I think we knew how good we had it when he was here. There was the usual “hockey critic” thing, right from the start. He was “too small, not strong enough, a perimeter player, not a playoff guy, didn’t take nutrition seriously, not worth a big contract” etc, but he always proved them all wrong and, deep down, I think even those critics knew we were lucky. I think that’s what made leaving so hard on people. We knew what we had, we knew we were lucky, we remembered the hope he gave us as soon as he stepped on the ice for the first time, and we knew that hope dwindled when he left.
He loved this team and this city and we loved him back.
In the end, his love for his family trumped it all, and I’m glad he gave himself the opportunity to spend more time with his family and start one of his own. Life is short, and his time was unfairly short, but he had the opportunity to make the most of it and be close to those he loved most and he took it.
Our loss as fans seems pretty insignificant compared to the loss of his family and those who knew him best. But I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought in the back of their mind that maybe that hope wasn’t gone, maybe he’d come back and make us feel the same way again. Now it’s gone for good, and that’s hard. And it’s so much harder thinking of all the people who lost so much more than that hope. And I didn’t expect to cry over a hockey player, but I’ve cried three times this morning.
RIP Johnny. And thank you for everything.
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