For as exciting as a seventh straight Columbus Blue Jackets victory was, fans of the NHL's hottest team were thrilled for another reason Wednesday night.
After stepping away from the booth nearly two years ago, legendary Blue Jackets broadcaster Jeff Rimer was on the call for FanDuel Sports Network in Columbus' 4-0 shutout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in their final game before the Olympic break.
With Steve Mears — who took over play-by-play duties for Rimer after his 2024 retirement — away on assignment, it was the perfect opportunity for a one-night return for Rimer. The television play-by-play announcer of the Blue Jackets for two decades, Rimer's return also helped the team continue to celebrate their 25th anniversary, this time by bringing back the most well-known television voice in franchise history.
For Rimer and his wife Ferrel, the return was a sentimental one.
"We love Columbus, my wife and I both," he told 1st Ohio Battery. "I love the people, the fans. The people of Columbus and Ohio treated me just so well. I love each and every one of them."
Rimer acknowledged that the decision to retire was a tough one, and that the pair, who now live in Florida, have often considered a move back to central Ohio.
"Columbus is always on my mind. I haven't missed a game all season."
"Columbus is always on my mind," Rimer said. "I haven't missed a game all season, whether I was (in Columbus) or (in Florida). I keep in contact with a lot of players in the organization, and I always will.”
”I'm a Blue Jacket for life."
When the opportunity arose for Rimer to make the return for this game, the answer was an obvious one.
"I knew the date well in advance and made plans accordingly," he said.
And should the chance present itself again in the future, Rimer was quick to answer whether or not he would do it again, or if Wednesday was truly a one-off.
"I'd like to. I got the juices going again," he said.
While retirement has given Rimer plenty of time with his family, which was the primary reason behind his decision to call it a career, the passion is still very much there.
“Maybe I made a mistake and retired too soon. Getting back into that booth, doing that game, the juices were flowing."
But even with those juices flowing during the game, it was the emotions both before and after the broadcast that Rimer was most reflective on.
"I've just been overwhelmed by the response," he said. "Since word first got out that I was doing the game, but it's (also been) off the charts since I've did the game. I go to (X), and I can't put it down. I want to see what's going on with hockey, but all these messages are coming in with warmth."
"These are special people in central Ohio. I get emotional."
It goes without saying, but Rimer points to the Jan. 12 coaching change as the most important day of the season. It was on that Monday that the Blue Jackets swapped Dean Evason out for Rick Bowness as the new voice behind the bench. As far as Rimer is concerned, it was Columbus' do-or-die, now-or-never moment.
"I know Rick Bowness. He and I have been in the league almost an equal number of years," Rimer said. "I know the kind of coach he is, and I know how the players respond to him as a coach. It was exactly the right thing to do, and at the right time. (President of Hockey Operations and General Manager) Don Waddell couldn't have done it any later."
"I know Rick Bowness. ... i know the kind of coach he is, and I know how the players respond to him as a coach."
Coming off a season in which the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs by just two points, the belief was that this was a team on the rise and one that would continue to push its way up the standings. But at 19-19-7 on the day the change was made, Columbus sat seven points out of a playoff spot and in last place in a brutally tough Eastern Conference.
"The expectations were so high," Rimer said. "They were off the charts. For them to be as disappointing as they were and not playing the way so many people expected them to play, including the organization, I think Waddell acted at the right time, and obviously it was the right move."
Despite feeling it was the right move, Rimer has a deep appreciation for what Evason did during the 2024-25 season.
"Evason did a marvelous job last year. He should have, in my opinion, won coach of the year. With what the Jackets went through with the tragedy and the loss of the Gaudreaus (Johnny and Matthew), and the heartache and the shock. It was such a tragedy, but he was able to bring the players together, and he deserves a lot of credit."
When the Blue Jackets played the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Dec. 6, Rimer was in attendance. Coincidentally, Bowness was in attendance that day as well. The two spent some time together, but Rimer was focused on the team and picked up on something.
"I spent a lot of time around the team before the game and after the game, and talking to the players," he said. "There was something missing; there was a disconnect."
Despite a three-goal lead in the second period and a two-goal lead in the third, the Blue Jackets came up short that afternoon in a 7-6 overtime loss. It was the first of a season-long, five-game losing streak — and was just one in a string of games that Columbus lost despite a lead in the final 20 minutes.
Rimer thought the disconnect came down to one thing: a lack of communication.
"(Evason) designated a lot to the assistant coaches, and in fact, there was a feature (BlueJackets.com's Behind The Battle), and there was a specific one on a recent telecast, not too far removed from when the coaching change was made. (Evason) talked in terms of how he did designate things to his coaching staff."
For Rimer, it was too much.
"They always have a camera in the dressing room, and under Evason, he rarely — if at all — addressed the team before periods. It was always an assistant coach. And what I've noticed is the complete opposite with Bowness. He's in there, and he's doing all the talking."
