John Davidson is coming home, back to Broadway where he was a beloved player and announcer. He’s coming back to where he has spent so much of his professional career, hoping to make the Rangers a spring factor once again.

The Blue Jackets’ president of hockey operations stepped down on Friday afternoon to take the same position with the Rangers, it was announced. Davidson is leaving his post after seven mostly successful seasons to join the Rangers, who were in the market for a new president after Glen Sather stepped down in April after running the team since 2000.

“I am excited and humbled to be named the President of the New York Rangers,” Davidson said in a press release. “The opportunity of rejoining the Rangers organization and returning home to New York, where my family and I have spent so many wonderful years, was one I simply could not pass up. I want to thank James Dolan for offering me this chance to come home.”

Davidson will run the show and establish a vision for the organization while general manager Jeff Gorton will continue in his rebuilding, which is now a year and few months in the works. Davidson was the runaway favorite for the position, a reason there were very few names in the mix, especially once Steve Yzerman took the job as the Red Wings’ general manager. Once the Blue Jackets were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Bruins, the wheels began to turn.

“Today is the start of a new and exciting chapter in New York Rangers history,” owner James Dolan said. “John Davidson is one of the premier executives in the National Hockey League. As we continue to build a team that can consistently compete for the Stanley Cup, John’s knowledge of the game and his experience and passion for the Rangers logo make him the ideal choice to oversee our Hockey Operations department. I am thrilled to welcome ‘JD’ and his family home.”

The 66-year-old Davidson called Rangers games and was a lead analyst on national broadcasts for several networks for 19 years after his playing days were over before leaving in 2006 to be the Blues’ president. He was with St. Louis for six years and reached the playoffs twice before a new ownership group came in and bought him out of his contract. He joined the Blue Jackets in 2012. Under Davidson’s watch, Columbus qualified for the postseason four times, including the franchise’s first-ever playoff series victory, a mammoth upset of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Lightning this spring. As a player for the Rangers from 1975-83, he led them to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals on an injured left knee and then transitioned into broadcasting, where he was affectionately known simply as “J.D.” His “Oh baby” catchphrase became a staple.

“John and I have remained good friends. John as good as it gets,” longtime broadcast partner Sam Rosen said when Davidson was back in town for the 1994 Rangers’ 25-year anniversary celebration. “He is a wonderful person and self made man, who has done wonderful things with his life and just to be around him is great. He is one of my closest friends in the world. Whatever he did, he did the best.

“He was so well respected by those around the league that he became an executive of two teams — the Blues and Blue Jackets. He brought both teams to an excellent level of success. Any time we could be together is a special time.”

— Additional reporting by Justin Terranova