[sureLoss]

http://www.courierpostonline.com/sto...eau/509441001/

DI: I bet your phone was blowing up recently after your interview on 94.1 WIP. They asked you about coming to the Flyers someday and you said it would be great. Did that small spark set off your Twitter account?

JG: Yeah, the way the question was asked I said, “It would be sweet to play in your hometown.” I think if you ask any player in the NHL if they’d like to play in their hometown at some point they’d all say it would be pretty sweet. You’ve got friends, you’ve got family, you’ve got kids you went to school with, you’ve got teachers, you name it. You’ve got people that will be supporting you. The people support me down here, like it’s crazy down here. I’m just really fortunate they follow me up in Calgary. I love Calgary, don’t me wrong. It’s a great city and they’re so passionate about our team. It’s a real hockey city. I really enjoy it up there, don’t get me wrong, but I think if you ask any player if he wants to play in his hometown they’d say it would be pretty cool to do that. I’ve still got five more years on my contract and who knows…if we’re playing well up here in Calgary I could end up staying another four or five years there because I love the city so much. It’s tough to have all those articles come out when it’s something so small, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

DI: Yeah, the same thing has happened for years with Bobby Ryan because Cherry Hill is so close. Any time he was within two years of free agency it seemed like everyone would go nuts for him.

JG: Growing up in South Jersey I could see how passionate the Flyers fans are about their team. Not just Flyers fans, but Phillies fans, Eagles fans…just the Philly area. It’s a big sports city. Growing up I remember when the Flyers were going through those playoff runs and there wasn’t a seat that wasn’t orange. My dad would take me to games and I’d watch and say, ‘It would be cool to play for these guys someday.’ Then I get drafted by Calgary and there’s not a single seat that isn’t red every game, let alone playoff games. I kind of get the best of both worlds there. I get to play in a passionate city that loves our team and our players and then I know how passionate the Flyers fans are down here. I get a lot of support down here in South Jersey. I’m really fortunate with the way people follow me down here.

Dave Isaac; 856-486-2479; disaac@gannettnj.com

Also lots more from Johnny on other topics