Wednesday practice

It was interesting to see so much buzz over a practice in late March, especially since the Kings have been out of the playoff race for so long. Of course, Jack Johnson was the topic of conversation. The Vancouver Canucks were on site, waiting to practice after the Kings, and with them came a handful of Canadian reporters eager to talk to Johnson. And, even more stunningly, a Los Angeles-based television crew was on hand. There's something you don't see every month.

Johnson got to work with his new teammates for the first time and everything seemed to go well. He got the expected ribbing from teammates for drawing extensive media attention, but coach Marc Crawford said that having Johnson around brought an extra energy to practice, because the players were eager to finally get a look at him. Most, including Crawford and fellow Michigan alum Michael Cammalleri, had seen very little of Johnson, despite all the hype.

Crawford skated with Johnson for a bit in practice and made small talk, asked Johnson where he was from and which teammates he already knew, little things like that to make Johnson feel comfortable.

Here's some of what Crawford had to say about Johnson, who will make his NHL debut Thursday at Staples Center:

On what he expects from Johnson's debut: ``I talked to him and said, `Just go out and play with passion.' There's going to be a lot of time for us to make corrections. We're going to give him limited instructions on how we play. We just want him to go with his instincts and play with passion.''

On how Johnson is fitting in: ``(Players) have heard all about him and they know he's going to be a part of our future for years to come. I thought Jack handled himself well and we're happy to have him.''

On Johnson's game: ``People who watched the World Juniors know he plays hard and with a lot of passion. He's a top talent. You see, right away, that he's got some real good skill. When you look at the pedigree of guys who come out of Michigan, they all seem to do well, especially the top-level guys.''

As for Johnson himself, he couldn't stop smiling as he patiently answered question after question for more than 30 minutes. I asked him if he had any expectations about what his first NHL game would be like.

``It's going to be fast,'' Johnson said. ``Obviously it's as good as it gets. Honestly, I don't know what to expect, but it's going to be a fun night.''

A couple other practice notes will come later, including an update on Derek Armstrong.