The Blue Jackets have long wanted Nationwide Arena to be a true home ice advantage.
When the building is full and it's got reason to be, there aren't many in the NHL that can rock on that level. But what has lacked for most of the franchise's existence is a team that wins and wins at home, making for an electric atmosphere whenever the Blue Jackets take the ice -- one that creates an expectation for winning.
Of the many accomplishments the Blue Jackets added to their resume in 2016-17, not lost among them was a new club record for home wins in a season.
The Old Record: 25 home wins in the 2008-09 season
If you look back at the 2008-09 Blue Jackets roster, you'll see a handful of familiar names and a few names you completely forgot about.
Antoine Vermette? Remember him. Rick Nash? Absolutely. But what about Raffi Torres, Chris Gratton and Aaron Rome? Those guys were all part of the first Blue Jackets team in franchise history to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, but they also were the best home-ice Columbus team prior to this season.
They racked up 50 of their 92 points on home ice that season and did a lot of damage down the stretch, winning huge games in front of large crowds at Nationwide Arena en route to their playoff clincher at the United Center in Chicago.
Record Breaker: 28 home wins in 2016-17 season
After a slow start to the season -- including two losses at home to kick things off -- the Blue Jackets got their bearings and it didn't take them long to make a statement at Nationwide Arena.
They got their first win over Chicago on Oct. 21, and a couple of weeks later, dropped 10 goals on the Montreal Canadiens in a record-setting win. They hung eight on the St. Louis Blues at home, drubbed the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-1 in late December, and won some of their biggest games of the season in the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena. Their goal for the regular season was to earn respect around the league, and by January, opponents were fully aware that they were walking into a hornet's nest when playing in Columbus.
In mid-March, the Blue Jackets scratched out a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers to get their 26th home win, setting the new club record in the process. They went on to win twice more at Nationwide Arena before the Stanley Cup playoffs.
