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Scott Hartnell, traded from the Flyers to Columbus on Monday, removes his skates from his old locker at the Flyers' practice rink.

(Zack Hill/Flyers)

VOORHEES – Scott Hartnell was back home in Western Canada when telling the Flyers on Monday that he'd accept a trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Two days later, the former All-Star left wing was back at Flyers Skate Zone cleaning out his locker.

While there for a few hours, Hartnell hugged trainers and dressing-room attendants.

He shook hands and exchanged well wishes with new Flyers GM Ron Hextall, the man who traded him.

Hartnell even got in an early morning workout at Skate Zone, and, boy, did that bring back memories from his seven seasons as a Flyer.

"It was definitely tough coming in here," Hartnell said. “I had a lot of great times … blood, sweat and tears with guys, and it was different, that's for sure.”

His goodbye to Hextall was emotional.

“I was fighting them back a little bit … tears,” said Hartnell, his voice slightly cracking.

Hartnell and Hextall also talked by phone on Tuesday night.

"It was a good conversation, I guess," he said. "At the end of it I said, 'Hey, I'm coming in, do you think I could have a little workout?' He said, 'Absolutely. You'll always be a Flyer to us.' He thanked me for his time here. It was a great gesture on his part. It just shows how classy this Flyers organization is."

Scott Hartnell leaves Flyers' practice rink dressing room for last time.

Hartnell knows he'll miss everything about Philadelphia – the city, the fans, his teammates.

At the end of the day I’ll never talk bad about this city,” Hartnell said.

Before leaving on Thursday, Hartnell planned to visit his favorite local restaurant, Spasso Italian Grill in Center City Philadelphia.

"That's the pre-game spot that we go to,” Hartnell said. "My jersey is hung up in there.

"One of the girls that works there texted me. She said, 'I can't believe you're leaving us.' I said, 'My jersey better be there when I come back next year.' She said, 'Oh no, it's always staying up there.' That was cute."

Doing an interview in the Skate Zone media room, Hartnell became somewhat perky when he talked about the excitement of going to Columbus, a franchise that is on the rise after many down years.

But this was a sad morning for him because he never wanted to leave the Flyers and he only agreed to waive the no-move clause in his contract after being convinced he wasn't wanted anymore.

Hartnell says that when he first was approached about the trade last Wednesday that he "thought Hexy was having a bad day." He needed five days to decide what to do. On Sunday, he decided to go to Columbus, then he told the Flyers the next day.

"I don't know if it's totally sunk in yet," Hartnell said. "I think I was surprised, shocked, angry the first few days when I got the call a week ago. I said, 'I don't want to leave, plain and simple. I like our team. I like our guys. I'm comfortable here. This is my home.' (Hextall) made it pretty clear that they were going in a different direction, which is fine."

Hartnell's return to the area is for just two days. He booked a flight on Tuesday for later that day, then flew into Philadelphia on Tuesday night, landing at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

On Thursday, he'll return to his hometown of Lloydminster, Alberta, which is 150 miles east of Edmonton.

Scott Hartnell leaves Flyers Skate Zone on Wednesday morning wheeling a suitcase full of belongings.

Hartnell already has looked at Columbus' 2014-15 schedule to see that he'll be back three times next season, the first time on Friday, Nov. 14. He says that night will be emotional, but he'll have fun with it. He joked he might try to trip Flyer captain Claude Giroux during warm-ups and that he'd dump the puck into the corner on defenseman Kimmo Timonen's side so that he can check a friend who was a teammate for all 13 of his NHL seasons in Nashville and Philadelphia.

"Kimmo, my best buddy ... I was pretty upset when I talked to him after I decided to move on,” Hartnell said. "I had a lot of beers on the road and a lot of great times with everybody, especially Kimmo. It's really tough. Obviously, he'll be a friend for life, for sure."

Hartnell feels like all of Philadelphia will be a friend for life. He loved being loved by fans and he’s leaving with a big regret that the Flyers didn't end their decades-long Stanley Cup drought when he was with him.

During his phone call with Hextall on Tuesday night, Hartnell told his former boss, "I feel I let this city down a little bit. I let myself down that we didn't win a Stanley Cup, and that's why you play the game."

Hextall responded, "Don't feel like that. It's a silly way to feel."

It’s not silly to Hartnell.

"In my heart it's a little disappointing,” he said. "It'll always (cherish) my time here. It was a great part of my life. Looking ahead, I'm excited to go to Columbus. I've heard nothing but great things about the city. But I didn't want to leave this town. I felt I had some unfinished business winning a Stanley Cup."