That piece I think could have been written by Johnny or any other pro athlete or person and be 100% accurate in a lot of ways. We are all human and I truly believe him on a whole host of levels with regards to his passion for his family, his job and his distance to his family. I get it, I really do.
I really do think that in some ways, we had an entire organization waiting around and catering to Johnny's wishes when a single question could very well have put the issue to bed. Do you want to play in Canada or in the USA?? Simple question in a lot of ways but the answer depends on the type of conversations that he needed to have with his family and his wife.
Think of this almost like a long distance relationship with someone. Certain questions need to be asked of each other and people need to be honest. I don't know his wife's situation but did she work as a nurse in Calgary? If not, was there a discussion if she would after the baby was born or in the near future? People who do those type of rewarding and challenging jobs don't just give it up. If she had no plans to work in Canada than a family decision has almost been made, Johnny needs to compromise his work to help accommodate hers.
I do believe this was a hard decision but it's a decision that needs to be made like it is for a lot of other people. In some ways, I do think that Johnny let time and other people make that decision potentially for him.
I don't blame him for wanting to be closer to home or even in the US vs Canada, that's natural. I do find it odd that with a few extra days earlier he didn't really have a clue as to which country he wanted to live in. The fact that no other Canadian teams looked at him as a serious UFA option tells me that it was known league wide he wanted to be in the US.
Best of luck but I think Johnny and the Flames could have handled this parting of ways in a better fashion for all involved.
|