On October 21, 2015, Cam Atkinson received a phone call from his summer workout partner and close friend, Martin St. Louis. St. Louis wanted to warn -- no, more like prepare -- Atkinson for the new coach his Blue Jackets had hired: John Tortorella.
Tortorella coached St. Louis in Tampa Bay a decade prior and led the Lightning to the 2004 Cup and St. Louis to a legendary career path.
"He told me 'If you're not going to put the effort in with Torts, you're not going to play'," Atkinson told Bleacher Report Thursday. "Marty said, 'He's the person who made my career for me.