Columbus Welcomes Back Blue Jackets Alum Petr Vyborny
Columbus, OH – Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Petr Vyborny recently revisited his old stomping grounds, expressing heartfelt appreciation for the city and franchise that holds a special place in his hockey career. Vyborny was in town for a Blue Jackets alumni luncheon ahead of the team’s game against the New York Rangers.
The veteran forward, who played 543 games for the Blue Jackets between 2000 and 2008, remains a critically important figure in franchise history, ranking eighth in games played, seventh in goals (113), third in assists (204), and sixth in total points (317). he is one of only seven players in CBJ history to record a five-point game, achieving that feat against Colorado in 2004 with one goal and four assists.
“It’s incredible,” Vyborny said. “It’s amazing. (thursday), I was at the game, and some people recognize me. It’s unbelievable for me.”
Vyborny’s journey to Columbus wasn’t immediate. Drafted by Edmonton in 1993, he initially played in Europe before a prosperous season with Cape breton in the AHL (23 goals, 61 points in 76 games) in 1994-95. He then spent five years playing in Czechia and Sweden before signing with the Blue Jackets at age 25 in June 2000.
After a slow start, Vyborny’s production increased, culminating in 20-goal seasons beginning in 2002-03 and career highs of 22 goals and 53 points in 2003-04.He followed that with consecutive 65 and 64-point seasons.
Following his time in Columbus, Vyborny played six more seasons in Czechia, earning induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame for his international accomplishments. He never played for another NHL team.
“It’s the only team where I played in the NHL,” Vyborny stated. ”For me, it’s the best memories of the best team in the NHL. I’m just not happy because we never played in the playoffs when I was here. We tried, but ther was so much disparity. It wasn’t the same.”
Vyborny described columbus as a “second hometown,” noting the emotional impact of seeing Nationwide Arena from his hotel window during his recent visit. “I was like,’Ohhhh. I played there.’ I get such memories from here.”
