what Iâ€m saying? Co-captains!â€

The lowercase “c†wasnâ€t a mistake—it was Trickâ€s way of reminding Saints that this is a joint operation. Despite Ricky wearing the gold, Trick made it clear that leadership duties are shared tonight. The playful shade sets the tone ahead of their eight-man war against TNAâ€s top stars, with Joe Hendry serving as special guest referee.

The card also features:

• Team Jacy Jayne vs. Team Kelani Jordan with Jordynne Grace officiating
• Ethan Page defending the North American Title vs. Mustafa Ali
• DarkState vs. The Hardys in a tag title unification match

WWE NXT airs live October 7 at 8 PM ET on The CW Network, with global access on Netflix.  Ringside News will be providing live play-by-play coverage of tonightâ€s show over in our WWE NXT coverage hub.

What do you think—was Trick just having fun, or making a bigger point about whoâ€s really leading NXT tonight? Drop a comment and let us know.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 6 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #6. There haven’t been too many players donning the 6 in Union Blue.

Let’s take a look at who wore 6, and where they are now.

Jamie Heward – 2001-2002 – Drafted by Pittsburgh in 1989.

Heward played 97 games with Columbus and had 30 points. 69 of his games came during the inaugural season for Columbus.

After several years in Europe, he returned to the NHL and retired with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. Heward has been an Asst. Coach for the Henderson Silver Knights since 2020. Former Monsters captain Ryan Craig is the head coach for Henderson.

Jamie Pushor – 2004 – Drafted by Detroit in 1991.

Pushor played 147 games with the Jackets and had 22 points. After three different stints with the CBJ, he retired in 2007 while playing for the Syracuse Crunch.

He is now the Assistant. General Manager and Director of Player Personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning with former CBJ Mathieu Darche.

Ron Hainsey – 2006-2008 – Drafted by the Montréal Canadiens in 2000.

Hainsey played 213 games with the Jackets and totaled 83 points.

After retiring in 2021 and playing 1,132 games, he now works for the NHLPA where he is the Assistant Executive Director.

Hainsey is Actor Michael Madsen’s doppelgänger.

Anton StrÃ¥lman – 2010-2011 – Drafted by Toronto in 2005.

He played 124 games with Columbus and totaled 52 points over two seasons. He left Columbus for the New York Rangers in 2011.

After 16 seasons and 938 NHL games, he retired in 2024 and became a coach for Skultorps IF, a professional women’s soccer team in Sweden. In January of 2025, he came out of retirement to play for Tibro IK, a Division Three team in his hometown in Sweden.

Nikita Nikitin – 2012-2014 – Drafted by St. Louis in 2004.

Nikitin played in 158 games for the Jackets and had 56 points. He only played 101 more NHL games after his time with Columbus.

He left for the KHL in 2016 and retired in 2019. He’s currently an assistant coach for

Omskie Krylia of the VHL in Russia.

Elite prospects said of Nikitin, “Nikitin has a terrific combination of size and mobility. He handles the puck nicely and can rush it up the ice. Can unleash a hard point shot, too. Could stand to play a more physical game, given his frame.”

Adam Clendening – 2019 – Drafted by Chicago in 2011.

Clendening played four games for the Jackets in 18-19. He has never played another NHL game and left for Europe in 2023. He also spent a couple years playing for the Cleveland Monsters.

He currently plays for the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL and was just named an assistant Captain. His head coach is former CBJ bench boss Gerard Gallant.

Elite prospects said this about the former second-round pick, “A smooth skating two-way defenseman that can read the game like a forward. Possesses slick hands, a good stick, and a sharp shot that jumps off his stick. All-in-all, a productive two-way defenseman that has a high offensive ceiling and is responsible defensively.”

Billy Sweezey – 2023 – Undrafted out of

Hanson, Massachusetts.

Sweezey played 9 games with Columbus and had a single point. He spent most of his time with Cleveland of the AHL, playing three seasons and totaling 26 points.

He signed with his hometown Boston Bruins in 2024 and is signed to play for the Boston Organization for this season as well.

There are six days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #6?

The start of the 2025-26 season starts this Thursday, as the CBJ travel to Nashville to play the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

The season kicks off this Thursday in Nashville against the Predators at Bridgestone Arena. This is going to be an interesting season, and if the Jackets can stay healthy, they should have a decent year.

There are so many questions that need to be answered.

1. How will the goalies perform?
2. Can they keep up the scoring?
3. Will the defense step up and play better than they have for the last few years?

With the loss of Daemon Hunt and Christián JaroÅ¡, the Monsters are very young on the blueline. After Dysin Mayo, who is 29, the oldest defenseman on the team is 22. Four defensemen are 22, and then Luca Marrelli, who is 20.

It’s going to be an interesting season in Cleveland.

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.

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7 Days Left Until Opening Night At NWA: The History Of Jersey #7
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 7 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #7.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 10 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #10.

Let’s take a look.

Serge Aubin – 2001-2002 – Drafted by Pittsburgh in 1994.

Aubin played 154 games for the Jackets and had 60 points.

He left for Europe in 2006 and played in Switzerland and Germany until he retired in 2012.

He’s currently the head coach for Eisbären Berlin in Germany.

Trevor Letowski – 2004-2006 – Drafted by Phoenix in 1996.

Played 154 games for the Jackets and had 60 points.

He finished his career by playing two seasons in the KHL. He is currently as assistant coach for the Montréal Canadiens, where he’s been since 2021.

Duvie Westcott – 2007-2008 – Westcott was undrafted and signed by the CBJ in 2001.

Wescott played in 201 games for the Blue Jackets from 2001 to 2008. He scored 11 goals and totaled 56 points. Wescott was described as “a gritty defenseman with a solid all-around game. Has good passing ability and powerplay skills.”

After playing for Columbus, Wescott went to Europe and played the next seven seasons in the KHL, DEL, and Swiss National League. He retired in 2015.

Kris Russell – 2009-2012 – Drafted by Columbus in 2005.

Russell played 288 games in Columbus and had 79 points. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues on November 11, 2011, in exchange for
Nikita Nikitin.

He went on to play 912 NHL games and total 254 points. After playing 6 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Russell retired in 2022.

Marián Gáborík – 2013-2014 – Drafted by Minnesota in 2000.

Gáborík played only 34 games as a Jacket and had 22 points. He was traded to the LA Kings on March 5, 2014, in exchange for Matt Frattin. He officially retired in 2021 after playing 1,035 career games.

One scout said of Gáborík, “One of the best skaters in the world, Gáborík is known for his explosive speed. He is a highly offensive winger and thanks to good hands and an extremely sharp shot, an excellent finisher. On the downside, Gaborik doesn’t always think team-first and has also had issues with commitment to defensive play.”

Mark Letestu – 2013 – Undrafted out of Elk Point, Alberta.

Letestu was traded to Columbus by Pittsburgh for Columbus’s 4th round pick on November 8, 2011. He played in 255 games in two different stints with the CBJ, scoring 44 goals and totaling 102 points. He also played 64 games for the Cleveland Monsters during the 2018-19 season, where he scored 50 points. He would play his last NHL game on October 13th, 2019, for the Winnipeg Jets.

In 2021, he was hired as an Assistant Coach by the Monsters, where he served until 2025. In the Summer of 2025, he was hired by the AHL’s Colorado Eagles as their next head coach.

Jack Skille – 2015 – Drafted by Chicago in 2005.

Skille played 61 games for Columbus and had 12 points. On July 6, 2013, Skille was signed as a free agent by the CBJ, but the following summer, he left in free agency. On October 5, 2014, Skille was claimed off waivers by Columbus, where he would play in 45 games. He left Columbus again, and would play a season in Colorado, and a season in Vancouver.

In 2017, he left for Europe, where he played in Russia, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. He retired in 2021 and went into coaching. He’s currently a skills coach and the Director of Skills Development for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies franchise. The Grizzlies are moving to Trenton, New Jersey, at the end of the 25-26 season.

Alexander Wennberg – 2017-2020 – Wennberg was drafted in the 1st round of the 2013 NHL Draft as the 14th overall draft pick.

Wennberg came to North America and made his NHL Debut in 2014. After having three decent seasons, including a 59-point year in 2016-17, Wennberg was signed to a six-year deal on September 1st, 2017.

