Cam Atkinson signed a one day contract to retire as a Columbus Blue Jacket today. He closest out his career back home, where he belongs, where he should have been all along.
He had a remarkable NHL career, with 809 games played, 253 goals and 489 points. But, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Cam is that he had an NHL career at all.
In one way, you could say that he was a little bit ahead of his time. Cam was drafted by the Blue Jackets out of high school, all the way back in 2008.
The NHL was in a transitional period at the time. After the lockout in 2004-05, the league was starting to find its way under the stricter rules that opened up the game in a big way.
But, it was still a league dominated by the old guard. Big bodies were the preferred style. If you want proof of that, look no further than the top of that 2008 draft.
After Steven Stamkos went first overall, there was a run on big, strong defensemen. In order: Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian, Alex Pietrangelo, and Luke Schenn went with picks 2-5.
The Jackets were excited to select talented Russian Nikita Filatov with the 6th overall pick. Howson and his staff hoped they would come away with a future top line winger at this draft. In a way, they did. It just wasn't Filatov.
Cam Atkinson became a diamond in the rough.
Filatov was in Columbus that very next season. He would score a hat trick in one of his first games, becoming the only CBJ rookie to do so. But, by the 2011-12 season came around, he was out of the organization.
Instead, with far less fanfare, Cam Atkinson made his professional debut in that same '11-12 season. It did not take long for him to become a fan favorite, as his scrappy, hard working play style was a breath of fresh air for a Blue Jackets team that had arguably the worst season in franchise history.
If you weren't around back then or just don't recall: that was the year the team acquired - then traded away - one of the most hated players in franchise history.
In his time since being drafted in the second to last round of the NHL Draft, Cam had landed firmly on the radar as one of the top prospects within the CBJ system.
He spent three years at Boston College, scoring 68 goals and 124 points in 117 NCAA games. This was capped off by his final year at the NCAA level, where he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey.
Still, even though he came to the NHL with promise and had a decent start, we had no idea what kind of player he would ultimately become.
He'll retire today with the 19th most games played in his draft class, 4th most goals, and 12th most points. Many of those stats came with the Blue Jackets.
Cam helped change the culture in Columbus.
Little did we know at the time: we were witnessing a changing of the guard with the Blue Jackets throughout the early-mid 2010s.
Soon to be gone were franchise legend Rick Nash, along with that other player whose name we won't name in this article. Our hopes turned to players like Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky, and Vinny Prospal to drive this team's offense.
While this team would never turn into an elite scoring machine with these players, they more than held their own. At the center of this offense, Atkinson became their premier goal scorer, highlighted by as 2018-19 season where he tied the franchise record with 41 goals.
Cam never had the best hands, or the best shot, or any one elite trait that stood out. He was just an incredibly hard worker who showed up each and every night, trying to find a way to make a difference for his team.
For a 5'8", not quite 180 pound player; it's remarkable that he even made it to the NHL. Yet here we are, on this day 17 years after his late round selection in the draft, and Cam comes home to retire with honors where he belongs: as a Blue Jacket.
He does so with his own name written into several places in the franchise record books. While he's not a Hockey Hall of Famer; he's still very deserving of recognition.
Atkinson is a player that helped pave the way for smaller skill guys to play in the NHL. He helped grow the game in Central Ohio, and his off-ice contributions are the only thing that eclipse what he did on the ice.
For all of these reasons, against all of the odds: Cam is easily one of the greatest success stories in CBJ franchise history. We're glad he's back home.