When the buzzer sounded for intermission Thursday at the opening day of the Cap City Summer Elite League, most of the players on the ice grabbed their sticks and headed to the locker room.
Then there was Jack Johnson.
What’s old is new again for Johnson, the longtime Blue Jackets defenseman who returned to the team as a free agent this summer on a one-year contract. The 37-year-old has gone on to Pittsburgh, New York, Colorado and Chicago since leaving the Blue Jackets after the 2017-18 season, but Columbus always remained home.
And that was shown when Johnson stayed on the ice and skated across to the far glass to say hello to his three kids as well as his nieces and nephews that were at Thursday's game at OhioHealth Chiller North. Johnson then directed the kids to meet him on the other side of the glass, where – after signing autographs for all the fans who wanted one – he spent the rest of the intermission with his family.
It’s cool enough to be able to do that in a summer skate, but one can only imagine how much more special that will be when the scene shifts to Nationwide Arena this fall. And that was one of the main reasons why Johnson is so excited to have rejoined the Blue Jackets this summer.
“The most important thing in my life is my family, and the fact they get to share more of this, it’s an ideal situation right now,” Johnson said. “To see my kids’ faces up there in the stands and my nieces and nephews and all that means the world to me.”
It’s a chance to spend the twilight of a long career where the veteran blueliner, who grew up near Detroit and played at the University of Michigan, has set down roots. It’s where he met his wife, Kelly, and the family lives in Dublin, where Johnson has called home since patrolling the blue line for the Blue Jackets from 2012-18.
Though Johnson has spent the last five seasons elsewhere, most notably winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022, Central Ohio has remained where he wants to be in the offseason.
“I love the area,” he said. “It’s a great place to raise a family. We’ve made a lot of friends here over the years. Our kids are in school, their cousins are around, aunts and uncles. We’re really happy with the way everything is. Can’t imagine raising a family anywhere else."
The most public example of that came when he got to spend his day with the Stanley Cup two summers ago. Johnson made sure the best trophy in sports came to Central Ohio, even taking it out for ice cream in Dublin, among other activities.
“I was told I was the first one (to bring it here), so it was pretty cool,” he said. “We got to take it to all of our favorite places there in the suburbs and share it with the people we wanted to share it with. That’s what it’s all about. That was a pretty special day.”
Johnson’s experience in earning a Stanley Cup ring is one of the reasons the Blue Jackets were interested in bringing him back, but this is no nostalgia trip. The 18-year veteran has done it all in the NHL, playing in 1,187 NHL games, including 80 – plus 11 more postseason contests – with the Avs a season ago while scoring three goals and adding 13 assists with a plus-15 rating.
He remains one of the Blue Jackets’ all-time leaders in multiple categories, placing 11th with 445 games played, second with 765 blocked shots and eighth with 733 hits while notching 36 goals and 118 assists. Johnson is no longer the minutes eater he once was – he averaged 14:56 per game a season ago, down from the CBJ franchise-record 25:58 he posted in 2013 – but he remains a strong penalty killer and physical presence in his own zone.
“I think skating has always been a strong suit of my game,” he said. “Physicality has always been a part of my game. I think I’m a little bit more old school, but I’m still confident handling the puck and trying to make some plays.
“My game has had to evolve over the years based on whatever situation I’m being put in. The first half of my career I was a power-play guy and the second half of my career I’ve had to kill penalties. It flip-flopped. Fortunately, I feel like I’m pretty well versed in both. I’m pretty comfortable in all situations, wherever they feel like they need me.”
He’ll be in the mix to help out on the left side of the defense, where Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov return as regulars. Youngsters Jake Christiansen and Denton Mateychuk will also get looks, but Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said he thinks Johnson – twice named an alternate captain with the Jackets in his first stint – will be an ideal addition both on and off the ice.
“Jack Johnson is a consummate professional who has been a very good player and leader in this league for many years and will be a great asset to our team, particularly the young defensemen we have in our organization,” Waddell said in announcing the signing. “He is in tremendous shape, plays a simple, hard game, has won a Stanley Cup and has great passion for this city and organization and we are thrilled to welcome him back.”
Johnson has already returned to Nationwide Arena since his signing July 3, seeing some familiar faces and checking out the renovated player facilities. He even picked up his new CBJ helmet before playing in Thursday’s game, saying it’s not surreal but simply fun to be back in his old haunts.
“This is my hometown," he said. "The way it all worked out, you couldn’t ask for a better situation."