Tom Wilson would seemingly derail Wennberg’s career in the 2018 playoffs when he laid a devastating check on him. The next two seasons, Wennberg would only total 47 points. In October of 2020, the CBJ would buy Wennberg out, making him a free agent. The Jackets are finally about to make the final buyout payment to Wennberg this year.

In addition to playing with the Florida Panthers since leaving Columbus, He’s played for the Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks. After the 59-point season he had in 2016-17, Wennberg hasn’t scored more than 38 points in a single season.

Jordan Schroeder – 2018 – Drafted by Vancouver in 2009.

Schroeder played 21 games as a Jacket and had two points. He left for Europe in 2019 where he still plays today. He plays for Brynäs IF in Sweden.

Dmitri Voronkov – 2024-2025 – Drafted by Columbus in 2019.

The big Russian forward played 148 games and has 81 points in his first two seasons.

He will be looking to add on to that this season if he can stay healthy. He was challenged to come into camp this year and be in better shape. All indications are that he did just that. He will be counted as one of the young players to take another big step this season to help the Jackets into the playoffs.

There are 10 days until opening night at NWA.

The pre-season schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Oct. 4 at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET

After that, the Blue Jackets will open the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

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With Arsenal coming in hot as defending champions, the UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase is scheduled to begin on Oct. 7 after the final eight clubs navigated their way through the qualifying rounds to reach the main draw.

Now we finally know the 18 teams involved — which includes some of European football’s biggest clubs, as well as a handful of slightly more obscure teams from around the continent — it’s time we assess the 2025-26 home, away, and third kits they will be wearing while competing.

We’ve got plain kits and patterned kits, kits inspired by landmarks, kits inspired by stadiums, kits inspired by ancient civilizations and even kits created in collaboration with one of the greatest basketball stars of all time.

There is also an inordinately high number of out-and-out, nostalgia-heavy, retro third-kit designs in the mix this season, with some hitting the mark more than others.

With almost 50 offerings, all of the kits have then been pored over and ranked in order accordingly, from top to bottom, and purely in terms of the aesthetics on display — or lack thereof!

Austrian side St. Pölten play in a blue jersey that has a very faint “zigzag” effect added to the material to lend a smidgen of dynamism to the proceedings. Unfortunately, all of that has been well and truly carpeted over with a wild array of sponsor logos, which has the unfortunate effect of making their players look — more than usual — like walking billboards. The away kit is just the same again, but in red.

Valerenga’s new home jersey is almost identical to last season’s design, with the only notable difference being the stripes on the shoulders, which have switched from white to red this time around. Other than that, it’s fairly basic fare from the Norwegians, who have now successfully qualified for the UWCL group stage in back-to-back campaigns.

44. FC Twente home (Castore)

Twente qualified for the Champions League group stage with a lively 8-1 aggregate win over Polish hopefuls GKS Katowice, but unfortunately, the same can’t be said about their home kit, which consists of a plain red shirt with a “Harlequin” diamond pattern thrown in to help lighten the mood. The results are meager at best.

43. Valerenga away (Adidas)

Valerenga’s away kit is just a predictable color inversion of their blue, red and white home strip, which is hardly the most inspired choice of direction. In truth, it’s little more than a template, but the nice, bold and enjoyably retro “V.I.F” club crest is worthy of mention.

42. FC Twente away (Castore)

Marginally more interesting than their home shirt, Twente’s 2025-26 away kit is blue with a digital dot graphic, which is inspired by the cobblestone walls of the old Het Diekman Stadion; the Dutch club’s home from 1965 until 1998, when it was torn down and replaced by their current base, De Grolsch Veste.

41. OH Leuven home (Stanno)

The Belgian club has represented its traditional club colors in pinstripe form by etching lines of red, black and green over the top of their white home shirt. Nothing fancy.

40. Valerenga third (Adidas)

Decked out in all green from head to toe, Valerenga’s third kit once again falls firmly into the generic category with little else in the way of style or flourish to crow about.

39. Benfica home (Adidas)

Fundamentally unchanged for over 100 years, there is almost nothing new or interesting about Benfica’s latest home kit. Obviously, staunch tradition dictates that the Lisbon club play in red with white trim, and it would appear that the chunky black blocks of collar-and-cuff trim are the closest we’re ever going to get to innovation.

