The Columbus Blue Jackets announced August 30 that 81 of the club’s 82 regular season games in 2011-12 will be televised, including 79 in High-Definition on FOX Sports Ohio as the club’s rightsholder unveiled its schedule for the upcoming season.

FOX Sports Ohio’s coverage of the Blue Jackets begins on Friday, October 7 when the club opens the regular season at Nationwide Arena with a 7 p.m. match-up against Central Division rival Nashville Predators. Opening Night coverage will include a special one-hour edition of the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show beginning at 6 p.m. The FOX Sports Ohio/Blue Jackets broadcast team will once again feature play-by-play announcer Jeff Rimer, color analyst Bill Davidge and rink side reporter John Michael.

FOX Sports Ohio will air 39 home games and 40 away contests during the 2011-12 Blue Jackets regular season. The network’s schedule includes six games against Central Division opponents Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis and five vs. Detroit, four games against non-divisional Western Conference opponents except Colorado (two games on FSO) and 18 contests against Eastern Conference opponents. Among those games is a pair of match-ups against the Stanley Cup champion Bruins on Thursday, November 17 at TD Garden and Saturday, December 10 at Nationwide Arena.

The Blue Jackets will also appear on national television twice during the 2011-12 season on VERSUS, which becomes NBC Sports Network on Jan. 2, 2012. Those televised games are Wednesday, March 28 vs. the Detroit Red Wings and Thursday, April 5 at the Colorado Avalanche. The lone game not available for broadcast locally due to VERSUS national exclusivity is Wednesday, October 12 vs. Colorado.

Live game night coverage on FOX Sports Ohio begins with Blue Jackets Live, presented by Central Ohio Toyota Dealers, a 30-minute pre-game show featuring highlights, player interviews and analysis. Coverage continues after the game with the post-game edition of Blue Jackets Live, presented by IGS Energy. The pre-game show will be hosted by Ray Crawford and Bill Davidge, while Crawford will continue to host the post-game show and be joined in studio for road games by features reporter Dave Maetzold.

BLUE JACKETS 2011-12 SCHEDULE

Single game tickets for Blue Jackets preseason home games starting at $26 are on sale now at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, The Chiller Ice Rinks and all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers. Fans can also purchase tickets by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at Blue Jackets Ticket Central, the official club web site, and www.ticketmaster.com.

Full and partial season ticket plans for the Blue Jackets’ 2011-12 season are on sale now starting at less than $15 per game. Full and partial-season ticket holders receive a number of great benefits including significant savings versus single-game prices; the best available seat locations; exclusive access to events with players and coaches; and priority access to tickets for most other events at Nationwide Arena and the Jerome Schottenstein Center. For more information, call (800) NHL-COLS.

-- CBJ --