Johnny wanted to move east for family reasons. And he had reached that point in his career where he finally had some control over where he played. All understandable. But don't think for a minute that he wasn't being advised to string Calgary along to put pressure on his preferred destination teams and maximize their offer. I don't believe for a second that there was any other motive for keeping Calgary in play. In the end, it didn't turn out to be that good of a play as Columbus was his best offer, but he got a lot of what he wanted. The Flames, the fans, his legacy, that was none of his concern. He played very hard ball, and his dear Calgary letter, while certainly full of some truths, is really just damage control.
|