Numbers game: Wearing 89, Atkinson seeks gold for red, white and blue

When the Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Cam Atkinson had his exit meeting with coaches and management, which included a chat with Bill Zito.
The Blue Jackets' assistant general manager is also general manager for Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark, and he had a question for Atkinson related to the red, white and blue.
"He asked me if I would come and play for him and I said, 'Yes, but only if I get to wear number 13,'" Atkinson said, smirking. "He said, 'Done, done, done,' but then a couple hours later, I get an email from the equipment manager saying, 'Sorry, 13's taken.' I copied and pasted it, and sent it to Zito and said, 'You better figure this out!'"

As it turns out, Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames was also invited to join the team at the end of the regular season and he wears No. 13 too. The Flames didn't make the playoffs, so he'd already requested it.
The issue even came up in a group text among former Boston College players, along with their head coach Jerry York. Gaudreau offered to play rock, paper, scissors to keep it, which led to a debate on the benchmark for seniority, more games for Team USA (Gaudreau) or more games in the NHL (Atkinson).
"I also told him I was the original '13' at BC," Atkinson said. "I started the whole trend. He agreed, but he still didn't give me the number … but whatever makes him happy. As long as he's scoring goals, I'll be the bigger man and let him wear my number."
For a tongue-in-cheek "price," that is.
"I told him he owed me at least three or four dinners, and when we got to the airport, he gave me his per diem," Atkinson said. "I gave it back to him."
Turns out, Atkinson didn't really need his lucky 13 to make a big impact in the opening game for the U.S. on Friday against rival Canada. Atkinson assisted on a goal by Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin in the third period and scored the only two goals for the U.S. in a six-round shootout to lift the Americans to a 5-4 victory at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.
He did it wearing No. 89, in honor of his birth year, much like U.S. captain Patrick Kane, whose worn No. 88 for the Chicago Blackhawks ever since entering the NHL.
Atkinson is starting out playing right wing on the second line, opposite left wing Chris Kreider (New York Rangers) and flanking Larkin (Detroit Red Wings). His goal is to continue his success from the second half of the NHL season, when Atkinson returned from a broken bone in his foot to help the Blue Jackets qualify for the playoffs in a second consecutive season - a first for the franchise.
"It was one of those seasons where it was just a whirlwind," Atkinson said. "It didn't start out the way I wanted it to, for whatever reason. Maybe I was trying to do too much trying to surpass my numbers from last year, which were career numbers for me, but then I started playing a little bit better and then I broke my foot."
The downtime ultimately led to his big rebound, which began Jan. 25 in Glendale, Ariz., when he scored the game-winning goal late in the third period against the Arizona Coyotes.
"At the time, it was no fun having surgery and all that, but it was really a godsend because it gave me a chance to hit the reset button and sit back and realize what you've done in the past to help you be successful," Atkinson said. "I had four weeks to really think about it, and when I came back I was just real hungry and excited to play again. After getting that game-winning goal in my first game back against Arizona, I was ready to rock-and-roll, and I feel like I played the best hockey of my career in those last 33 games."
Atkinson, who played his way back up to the top line for the Jackets, finished the regular season with 24 goals, 22 assists and 46 points in 65 games, which included 18 goals, 15 assists and 33 points in the final 33 games. In the playoffs, he played all six games against the Washington Capitals and finished with two goals, two assists and four points.
The Jackets raced out to a 2-0 lead in that series, but then lost the next four in a row - including Game 3 in double overtime at Nationwide Arena and Game 5 in overtime at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
"After losing in the first round, I still just had the itch to keep playing, and what better way to do it than to play for your country and have a chance to win a medal?" Atkinson said. "I saw the roster beforehand and felt we had a pretty good team and a chance to do something special. It was a no-brainer to come here."
Outside of the opportunity to play for Team USA again (he also played in the world championship in 2012) and have the chance to win something, it's also an opportunity to meet other players.
"You get to play with guys that you play against in your professional career, [who] might have given you a couple slashes or crosschecks to the back, but these are guys who are all-stars in this league and you know of them, but don't know them personally," Atkinson said. "Like Johnny Gaudreau … I just missed him at BC. He would have been a freshman if I stayed my senior year."
Sensing an opportunity, Atkinson couldn't resist another jab about their jersey numbers.
"Then he definitely wouldn't have been No. 13, I'll tell you right now," he said. "So, who knows where his career would have gone without that number? But [you get to know] a guy like him, who is also so very skilled. You see his highlights, but to see it in person and how confident he is with the puck and how he makes something out of nothing. It's pretty special. I think that's a cool part of the whole experience, as well as visiting a whole new country. I've never been to Denmark and so far, it's been awesome. And we're just getting started."
Atkinson is expected to handle similar roles with Team USA as he does in Columbus, including time on the power play and penalty kill.
"The only difference is how wide the ice is," he said, referring to wider rinks used in international play. "The first day was really challenging and it took a bit to adjust to it, but that will get better as the tournament goes along. I'm just trying to play my game and have some fun and, hopefully, go home with a gold medal."

"You get to play with guys that you play against in your professional career that might have given you a couple slashes or crosschecks to the back, but these are guys who are all-stars in this league and you know of them, but don't know them personally," he explained.
"Like Johnny Gaudreau, I just missed him at BC. He would have been a freshman if I stayed my senior year - then he definitely wouldn't have been number 13, I'll tell you right now. So who knows where he career would have gone without that number!" Atkinson said with a smile. "But a guy like him who is also so very skilled. You see his highlights, but to see it in person and how confident he is with the puck and how he makes something out of nothing. It's pretty special.
"So I think that's a cool part of the whole experience, as well as visiting a whole new country," he continued. "I've never been to Denmark and so far it's been awesome and we're just getting started."
Atkinson is expected to take on the same role with Team USA as he does in Columbus, including time on the power play and penalty kill.
"The only difference is how wide the ice is. The first day was really challenging and it took a bit to adjust to it, but that will get better as the tournament goes a long," he explained. "I'm just trying to play my game and have some fun and, hopefully, go home with a gold medal."
READ MORE: 12 MEMBERS OF BLUE JACKETS ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATE IN 2018 IIHF WORLDS
USA starts the tournament with a game against Canada on Friday at 10 am ET on NHL Network.