There are currently only three Alaska natives to have played 500 or more games at the NHL level. The Alaskan with the most games played is not much of a surprise, Scott Gomez. Second in that list is Tampa Bay defenseman Matt Carle. Third place however, holds a special place in the heart of every Blue Jackets fan. Anchorage, Alaska native Brandon Dubinsky came over to the Blue Jackets in the infamous Rick Nash trade of 2012 along with the Rangers’ 2013 first which would turn out to be Kerby Rychel, Tim Erixon (now of Pittsburgh) and Artem Anisimov (now of Chicago).
When a casual fan thinks of a hockey player, usually the first three things they think about are grit, scoring and heart. Although he has recently been experiencing a bit of the injury bug, typically Dubinsky is as tough as they come. While he will never lead a team in scoring, he can put up a respectable amount of points annually. In his career he averages .59 points per game. Not bad for a forward more known for his work in his own zone. His numbers also seem to increase with age which is surprising for a 29 year old. His heart is almost unparalleled; he has a tendency to get carried away at times but never without reason regardless if it is on the ice or off of it. Recently he has gotten into headline for a tweet calling out former Blue Jackets prospect Mike Reilly which has since been removed. Dubinsky is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in or say what is on his mind, if anything it’s the contrary. His tendency to do so stretches back much farther than his current tenure with the Jackets, dating back to this when he was a Ranger.
Last summer Dubinsky agreed to a six year contract extension which will keep him in Columbus until at least 2021 which brought a smile to almost all, if not all Jackets fans. Also, who can forget this?
Status: Untouchable
Dubinsky is in Columbus for the next six years unless he wants to leave, which seems very unlikely, because of his no trade clause. Dubinsky will be a Blue Jacket for the near and foreseeable future and Jackets fans couldn't be happier.
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