Atkinson says return is ‘bittersweet’
They had a plan.
A couple of months ago, Cam Atkinson and his wife, Natalie, sold their Upper Arlington home, where they'd started their family by welcoming two sons into their lives, and purchased a new one in a part of New Jersey that's practically a Philadelphia suburb.
It was a life-altering decision made necessary by a stunning Blue Jackets' trade that sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers and brought Jakub Voracek back to Columbus.
Vowing to keep their Columbus ties strong, though, the Atkinsons also planned to build a new home in their former neighborhood, while renting Boone Jenner's apartment for the next two summers when the Blue Jackets' captain returned to Ontario for the offseason.
It didn't take long for the plan to change.
“We just realized that, you know, ‘Why don't we just try to get our house back?'” said Atkinson, who will make his first trip back to Nationwide Arena on Thursday with the Flyers. “It just worked itself out. We just bought it back, like, two weeks ago, and we'll take over May 1. What a story, right?”
Call it a love story, despite the wounded feelings that followed a trade nobody outside of the Blue Jackets or Flyers could've possibly predicted — especially the Atkinsons.
Not only had Atkinson helped the Blue Jackets celebrate the arrival of three new prospects at a draft party the night before he was dealt, but the former franchise face also had a birthday celebration planned for his oldest son, three-year-old Declan, the same day Atkinson was traded. The party was Blue Jackets themed and the team's mascot, Stinger, was supposed to make an appearance at the same home the Atkinsons have since sold and repurchased.
Prior to facing the Blue Jackets for the first time Jan. 20 in Philadelphia, Atkinson told reporters he “didn't appreciate” the lack of forewarning from the Blue Jackets about the trade.
Time has softened those feelings, but Atkinson used the term “bittersweet” to describe his first visit back to Columbus. He didn't leave by choice. He'd spent a decade making connections in the Columbus area, donating to various charitable organizations and investing as part-owner in The Battery Hockey Academy, which now has plans to add a full ice sheet next to its facility in Plain City.
Atkinson, the Flyers' scoring leader in an otherwise forgettable season, will receive a touching “welcome home” video, just as former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno did March 5 with the Boston Bruins.
“But it's going to be a lot of mixed emotions,” said Atkinson, whose Force Network Fund will make a donation to the Columbus USO branch during the Jackets' Military Appreciation Night. “I love Columbus. It's where my two boys were born and where we're going to be (long term). We bought our house back, and we're going to be there this summer, and we plan on living there when I'm done playing hockey. So, even though I'm not there, I'm still trying to contribute as much as I can because that's how much Columbus means to me.” bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger