The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? alongside the ocean; other times he'd head to nearby USC just to watch football practice. As a college football fan and still young enough to be a junior in college, he felt more in his element around those his age. Some of his fellow defensemen with the Kings, after all, were twice his age. Hockey near Tinseltown, mean- Sometimes he'd drive the freeways lowing year. He spent four full sea- sons and 61 games of a fifth before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. His former teammates on the West Coast, of course, went on to win the Stanley Cup as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Having his name engraved on the while, tended to be an afterthought. The first time he and the Kings clinched a playoff berth, it didn't make the 11 p.m. news in a city as bandwagon as it gets. "The dynamics are different. Ev- erything changes once it becomes a business and no longer just the sport you love like college is," John- son said. "Individually, the play- ers weren't really any faster. If you lined up on the goal line and had a race, it's not much different. It's just that guys are smarter with the puck. Nobody puts themselves in vulner- able spots. They are men so they are stronger, but it's definitely a transi- tion. How smart everyone is with the puck is the biggest difference. Everyone looks to make a play, catch a pass or make a pass. "If you watch college hockey, it's not all the time you'll see three passes in a row right on the tape. In the NHL, that's the case or you're not going to play." door. I couldn't be happier with the move." said. "I never really felt like L.A. was me. It was a good thing my par- ents drove me to the airport after the trade or I might have gotten a speeding ticket. I was happy and re- lieved go back to Midwest. I felt like I needed a change. "Definitely, being in Columbus is much more my style. They've treated me unbelievably well. The guys in the room, there are just much differ- ent dynamics. I just felt I fit in way better, so I'm playing better, more comfortable." Despite the Ann Arbor roots, John- the Kings in 2007 after leaving Michi- gan following an 8-5 loss to North Dakota in the NCAA Tournament, and saw action in 74 contests the fol- Johnson played in five games with The Jack Johnson File Vancouver Olympics, helping lead one win over the Canadi- ans before the U.S. lost to them in overtime in the gold medal game. "It was the coolest thing I've ever done, to be a U.S. Olym- pian and silver medalist," he said. "I got to play in the highest Arbor (2005-06 and 2006-07), notching 26 goals and 45 assists in 74 games played … Set school records for points (32) and penalty minutes (149) by a freshman defenseman … Named the 2007 CCHA Defenseman of the Year after notching 16 goals and 23 assists. Olympic Memory: Johnson played for the USA in the 2010 Michigan Accomplishments: Played two seasons in Ann burning down, the first thing we're grabbing is the medal and the cars, a game bigger than that. It was the most-watched hockey game in the world … probably the best hockey I've ever played, and many people told me the best hockey they've ever seen. level of sports. You can go anywhere in the world and say you're an Olympic silver medalist, and everyone will know what you're talking about. Not to take away from it, but you can't do that with the Stanley Cup. It's the biggest accom- plishment I've ever had. Johnson's mom is the guardian of the medal, keeping it the family's southeast Michigan home. " goals, 104 assists and five game-winning goals in 364 NHL games, 343 of them in Los Angeles. "He's still trying to become the complete player, but you talk to people in Columbus and they're excited about him," U-M Professional Accomplishments: Johnson has notched 34 " " "My dad and I are car guys. We always say if the house is " Johnson quipped. "I don't think I'll ever play in said. "I wasn't sure exactly of the reception I'd get, but it was pretty overwhelming. These are good, Mid- west people. I tell people all the time, it's a college town, a bigger version of Ann Arbor. It's like playing pro hockey in Ann Arbor, and it's a three- and-a-half-hour drive home door to Cup ranks second only to Johnson's Olympic aspiration, but there was nothing bittersweet about the trade, Johnson said sincerely. It was time to go, and he found the right fit in Columbus. "I have absolutely no regrets," he Michigan hockey when he can, track- ing it online and catching televised games when possible. Berenson has been, and will always remain, his mentor, and he hopes it will be the same for his younger brother, a 14-year-old rising star defenseman at St. Mary's who hopes to follow in his brother's footsteps. "I don't think I've ever had a bet- Johnson makes it a point to follow ter coach or respected a coach more than Coach Berenson," Johnson said. "Everything he's done in his career is what I would hope to ac- complish. When he says something, you know he's right. No one ever second-guesses it. It's kind of the law at Michigan." One Johnson still respects. Many speak of finishing their degrees after leaving early, but not as many follow through. Johnson has not only kept his word to his coach, but also taken steps to ensure the block 'M' is on his diploma. "It means a lot to me," Berenson son received a standing ovation when he arrived. "I was blown away by that," he said. "I know his family is 100 per- cent behind him, but it's still the kid that has to do the work. Everyone is working and water skiing in the summer, and he's taking classes. "Even when he was in Los Ange- les, he tried taking classes at UCLA, I think. They said, 'We'll enroll you, but you have to graduate from here.' And Jack says, 'No, I'm graduating from Michigan.' "That's Jack Johnson." ❑ head coach Red Berenson said. "They're promoting him as a potential captain, maybe this year. I think he's going to be a big-time NHL defenseman before his career is over with. Family: Johnson is single and resides in Columbus, Ohio, during the NHL season. Education: Johnson continues to work toward his Michigan degree during his offseasons. DECEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 85