38. Benfica away (Adidas)

A basic color inversion of their home kit, Benfica’s white away jersey does at least come with a shimmering diamond-shaped pattern sublimated within the material to provide some much-needed character. Adequate and generic in equal measure.

37. OH Leuven away (Stanno)

Leuven’s brand new away kit is altogether hipper than the home version, with a deep mossy-green striped design chosen for the base and a lighter shade of slime green selected for the various appointments. While a shirt the color of both moss and slime doesn’t sound overly promising, the result is relatively funky.

36. Juventus away (Adidas)

Juventus FC

Possibly one of the most over-egged football kits we’ve seen this season (and that is saying something), Juve’s pale blue away shirt is a hopelessly confusing muddle of overlaid graphic prints. For unknown reasons, a liquid droplet effect was applied to what was an already quite busy maze-like tile pattern, and the resulting chaos is really rather nauseating.

35. Chelsea away (Nike)

Chelsea FC

Somewhat loosely modeled on the white, red and green away kit that Chelsea released in the 1970s as a tribute to the Hungary national team, the contemporary equivalent is built upon an off-white base and features the very daintiest of pinstripes running in a column down the middle of the shirt. In testament to its curious heritage, the Chelsea men’s team wore their original 1974-75 vintage during a season that saw them suffer early elimination from both cups before being relegated from the First Division for the first time in over a decade. Magical times.

Paris Saint-Germain

After deciding to roll over last season’s away kit into 2025-26, PSG are actually in possession of two kits inspired by the French capital’s most renowned landmark, with the white away kit bearing a stylized “painting” of the Eiffel Tower across the front like some kind of Parisian tourist information pamphlet.

Bayern Munich

We thought we might warm to Bayern’s new home kit over time, but alas, that is not the case, with the oddly frumpy design failing to win us over/grind us down since it was first unveiled back in June. The big “M” graphic is supposed to imbue the shirt with the Munich spirit, but sadly, it just looks blurry and unfinished to us. A swing-and-a-miss from the Bavarian giants.

32. Chelsea third (Nike)

Chelsea FC

Perhaps the weakest of the new “Total 90” range, the Blues’ ultra-bland third kit somewhat erroneously harkens back to an era when, while enjoying a major upturn in fortunes (quite literally), the club was actually wearing Umbro strips. Instead of those halcyon early-Mourinho days being invoked, we’ve actually been saddled with the return of “Boring, boring Chelsea.”

Wolfsburg

It’s incredibly difficult to pull off a grey kit without it looking inert and drab, and we’re afraid to say that Wolfsburg just haven’t managed it here. What is supposed to look silky, sleek, and space-age is actually more reminiscent of a dreary, overcast day in Lower Saxony.

30. Chelsea home (Nike)

While not exactly generic, we can’t claim to be excited by Chelsea’s new home kit, which is a plain royal blue number with a glitchy graphic imbued in the fabric that is made up of various archways, pillars and rooflines found on local civic buildings, including the Chelsea Town Hall.

29. Wolfsburg home (Nike)

Wolfsburg

Having dabbled in a much lighter tone for a couple of seasons, Wolfsburg are back in deep, forest green for 2025-26, though it must be said that the home shirt is unlikely to go down as a classic. The swirling, almost tie-dye graphic does lend a modicum of visual interest, but unfortunately, the home kit has since had its thunder well and truly stolen by the German club’s fantastic new limited edition 80th anniversary trikot, which was unveiled a few weeks ago.

28. Paris FC home (Adidas)

There is more than a whiff of Rugby Union emanating from Paris FC’s latest home stripe, which is dark blue with light blue trim, pinstripes and a large, white button-up collar. There’s nothing to upset the casual onlooker, but by the same token, not much to stand it out from the crowd either.

OL Lyonnes

Apparently cobbled together from bits of OL Lyonnes’ most popular away kits (without really resembling any of them), the 2025-26 model is a simple dark navy shirt with red and blue pinstriping. The tricoloreis reassuringly Gallic and perfectly amenable, but there’s not an awful lot else going on.

