During his final day as a Columbus Blue Jacket, after signing a one-day contract Oct. 16 in front of his family and a roomful of media, Cam Atkinson was engulfed in Union Blue.
Wearing a Blue Jackets polo shirt and flashing the smile that made him a recognizable face in Columbus, Atkinson held court to begin a day that will finish with him skating one final lap around Nationwide Arena wearing his No. 13 jersey that fans still wear to games four years since he was traded.
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Related reading: Cam Atkinson to retire with Columbus Blue Jackets, ‘I’m ready for the next chapter’
Years before Atkinson, 36, finished his playing career with the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning, he and his wife, Natalie, made the decision that Columbus would be home for their family, which includes two young sons and a daughter all born at Riverside Hospital.
“Taking my final lap will be one of the most humbling moments of my career,” Atkinson said. “Getting to finish my career where it all started in a city that became home, with the fans and people that took me in as one of their own, and with my family and friends watching, is nothing short of a dream come true. Thank you to the Blue Jackets organization for welcoming me back.”
The Blue Jackets, under former general manager Scott Howson, selected Atkinson in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Draft. It was his second draft eligible year, and he went 157th overall. His version is a slicker sales pitch: He refers to himself the third overall pick of the sixth round in 2008.
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Either way, he far exceeded expectations for an undersized forward coming off a bad leg fracture in prep school. Blue Jackets president/GM Don Waddell read off an abbreviated list of Atkinson’s NHL accomplishments before each put their signatures on a contract, and it drove home why Atkinson became a shining star for Columbus.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson (13) lines up for a face-off during the first period of the NHL preseason hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Sept. 18, 2018.
Atkinson, however, hopes he’s remembered for things he’s done and continues to do for Columbus. He co-founded The Battery Hockey Academy, which has become a developmental gem for youth hockey players, and his Force Fund Network has supported first responders and military members for years.
“When I think about my legacy in hockey, I want it to be that I made a difference, whether it was through my philanthropic work with the Force Network Fund or The Battery Hockey Academy,” Atkinson said. “I just hope that when people think of me, they think of me not only for the things I accomplished as a hockey player but the things I’m passionate about as a person.”
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Here are highlights of Atkinson’s retirement press conference:
Cam Atkinson starts retirement press conference supporting Nick Foligno
Fans gather to watch Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson warm up before a game in Nationwide Arena on Jan. 18.
Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno, and their families, became close when both were members of the Blue Jackets. It was no surprise that before Atkinson started his prepared thoughts on retiring, he said he and his family were thinking of the Foligno family as their oldest child, Milana, went into her third corrective heart surgery in Boston.
“We love you,” Atkinson said. “We’re thinking of you, and you’ve got this … our little princess warrior.”
Columbus Blue Jackets star Cam Atkinson issues many thanks for NHL career
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Cam Atkinson (13) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period of the NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on March 9, 2019.
Atkinson’s prepared comments included thanks to every group he could remember, from teammates to opponents to coaches to his parents, brothers, wife, kids, brothers’ families, in-laws and last, but not least, fans.
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“To the fans, you are the heartbeat of this league,” Atkinson said. “The Blue Jackets, Lightning and Flyers fans … you’re the best fans in the world, but especially the Blue Jackets and The 5th Line. You show up for this team every single night, win or lose. Your love for this city, your team and its players is unconditional.”
Columbus Blue Jackets star Cam Atkinson acknowledges Johnny Gaudreau
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Cam Atkinson (13) watches the puck against Chicago Blackhawks during the second period of their NHL game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on April 12, 2021.
Atkinson will wear his No. 13 jersey while he takes his final lap because that’s what he wore for almost his entire 10 seasons with the Blue Jackets. There was a brief stretch where he gave No. 89 a try after wearing it for the U.S. at the 2018 men’s world championships, but that was short-lived.
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The reason Atkinson switched to No. 89 in that tournament was because No. 13 was taken by Johnny Gaudreau, a star with the Calgary Flames who’d committed to play for the U.S. before Atkinson. Three years later, the Blue Jackets traded Atkinson to the Flyers, and in 2022 Gaudreau shocked the NHL by signing with Columbus as a free agent.
Atkinson told Gaudreau and his wife, Meredith, they’d love Columbus and even hand delivered the Blue Jackets’ prized addition a No. 13 jersey. So, Atkinson knows No. 13 is now associated with Gaudreau, who was tragically killed along with his brother, Matthew, when they were struck by a vehicle biking together Aug. 29, 2024, in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
“It is obviously not lost on me that tonight I will be the first player since Johnny Hockey and maybe the last, to wear the No. 13 for the Blue Jackets on the ice,” Atkinson said. “Johnny and I were really good friends, as well as Meredith and their kids. I’ll think about him and his family as I take my final lap tonight.”
Columbus Blue Jackets star Cam Atkinson can’t escape Tony Mazza prank
There were moments Atkinson paused to keep from melting into a puddle of tears, but mostly he kept the mood light with his usual candor.
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That’s part of what made him so popular with Blue Jackets fans.
One of his most epic moments in Columbus, which still gets viewed on YouTube, was the time he was targeted by Foligno with a practice joke. The prank involved Atkinson calling season-ticket holders to thank them for their loyalty, but one guy in particular really tested his limits.
The fan’s name was “Tony Mazza,” who was played by Foligno using a disguised voice. Mazza asks if Atkinson can arrange a meeting for him after a game with Atkinson and former coach John Tortorella, and at point asked Atkinson if he’s ‘that little guy?’
It’s a stitch.
Years later, Atkinson got even by pulling a prank on Foligno that involved Romeo’s Pizza, whom he’d just teamed with for a promotional deal. Atkinson had a TV crew go to Foligno’s house under the guise of an interview as a long line of pizza delivery drivers keeps showing up to his house, one after another.
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Foligno’s temperature started to bubble just as Atkinson called off deliveries by making the final one himself.
“Tony Mazza still haunts me to this day,” Atkinson said, laughing. “I’m not a big prankster. I never have been, but I had to, obviously, get Nick back for that. You know … I can’t say the things I want to say, but I got him back pretty good with the pizzas, and I actually had to stop sending pizzas because he was going to fight everyone at his house. Hopefully I got him back, but g– —- … Tony Mazza.”
Cam Atkinson hopes to join Columbus Blue Jackets’ front office
No spots are open in the Jackets’ front office, but Atkinson and Waddell have met multiple times to discuss him possibly joining the organization down the road.
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“We both have thoughts about it,” Waddell said. “I’ve told him, ‘You’ve missed your family for so many years. This year, your first priority is taking care of the kids and your wife and all that, because you never get those years back.’ So, nothing official, but we are talking.”
Atkinson didn’t miss a beat.
“I told Don I’m not coming for his job,” he said. “But I think he knows, and everyone knows, especially everyone in this room, how much I love being here and being part of the Blue Jackets organization. So, hopefully, one day I’ll be able to come back and work for the organization.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Highlights from Cam Atkinson’s final spin with Columbus Blue Jackets