It's not just during the games that Rimer sees the Bowness effect paying off.
"I observed practice on Monday (Feb. 2)," Rimer said. "I saw something I've never seen before. There was Bowness, on the ice, on one knee, talking to captain Boone Jenner.”
"I saw great discussion going on between two people. Here he is on one knee. You'll see coaches stand on their hockey stick or lean on their stick and talk to players, but here he got right down, and it was eye-to-eye. It was a lengthy conversation on the ice. He's a communicator, and he communicates with these players."
"I saw great discussion going on between two people. ... it was eye-to-eye."
Communication may be one key, but Rimer says it's Bowness' defense-first structure that makes him draw comparisons to Ken Hitchcock and John Tortorella, the two most successful coaches in franchise history.
"It's defense first (with Bowness)," Rimer said. "The coaches that are successful in this league — and it's a tough league — they are the ones who preach that defensive side of the game before they even talk about offense."
Since Bowness took over, the Blue Jackets are averaging a league-best 2.18 goals per game.
A three-week break in the middle of an 11-1-0 stretch sounds like the worst possible thing, but the veteran broadcaster offered up a different perspective.
Rimer asked Bowness on Thursday (Feb. 5) if he remembers there being "a bit of a letdown" with the Blue Jackets after the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. Columbus won their first four games after the two-week layoff for the tournament, including a victory in the Stadium Series, but the team went 1-7-1 after that.
It was that cold streak that ultimately cost Columbus a playoff berth.
"(Bowness) said, 'Oh yeah, I've already heard that from the players.' He pretty well alerted the guys that when they come back, they're going to have some tough practices," Rimer said.
That won’t be a bad thing.
"It's going to really be the first time that they'll be able to practice. With the condensed schedule, there's very little time for practices, so that's going to be an asset."
"The other thing Bowness pointed out to me was that he put the players on notice that the first two games they play (after the break) are two teams they're chasing. The (New York) Islanders and Boston (Bruins). One in the wild card race, and one in the division.”
“We'll know pretty early where they stand."
While in Columbus, there was one person on the team Rimer sought out.
"I went into the room and met with some of the players, but I paid particular attention to a conversation I had with Charlie Coyle," said Rimer. "I am so impressed with him as a person, on and off the ice."
"All aspects of (his) game. Faceoffs, the defensive side of the game, offensive skill, and then the leadership. He's the complete package."
Under Bowness, Coyle has been Columbus’ points leader amongst forwards. The 33-year-old has eight goals and eight assists (16 points) in the 11 games since the change.
Rimer isn't the only one impressed with Coyle. Zach Werenski, with whom Rimer has maintained close contact in his retirement, gives Coyle a significant stamp of approval.
"Werenski, in talking with him, in all his years ... there's not maybe more than one or two players that he's as fond of as a teammate more than Coyle."
Speaking of Werenski, Rimer says that Columbus should be thinking bigger than just hoping Werenski gets the nod for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.
"If the Blue Jackets make the playoffs, and I am pretty confident they will, he should be under consideration not only for the Norris, but for the league MVP (Hart Memorial Trophy), as well."
That's goal No. 20 for Zach Werenski! pic.twitter.com/rLOAFPCabH
— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2026
"What he means to this team and his leadership… on and off the ice, he's become a big leader. Obviously, he'll be the next captain of this team and rightfully so — and as good a player as he is, he's a better person, and he's really well respected in that room."
Now back in Florida, Rimer, an American citizen who was born and raised in Canada, will shift his attention to the upcoming winter Olympics.
Despite the dual allegiance, Rimer has no doubt who he's cheering for in the games.
"First and foremost, I'm rooting for my good friend Zach Werenski. Zach and I have gotten real close, and needless to say, I'm cheering for Team USA."
As for a prediction?
"I'm looking forward to and am hopeful for a US-Canada final. The US wins, 4-3, in overtime — and you know what, maybe Werenski scores the game-winning goal."
Outside of watching hockey, Rimer also plans to use the break to continue work on his upcoming book, It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This: Unforgettable Calls in the Booth and Unexpected Turns in Life.
If the first half of that title rings a bell, it's for good reason. It pays homage to one of the most iconic moments in franchise history, when former captain (and current director of player personnel) Rick Nash scored the goal of the year in a Jan. 2008 game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Rimer, who was on the call for the game, excitedly told viewers, "It doesn't get any better than this."
"I spent a few minutes with Nash this week, and I pulled out the book, and he had a big smile on his face. He knew exactly where that title came from," Rimer said.
The book looks back on Rimer's life not only in the Blue Jackets broadcast booth but at his fascinating, decades-long career that sent him to Calgary, Edmonton, Baltimore, and Sunrise, among other places.
"There's a personal story that I haven't even shared with my closest friends. It's written. That chapter is done. It's a very heavy chapter."
"It means a lot to me."
The book will be released later in 2026, with Rimer confident it will be out before the beginning of the 2026-27 hockey season kicks off in October.