26. AS Roma away (Adidas)

AS Roma

A blazing flash of fiery orange, the Roma away kit is a history lesson in shirt form and apparently draws inspiration from Romulus and Remus, who are symbolic figures in the stories of Ancient Rome and its origins. The twin brothers are the sons of Mars, the Roman god of war and whose mighty lightning bolt can be seen crackling across the front of the jersey. Loud and dramatic, while still maintaining a certain refined air.

Real’s inky-blue away kit is intended to look like the Bernabeu by night, with a vague glimmer woven into the fabric to replicate the way their newly-renovated mega stadium glints like a giant silver air fryer plonked square in the middle of downtown Madrid.

24. Paris FC away (Adidas)

Paris FC

A white jersey with a dual-tone blue sash running diagonally across the torso. As with the home kit, the adopted Latin motto of the city of Paris (“Fluctuat Nec Mergitur/Tossed but not sunk”) is stamped across the back of the neck to add a nice personal touch to what otherwise is a fairly nondescript design.

23. Bayern Munich away (Adidas)

Compared to their gaudy home shirt, Bayern’s 2025-26 away is mercifully understated with a faded grey-and-coral tone “camo” pattern intended as an homage to the Allianz Arena by being made up from various different swatches and swathes of the stadium’s architecture and external cladding.

22. AS Roma home (Adidas)

Not the strongest of Roma’s recent home shirts. The 2025-26 iteration still gets the job done, but it’s impossible to see past the basic teamwear template being served up. It is intended to resemble the classic home shirt of 1992-94 (the one in which a young Francesco Totti made his debut), but beyond the deep orange trim, the similarities are tenuous at best.

21. Real Madrid home (Adidas)

It’s getting increasingly difficult to be excited about a new Real Madrid home kit, given that the only differential year to year appears to be the color of the trim, which in turn seems to cycle through black, to gold, to purple, to blue and then back to black. This season it’s black AND gold.

20. Juventus home (Adidas)

Another contemporary twist on their classic aesthetic, this time Juve’s latest home kit has been given offset “barcode” stripes and pleasant pink trim. It’s certainly not the most egregious Nerazzurrihome shirt in recent seasons (2023-24 takes that particular honor), but by the same token, we don’t think it will live overly long in the memory.

Atleti’s blue and yellow away kit is an ode to the rock classic that accompanies them out of the tunnel before home games, so that they might feel the pounding intro of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC resonating within them wherever they travel. The jersey itself is fairly plain, but the lightning bolt shooting up each flank is a cute little detail.

United have once again gone back to mine their cult favorite “snowflake” away kit from the early 1990s for inspiration, this time enlarging the pattern and plastering it in a light mauve color over a white base. The trim is a dark, plummy purple. The original design has now been rehashed countless times over the years, but we guess it’s a classic for a reason.

17. OL Lyonnes home (Adidas)

Bearing the same red-and-blue stripes that first appeared on their shirts in the 1950s, Lyonnes’ new home kit is built on a fresh white base that carries a faint pattern inspired by mosaics as found in Lugdunum, the ancient Roman city that preceded Lyon. The rest of the trim has the slight whiff of the template about it, but all in all, it’s a smart if unspectacular jersey.

Created in collaboration with Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” label, Barca’s gold-and-purple away kit is apparently infused with the late NBA legend’s inspirational approach to sporting greatness. The knit of the material offers a bit of additional texture to an otherwise bland template, but the inky blackout logos do at least give things a quirky edge.

15. Atlético Madrid home (Nike)

After muddling through a few experimental tweaks to the recipe, Atleti are back in their classic Rojiblanco stripes this season and looking all the better for it. Clean, uncluttered, and with just a hint of that early 2000s retro tang.

14. Paris Saint-Germain third (Nike)

Part of Nike’s revamped “Total 90” range, PSG’s retro third kit looks like it was air-dropped straight out of the early 2000s thanks to the shield-shaped panels, the central crest and the pointy flashes on the collar and cuffs. The gradient stripes also offer a little bonus razzle-dazzle to proceedings.

13. Arsenal away (Adidas)

Arsenal

Arsenal’s constant rehashing of their cult classic 1995-96 “lightning strike” away kit is getting a little stale now, with the club having repeatedly used it as the basis for several kit and retro apparel lines in recent years. The latest reworking in dark blue and silver is still easy on the eye (especially that lovely retro cannon crest), but maybe it’s time to move on.

