He played 63 regular-season games for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), going 20–32–11 with 1 shutout.

He was selected as the goaltender for the 2002 NHL All-Rookie Team and posted a 3.28 goals against average (GAA) and .898 save percentage.

With Richter out with a head injury, Blackburn recorded his only career shutout on November 7, 2002, in a 1–0 overtime win over the Calgary Flames.

Sather traded for Nashville Predator Mike Dunham, an experienced goaltender, to let Blackburn develop at a consistent rate.

He had nerve exploration surgery on March 31, 2004, then made an attempt to return to hockey, sporting a pair of blockers rather than the conventional blocker/catcher combination, as his injury rendered him incapable of rotating his glove hand.

Had Blackburn continued to attempt a comeback, he would have forfeited an insurance payout of approximately six million dollars.