Damon Severson finally made his return to Prudential Center on Dec. 27.
Sporting a dark green suit, a white button-down, and a brown tie, Damon Severson entered Prudential Center around 4:45 P.M. on Wednesday, Dec. 27, as an opposing player.
For the first time, he entered the visiting locker room. After getting changed, he walked out to meet with a scrum of reporters waiting for him near his team's banner. Once his media responsibilities were handled, he ducked back into the locker room for a 5:15 P.M. meeting.
Around 6:30 P.M., his goaltender, Elvis Merzļikins, led the team out for their pregame warmups. Near the visitors bench, in section 7, fans held signs along the glass, welcoming the defenseman back to New Jersey.
After taking a few shots and a couple of quick stretches, he participated in an on-ice interview. While the 29-year-old continued his routine, fans clapped and cheered. Severson acknowledged those fans before returning to the locker room, throwing a handful of pucks over the glass.
After the game, the defenseman shared in an interview with Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News that he recognized many of the fans as he skated past, giving a fist bump to the glass as his way of saying thank you. Even though he tossed those pucks to the fans, there was one thing he felt bad about.
"I feel bad (because) a couple of them asked for sticks," he said. "I have a bad batch of sticks right now, and I'm trying to hold on to the old ones as long as possible. They are running thin, and that's all I have with me."
Severson was on the ice when the puck dropped for the first period. His first task was to defend former teammates Timo Meier, Michael McLeod, and Dawson Mercer. Throughout the night, he matched up against all four New Jersey lines.
With his wife, Drey, in attendance, Severson played 23 minutes, the second-most on his team behind his defensive partner Ivan Provorov. He fired one shot on former teammate Vitek Vanecek and was credited with one takeaway, one hit, and three blocked shots. The blueliner even drew two penalties as Ondrej Palat and Michael McLeod were both penalized for high-sticking against Severson.
Around the 10-minute mark of the opening frame, a "welcome back" video appeared on the jumbotron that included his overtime winner versus the New York Rangers on Jan. 7, 2023.
After the game, Severson talked about the warm welcome he received.
"I'm very appreciative of my time here, and there were a lot of great fans that gave me a little bit of an ovation. I didn't get booed, so that was a good sign," he said with a smirk.
"You kind of want to say thank you. The fans pay the admission to come watch us play, and I'm very appreciative of that," Severson continued. "They're very high-demanding fans here, as they should be. They expect a lot, as all fans should. It was a great time being here again as a visitor."
When it was all said and done, was it an emotional night for Severson or another game on the calendar?
"A little bit of both," he said. "It's only my second game back from injury, so I'm trying to get my rhythm again for one and two just seeing all the fans and some of the old faces that used to support me and the team here on that other side of the ice was cool."
"It wasn't super emotional. You realize it is almost like I don't want to say closure, but it's like okay, I am where I am now, I played my old team in their barn, and it's kind of like that's it. The cord is cut, as they say."
Severson continued to say he is happy where he is and that it was enjoyable to come back, see the guys, and play against them. He remains very close with Jesper Bratt, saying he is a "huge fan of his," so his answer was not a total surprise when asked which one of his former teammates was the toughest to defend Wednesday night.
"Jack (Hughes) is obviously super, super skilled, but I've seen him play in practice and watched him play so much that I kind of know his little tricks," Severson said with a smile. "He didn't have too much open ice against me tonight."
"I think Bratt is the hardest to defend by far. He's got some hip movements that he does, and how quick he is. His edge work is insane. It's very impressive, so I'd say him."
For Severson, the first couple months of this season have brought a feeling of deja vu. The Blue Jackets are eighth in the Metropolitan Division and have a record of 11-18-7 with 29 points, fifth-worst in the league. The club is currently riddled with injuries and has a handful of young players getting their first taste of the NHL.
It's a familiar song and dance for Severson, now a veteran in the league, but there was one difference that he pointed out.
"The thing with this team compared to those Devils teams is a lot of those games (with New Jersey), unfortunately, to say, we weren't in. Whereas here, it feels like we're in every game, and we can win every game, and then all of a sudden, we find ways to lose, unfortunately," he said. "(Columbus) is in one of those places right now where we have to learn as a team, and there are a lot of young players on this team as well learning how to win."
Severson will not return to Prudential Center this season but will face his former team one final time on Jan. 19 when the Blue Jackets host the Devils at Nationwide Arena.