Cam Atkinson was having dinner with his dad at the Hyde Park steakhouse last night when he got a call from his girlfriend that Blue Jackets fans were already lining up for tickets to tonight's game. "She let me know that I should at least stop by and just say thank you," Atkinson said this morning. "I thought it was the right thing to do."

Cam Atkinson was having dinner with his dad at the Hyde Park steakhouse last night when he got a call from his girlfriend that Blue Jackets fans were already lining up for tickets to tonight�s game.



�She let me know that I should at least stop by and just say thank you,� Atkinson said this morning. �I thought it was the right thing to do.�



After all, the tickets for Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins won�t be on sale will 5 today, but the first fans showed up yesterday about 4:30 p.m.



So Atkinson stopped by the Nationwide Arena box office about 10 p.m.



As he tells it, �There were 10 people out there. They had a whole camp set up with a barbecue. They were ready to spend the night. I wanted to help them out. If they're going to support us, I want to support them.�



So he took out $400 from a nearby ATM and gave $40 � the price of a ticket � to each of the people in line.



Atkinson said he relishes the fan-player relationship, similar to what he knew in college. � Especially in the playoff atmosphere � the camaraderie around, the buzz in the city � everyone�s been a part of it,� he said. �It�s great to see.



�That fans would camp out overnight, just to be in line for tickets ... I thought that was pretty special. It was a cool moment, that�s for sure.�



When Atkinson arrived at the arena, �we were all in a state of shock,� said Grant Flood, 28, of Upper Arlington.



Flood showed up at 4:30 p.m. yesterday and was first in line. He was joined by his brother, Connor Flood, 18, of Bexley, a short time later.



Atkinson gave one of his practice sticks to Grant Flood, who was proudly displaying it this morning.



At 9 this morning, doors were opened to the box office, and many of those who had been waiting outside were able to seek shelter from the rain. The first 125 people were given yellow wristbands, which enables them to buy two tickets each.

The Blue Jackets and Penguins will play Game 6 of their NHL playoff series tonight at 7 in Nationwide Arena.

Rachel Sosh, 20, of Pataskala in Licking County, was at the end of the line at 9, waiting with two friends. They arrived about 8:30 this morning and sat in the rain in chairs and on the ground.



Rachel said she came because she loves hockey. �The Jackets are my favorite team,� she said.



As for tonight: �Nervous. Very nervous. I think we have what it takes. We can do it.�



�I am optimistic, absolutely,� Grant Flood said. �I wouldn�t be here if I didn�t think we could win.�



Most of the others in line shared that sentiment. Still outside in the rain at 10 a.m. was Nate Hollingshead, 27, of Reynoldsburg. He was hanging out with three other men he�d met in line, and the mood was positive.



The Blue Jackets have �a bunch of crowd energy, and that helped them in Game 4,� Hollingshead said.



Evan Eggleston, 18, of Hannibal in Monroe County, on the West Virginia border, agreed. �Those two wins against the Penguins in the series helped them gain confidence,� he said.



�I think they�ll push to Game 7,� Elijah Purington, 23, of Lockbourne, said. �From everything I�ve heard, it seems even the players know that the people are behind them. It�s a big thing for Columbus.�



Justin Cason, 19, of Pittsburgh, was among a handful of Penguins fans in line.



His prediction for tonight: �I think the Penguins will win by a goal late in the third.�



He was surrounded by Jackets fans as he waited in line, but, he conceded, his treatment by them had been �not bad.�

@reporterkathy

@aportzline

