StormCast
Registered User
Really? You say he made the comment about a 2 year promise public from the moment he was drafted? There is revisionist thinking alright but it's on your part. Where are those quotes you insist he made?Not at all--we don't know what would have happened, because the Hurricanes kept pressing the kid to sign ASAP, and he wouldn't do so.
What I am saying is what I am saying. The Hurricanes were pissed off at JMFJ because he not only refused to leave UMich after his first season there (even though he said that he had from the moment he was drafted that he had promised at least 2 years to the Wolverines), but also because he turned down their offer to come be a part of the Cup run as an observer--the team felt snubbed, the team felt that Disco Dad was encouraging the kid to yank the team around, and so they traded him. Punkt.
Anything more is wishful revisionist thinking/sour grapes on the part of certain individuals.
Here's a good compilation on LCG from various sources which you should recall...
“It wasn't really as tempting as it looked like it was," Johnson said. "I knew going into the draft, no matter what, I would be here in Ann Arbor. Carolina wanted to talk to me, and I was fair to them and listened, but there was nothing they could offer that would keep me from coming here. I knew I wanted to play for Michigan, and that was my first priority."
Johnson asserted he will be at U-M for years to come, though he did not dismiss the idea that in one or two years from now he will weigh the decision again.
"I'll talk to the people I trust the most, and that's the coaches running this program, but right now I'm preparing for a career at Michigan. I plan on finishing here at Michigan," he said.
FOXSports.com: How much contact have you had with Carolina's organization since the draft?
JJ: I have had very little contact with Carolina ever since we were in agreement that I was going to Michigan, but I'm sure that we will touch base more as the season progresses.
INCH: Most people believe this will be your only year at Michigan. What do you say to that?
JJ: I'm just having fun right now, and I'm going to take it one year at a time. I'm at Michigan right now and having fun, so that's about it.
From the N&O...
But when it comes to his future, the 19-year-old defenseman faces a bit more indecision. The Hurricanes want him to sign and play in the NHL right now. He's not sure he's ready to leave Michigan after leading all freshman defensemen with 32 points in 38 games.
"At this point, I'm kind of up in the air, I guess," Johnson said Sunday. "I still feel hesitant on making the jump. I want to make sure. I'm going to talk to a few people who I really confide in, and after talking to them try to make a pretty good decision. Right now, I'm really torn."
So he had many opportunities to state he wasn't wavering from the so-called two-year promise but didn't mention it until after he was traded and trying to do some P.R. damage control. Interesting, huh?