Atkinson, who proudly displayed the bronze medal around his next during postgame interviews, averaged 16 minutes a game and became one of Team USA's top forwards. He helped the U.S. win its third bronze medal at the men's world championship in the past six years and seventh overall, dating back to 1928.
It was the Americans' fourth bronze since 1996 and fifth since 1962.
"This is my first one and I'm going to cherish this for the rest of my life and remember this experience forever," said Atkinson, who finished the regular season and playoffs strong for Columbus, which lost a tough series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Washington Capitals in six games. "It was a great group of guys and a lot of fun. It looks like gold to me!"
Jeff Blashill, the Detroit Red Wings' coach who ran the U.S. bench at the world championship for the second year in a row, thought Atkinson was one of the key cogs in for Team USA's success.
"I had a chance to coach Cam a long time ago [for the U.S.] in the Ivan Hlinka tournament and I've always been impressed with him as a person and as an opponent," Blashill said. "I was impressed with him when he was at [Boston College] and now with Columbus. He's a real good offensive player, but he's also committed to both ends of the ice. He's real coachable. He blocks shots and I just think he's committed to winning. He was a pleasure to coach."
Connor Murphy, a Chicago Blackhawks defenseman, also helped the U.S. effort. Murphy was raised in Columbus and played for the AAA Blue Jackets program.
Two other Blue Jackets were also in action Sunday, as teammates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Ryan Murray played for Canada in the loss to the U.S. Murray played the left point on the third defense pairing for the Canadians, skating with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, while Dubois centered the fourth line - skating with New York Islanders forwards Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle.
Murray finished the tournament with one assist and a minus-1 plus/minus rating in 10 games, while Dubois heads into the offseason with three goals, four assists and seven points in nine games.
Kukan also enjoyed a strong showing at the world championship, helping Switzerland make an improbably run to the gold-medal game and then pushing Sweden to the brink before falling in the shootout - the second straight year the Swedes have won the gold in a shootout.
Kukan played all 10 games for the Swiss and finished the tournament with one goal, two assists and three points. He also played left point on the second defense pairing, after earning a two-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets by recording four assists in 11 games and missing all but one game in the final six weeks after getting injured Feb. 18 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Other Blue Jackets who played in the tournament included defenseman Markus Nutivaara (Finland), forward Oliver Bjorkstrand (Denmark), defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (Russia), center Alexandre Texier (France) and Latvian goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Matiss Kivlenieks.
Atkinson's 11 points ranked tied for sixth overall in scoring with Sweden's Mika Zibanejad and Finland's Mikko Rantanen and his seven goals were third-most among all players. Nutivaara and U.S. defenseman Charlie McAvoy each finished with nine points to lead all defensemen in scoring, each scoring three goals and assisting on six.
Merzlikins finished fifth overall with a 1.50 goals-against average for Latvia and ranked fourth with a .940 save percentage. He also had two shutouts, which ended tied with U.S. goalie Keith Kinkaid (New Jersey Devils) and Russia's Igor Shestyorkin (SKA St. Petersberg, KHL) for second-most among all goaltenders.
The offseason now begins for them all, after three added weeks of international competition that doubles as a celebration of the sport.
"It's a blast," said Zito, who attends every year, whether he's scouting for the Jackets or has a stake in the game for the U.S., like this year. "If you like hockey, this is a wonderful tournament. You can eat, drink and sleep hockey, with not only some of the best players in the world but also some of the best coaches in the world. You exchange ideas, compete and debate and learn. It's so much fun."
