By Paul Silverfarb
Sentinel Editor
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson is fatigued.
During the National Hockey League’s All-Star break, the Greenwich native traveled across the country at the last minute, played in a skills competition, competed for the winning All-Star team, and flew back to New York to resume his NHL regular season schedule Tuesday night against the Rangers.
However, since all that traveling meant that Atkinson was named to the 2017 NHL All-Star Team, it’s safe to say that he doesn’t mind trading in the long hours and doing countless events instead of taking a few days of rest and relaxation.
“Overall, every second of the day you seemed like you were doing something, but it was so unique and special,” said Atkinson, after his morning skate Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. “Just to be in the locker room with some of the best players in the world is amazing. Sitting next to [Alex] Ovechkin, [Sidney] Crosby was right next to me, and I was sitting next to [Ryan] McDonagh. I grew up playing against McDonagh, but the whole thing was a unique experience and something I will never forget.”
After having the kind of season that Atkinson was having, leading the team in goals and second on the team in assists before the All-Star break, it was a possibility that he might be named an All-Star.
Before the break, Atkinson led the team with 24 goals and was second on the roster with 22 assists. Both are mere inches away from his goals and assists total from the entire season last year.
“It’s all opportunity,” Atkinson said. “[John Tortorella] gives me every opportunity to have success and puts me out there in all situations. It’s almost like you want to return the favor and do well and prove him right and all the doubters wrong. Everything has been going well for me this year, but we are starting the second half of the year and it’s going to get hard. We’re going to have to dig in a little more and work that much harder. I’m obviously excited and looking forward to the opportunity.”
And nothing like last minute for Atkinson to find out he was an All-Star.
With the injury to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin, Atkinson got a phone call at 11 p.m., a day after the final game before the break against the Nashville Predators.
That was also a day before the skills competition took place.
“When I got the call, I knew I was either getting traded or getting the call for the game,” Atkinson said. “I would much rather get the call for the game. It was something that I was really excited about. I hung up the phone right away and called my fiancée and my family. They were more jacked up than I was.”
And what an experience it was for the first-time All-Star. He competed in the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater competition, darting down the Staples Center ice and clocking in at a speedy 13.330 seconds.
Although Atkinson was hard at work helping the Metropolitan Division earn some points, he wanted to make sure that he enjoyed every second of his time there.
“Skills was obviously a lot of fun,” Atkinson said. “I took it all in and I even brought my phone with me. I enjoyed the moment, but the game was very special as well. The coolest was getting a chance to meet the top 100 players.”
But Atkinson didn’t go to Los Angeles to just show off his skills. It was the day after, the NHL All-Star game, that was just a mind-blowing experience.
While scoring two goals against the Atlantic Division in the semis and once in the second period of the finals against the Pacific Division to propel the Metropolitan Division to the All-Star Game victory was a thrill for Atkinson, it was a bunch of other highlights that made the event even more special.
In their 100th season, the National Hockey League had a top 100 hockey players of all time list. In total, 48 of the top 100 players were on the Staples Center ice, as legends like Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Brendon Shannahan, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Luc Robitaille, Dominic Hasek, Eric Lindros, Jean Ratelle and many others, greeting the current batch of All-Stars as they were introduced.
“The coolest part was actually right before the game,” Atkinson said. “Going around and giving a fist bump to the top 100 guys. Guys that I grew up watching and absolute legends. That was definitely the most special part.”
It also didn’t hurt to have arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, Gretzky, behind the bench as a last-minute coaching replacement for the Metropolitan Division.
“It was a great experience and something I’ll obviously remember for a long time. I got to enjoy it with my fiancée and my family, which was even more special. And it was nice to get the win out there.”
Atkinson believes that it’s a little bit of both.
While Atkinson might still be on cloud nine from his All-Star appearance and traveling across country, that doesn’t mean that he’s not thinking about what lies in store coming out of the All-Star break.
Coming out of the break, Columbus was second in the Eastern Conference with 68 points. The Penguins were on top of the conference with 72 points, while the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens were within striking distance of the Blue Jackets, with 65 points each.
“It’s great,” Atkinson said. “But it’s no secret that we have been struggling the last 12 games. We talked about what made us successful during that winning stretch we had. It’s great that we have those points in the bank right now, but teams are gunning for us. The games are going to get much harder, as we are playing a lot more Metropolitan teams. It’s going to get exciting because these are the games you want to play in.”
While everything might sound wonderful, since this is the highest the Blue Jackets have been in the standings this late in the season, Atkinson believes the All-Star break came at a perfect time. Since the start of the new year, Columbus has been playing below .500 hockey, posting a record of 6-7, with one of those losses coming in overtime.
It’s a far cry from the beginning of the season, when the Jackets rode a 16-game winning streak, one game away from tying the record of 17 set by the Penguins back in 1993.
“I think we needed this break,” Atkinson said. “Everybody needed a reset, just to get their minds and bodies right. We came back and talked about it. It’s no secret that after our winning streak, we kind of dipped down a little bit. We just need to get back to what made us successful during that stretch.
“We are a blue-collar team and we need to play with a chip on our shoulders, for sure,” Atkinson said. “We are still trying to gain respect in this league and we can’t think that we made it. There’s still 30-plus games to go and the league is getting tougher and the games are going to get harder.”
And Atkinson started the stretch run with a game just miles from where he grew up in Greenwich, playing the Rangers Tuesday night at MSG.
“It’s very cool to come back here,” Atkinson said. “The Rangers were obviously a team that I grew up admiring. They are basically right in my backyard. I came to a lot of these games and it’s the most famous arena, not just to play in, but to visit a concert. There’s so much history in this building, so to come back here and have my family and friends here to enjoy it is pretty special.”
While the Blue Jackets’ forward basically didn’t stop moving during his All-Star break, to be considered one of the elite players in the NHL is something that Atkinson says makes it all worthwhile.
“It doesn’t help that you have to travel across the country, but it’s a part of the nature,” Atkinson said. “I wasn’t going to miss that for anything. I’m definitely a little tired. I’m trying to catch up with the time zone. We were only out there for three nights, but still it’s takes a little toll on your body. I am just trying to stretch a little more, but I’ll be ready to rock and roll. I promise that.”
