COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus is home for Cam Atkinson, who retired on Thursday as a Blue Jacket after 13 NHL seasons.

But when the Blue Jackets selected Atkinson with the 157th pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, his first reaction wasn’t excitement – it was confusion. As the undersized forward from Connecticut revealed during his emotional retirement press conference, Columbus wasn’t exactly on his radar.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” Atkinson told reporters on Thursday. “Obviously all my five brothers are here right now in Columbus, and I think one of my brothers (was) like, ‘Where the hell is Columbus, Ohio?’ And sure enough, we all thought the same.”

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