12. Manchester United home (Adidas)

Manchester United’s 2025-26 home kit design is inspired by Old Trafford, the rickety old stadium that the men’s team have called home for many a decade. The result is a simple, traditional design with a solid red base and black-and-white trim, with patterns in the fabric inspired by the internal architecture of the ground itself. Hardly revolutionary, but a solid piece of shirt design nonetheless.

11. Barcelona home (Nike)

Barcelona

Back in familiar stripes after a season spent in a half-and-half design, the latest iteration of the Blaugranasees a diagonal gradient added across the vertical bars that almost sees the red and blue fuse into a purple haze. Hardly a classic shirt by any stretch of the imagination, but it serves its purpose just fine.

10. Atlético Madrid third (Nike)

One of the more convincing examples of Nike’s “Total 90” throwback series, Atleti’s version is sky blue with period-correct white and red piping as used on their change strips of the mid-2000s, particularly 2004-05. The central crest placement also fits the bill rather nicely.

9. Arsenal home (Adidas)

Fairly straightforward traditional fare from Arsenal here, with the standard red-body-and-white-sleeves format followed to the letter. While hardly earth-shattering, their home kit is clean and competent and the old gothic-style “A” symbol (as first appeared on the Gunners’ old “Victoria Concordia Crescit” crest in the late 1940s) being worked into the material is a nice touch.

8. Paris Saint-Germain home (Nike)

A tribute to the instantly recognizable ironwork of the Eiffel Tower, PSG’s new home kit sees their famous red “Hechter” stripe recreated in a lattice of beams and girders. What might have been an overelaborate, chintzy mess is actually fairly subtle and subdued.

7. Barcelona third (Nike)

FC Barcelona

Arguably one of the better “Total 90” offerings, Barcelona’s glaring neon-orange third kit could at least pass for a training kit from the post-Millennium era, and it certainly looks better once the players’ names and numbers are applied. We’re not entirely sure what it is, but it still feels like there’s something crucial missing from these Nike throwback kits.

6. Manchester United third (Adidas)

Obviously influenced by the black-and-yellow “Cantona” away kit of 1993-95, United’s third shirt is oozing with ice-cold retro juice and has proved an instant hit among fans, who are presumably increasingly keen to hark back to the good old days.

5. AS Roma third (Adidas)

One of the many retro third shirts created by Adidas this season, Roma’s is razor sharp with the green trim and lush geometric pattern in the fabric, apparently supposed to mimic the manicured gardens found inside ancient Roman villas. The “ASR” trigram crest is also the perfect adornment for a shirt of such pure elegance.

4. Real Madrid third (Adidas)

Real’s third kit is a rather charming retro effort in bright blue with an unusual diagonal linear pattern in the fabric that is supposed to resemble rows of the new folding seats that have been installed in some areas of the Bernabeu stadium. Despite the slightly dubious creative impetus, it’s an absolute beauty and no mistake.

3. Bayern Munich third (Adidas)

Bayern Munich

The perfect anathema to Bayern’s big, ugly home shirt, the uber-refined retro third kit is understated while still being festooned with vintage appointments — from the subtle checkering in the fabric, to the gorgeous two-tone collar and cuff pattern, to the classic “FC Bayern eV” club crest dating from the 1920s.

2. Arsenal third (Adidas)

Arsenal

As crisp and sumptuous as fresh linen sheets, the Gunners’ retro-tinged third kit serves as a nod to former ground Highbury on the 20th anniversary of what was to be their final season playing at the club’s spiritual home. Dripping in Art Deco luxe, the ivory and dark red palette mirror the pristine marble halls inside the old East Stand, while the fabric is afforded an elegant drape thanks to a pattern inspired by the Victorian-style facade outside, built in 1936.

1. Juventus third (Adidas)

Inspired by fine wine and almost certain to age like it. The delicate vanilla-claret-and-olive trim is further enhanced by a delicate vine leaf pattern that glistens within the black fabric and resembles the kind of ornate flock wallpaper you might find in a particularly grand country house nestled within the vineyards of Piedmont. Prefetto, as the Italians might say.

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