Results tagged “Jack Johnson” from Inside the Kings
I had Jack Johnson on the phone for a few minutes and got to ask a few questions about the upcoming season. The main reason for the call was a little Hockey News feature about players who did something interesting during the summer. In Johnson's case, that meant resuming his education at the University of Michigan. Johnson took an upper-level writing class, an American literature class, an American culture class and a psychology class and got an A in each class. Johnson said he intends to take classes every summer until he gets his degree (academically, he's halfway through his junior year right now) and said he might look into taking some online courses during the season.
Here's what Johnson had to say about some topics relevant to the upcoming season...
Continue reading Jack Johnson interview.
Don Fulton tracked down Jack Johnson for an interview, in which Johnson talks about his summer, his recovery from his injury and his thoughts about his rookie season, which included his first NHL goal (seen below).
Here's the interview...
Continue reading Jack Johnson Q&A.
JACK JOHNSON
This season: 74 games, 3 goals, 8 assists, minus-19 rating.
Positives: Came into the NHL with tremendous hype that was almost impossible to live up to, but still managed a solid rookie season, particularly for a player who had never taken a shift above the college level unti late last season. Johnson clearly has the size, skating ability and physical instincts to be an impact defenseman, and he showed that at times this season.
Negatives: Again, expectations were high. Johnson was hyped as a Calder Trophy favorite heading into the season and never really came close to reaching that level. He admitted, late in the season, that not until the final month (before his broken foot) did he start to feel totally comfortable on the ice. The offensive instincts he showed at Michigan still need to emerge at the NHL level.
Looking ahead: There's certainly no hand-wringing among Kings management about Johnson. He's still considered a future franchise defenseman and he's starting to develop the type of leadership skills that could make him a team captain one day. With expected development, he should take a major step forward next season.
Contract situation: Signed through 2008-09 (cap number of $2.15 million next season).
Announced during the game by the Kings:
AS VOTED BY THE MEDIA
Most Valuable Player: Anze Kopitar
"Bill Libby Memorial Award" for Best Newcomer: Jack Johnson
"Mark Bavis Memorial Award" for Outstanding Defenseman: Jack Johnson
Defensive Player: Patrick O'Sullivan
AS VOTED BY THE KINGS PLAYERS
Most Inspirational Player: Dustin Brown
"Ace Bailey Memorial Award" for Unsung Hero: Jeff Giuliano
AS SELECTED BY THE KINGS CARE FOUNDATION
Community Service: Derek Armstrong
AS SELECTED BY THE KINGS BOOSTER CLUB
Most Popular Player: Dustin Brown
About the bloggers
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
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