VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Six seasons ago, R.J. Umberger and Ryan Kesler were Ohio State teammates, players who got along and skated on the same line.

Both play in the NHL now, Umberger for the Blue Jackets and Kesler for the Canucks. But there is no small-talk at morning skates or dinner invitations tendered the night before games.

Umberger and Kesler are Western Conference rivals -- and not friendly ones.

"I'll see him in passing (at the arena)," Umberger said. "But there isn't much to talk about."

The lingering tension between them has its root in contract negotiations with the Canucks six years ago. The strained relations have taken on a twist since Umberger was acquired by the Blue Jackets during the summer in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Last night, they faced off for the third of four meetings this season in GM Place and had their first fight. Neither landed a punch of any significance in the brief first-period scrap.

"Him and I have gotten feisty a couple of times (this season), especially after faceoffs," Umberger said before last night's game. "He's a very competitive player, an agitator, and he plays with an edge."

Both former Buckeyes were first-round draft choices of Vancouver two years apart, Umberger No. 16 overall in 2001 and Kesler No. 23 in 2003.

Kesler was drafted after his freshman season and signed with the Canucks, and Umberger, a junior, could not agree to terms with the franchise. Both left OSU after the 2002-03 season.

At the time, Umberger believed Kesler accepted a low offer and it affected how the Canucks negotiated with him.

"There was some animosity and it got a little personal," Umberger said. "Looking back, Ryan's deal probably didn't have that much to do with my situation."

Umberger never came to terms with the Canucks and his rights were traded to the New York Rangers on March 9, 2004. He also didn't sign with the Rangers and eventually was acquired by the Flyers in a free-agent deal later that summer.

"We got along as linemates at Ohio State (and) everything was fine until I signed, and then I think there was a little jealously from his part," Kesler told the Vancouver Sun in December. "He and his agent going on radio stations and talking down to me. I just didn't think that was very classy."

Umberger says even in the best of times his relations with Kesler were never great.

"When he was a freshman at Ohio State, David Steckel (now with Washington) and myself tried to give Ryan some advice about preparing for the combine and the draft," Umberger said. "He never took it seriously. He is just a different person."

The two players were nearly reunited in September 2006 when the Flyers signed Kesler to a one-year, $1.9 million offer sheet that the Canucks ended up matching.

As a member of the Flyers, Umberger scored a goal in Vancouver early last season, and admits he gets up for games against the Canucks.

"There's definitely a little extra excitement, there's a history here," he said.

Slap shots

The Jackets assigned forward Craig MacDonald to minor-league Syracuse. He had a goal and an assist in eight games. The Jackets scratched forwards Nikita Filatov and Alexandre Picard and defenseman Christian Backman last night.

treed@dispatch.com