The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) based in Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus Blue Jackets compete in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference along with Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Rangers. In recent years the Columbus Blue Jackets have developed a rivalry with the Pittsburgh Penguins and games can often be quite physical between the two.
The Columbus Blue Jackets play their home games at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, which opened in 2000, the same year that the team were established. The Nationwide Arena has a capacity of 18,500 for ice hockey and was the first NHL arena to have a smaller rink built for the team to practice on. This rink, name the OhioHealth IceHaus, is also used for youth hockey games.
The arena is one of two venues used for sporting and fitness events for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual Arnold Classic event, and also hosts UFC, wrestling and basketball tournaments. There are also concerts performed at the arena with performances from the likes of Chris Brown, Miranda Lambert, and The Black Keys.