Jack Johnson (ice hockey)

Amateur career

Jack Johnson's family moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan from Indianapolis shortly after he was born. and he grew up playing for Little Caesar's in junior hockey. Johnson transferred to Shattuck-Saint Mary's Boarding School in Faribault, Minnesota before his eight grade year. As a sophomore during the 2002–03 hockey season, Johnson scored 15 goals and 27 assists as he helped the school's Midget Major AAA team win the U.S. National Championship along with current NHL player Sidney Crosby.

Johnson was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, third overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft from the Team USA under-18 national team, but did not immediately jump to the NHL, instead playing for the University of Michigan in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). In his freshman season, Johnson set school records for points (32) and penalty minutes (149) by a freshman defenseman. After his freshman season, however, with the Hurricanes needing a defenseman and Johnson having committed to another collegiate season (the Hurricanes had tried to sign him after his freshman season ended), Hurricanes' General Manager Jim Rutherford traded Johnson's rights on September 29, 2006, along with Oleg Tverdovsky, to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Tim Gleason and Éric Bélanger.

After his rights were traded, Johnson played one more season for the Wolverines, setting the school record for the most goals (16) by a sophomore defenseman in a single season and was named the CCHA Offensive Defenseman of the Year. During his tenure at Michigan, Johnson became a fan favorite for his physicality and end-to-end play.

Los Angeles Kings

After Michigan lost in the West Regional Semi-finals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, rather than return to Michigan and finish the semester, Johnson jumped to the NHL and signed his entry-level contract with the Kings in March 2007, making his NHL debut on March 29 against the Vancouver Canucks. He would play five games on the season, recording 18 penalty minutes and no points. Johnson recorded his first NHL point on October 10, 2007, assisting a Kyle Calder goal in a loss to the Dallas Stars. His first goal came on October 19, 2007, against goaltender Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks. Johnson scored three goals and eight assists that season.

Early in the 2008–09 season, Johnson suffered a shoulder injury and missed 41 games after needing surgery.

During the 2009–10 season, Johnson would greatly improve his game, scoring eight goals and 28 assists, second only to Drew Doughty in defensive scoring for the Kings. His play earned him a selection to the Team USA at the 2010 Olympics, along with Kings' captain Dustin Brown; the two eventually won the silver medal.

On January 8, 2011, Johnson signed a seven-year extension with the Kings. At the time of the deal, Johnson led all Kings' defensemen in points scored with four goals and 24 assists. The contract carried an annual $4.3 million salary cap hit. He would end the 2010–11 season with a career-high 42 points, ranking sixth among all Kings skaters. His 2011–12 season with the Kings, however, would be a tough one, as he failed to score at the pace he set in the previous season, recording only 24 points in 61 games by February 12, 2012.

Columbus Blue Jackets

On February 23, 2012, Johnson was traded by the Kings to the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with a conditional first-round draft pick (Marko Daňo), in exchange for Jeff Carter. Upon arriving in Columbus, Johnson took the jersey number 7, which had previously been worn by Carter. During a March 8 game against his former team, the Kings, the Blue Jackets offered their fans a one night offer to have their Carter jersey nameplates changed to "J. Johnson" nameplates for free. Playing in 21 games for the Jackets after his trade, he recorded four goals and ten assists. Johnson declared that he had no hard feelings in leaving Los Angeles, given that "people [in Columbus] accepting me with such open arms," and "I was looking forward to my new opportunity and getting the chance to play and be myself in Columbus." Johnson added that he did not follow the Kings' subsequent run to win the Stanley Cup, as he was in Finland playing for Team USA at the 2012 IIHF World Championship.

With the 2012–13 NHL lockout halting play to start the year, Johnson spent the lockout training so he would be in the top shape once the game returned. In the shortened 2012–13 season, Johnson was one of the Blue Jackets' alternate captains, and was considered the de facto leader of the team as Columbus nearly qualified for the 2013 playoffs. He scored one of his team's goals in the season closer against the Nashville Predators, and broke the Blue Jackets record for most ice time in regulation, nearing 35 minutes in a game against the Detroit Red Wings, which was also the individual record for the season. After his impressive showing of both on-ice skill and leadership, Johnson was considered a front-runner to become Columbus' first full-fledged captain since Rick Nash, though the Blue Jackets ultimately named Nick Foligno as the team's next captain.

Johnson struggled during the first half of the 2013–14 season, with only 11 points in 43 games by January, a factor in the decision to not include Johnson on Team USA for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi despite being considered by many to be a lock for the team. His play would improve in the new year, however, and Johnson would score 22 points in the 39 remaining games to finish the year with five goals and 33 points and help the Blue Jackets clinch their first playoff berth since 2009. The Blue Jackets would face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs, but fell in six games. Johnson led all Blue Jackets players in playoff scoring, with three goals and seven points in the six-game series, including two assists in a narrow 4–3 loss on home ice that knocked the Blue Jackets out of the playoffs.

International player

Johnson was first selected to the United States junior team at the 2004 IIHF World Championship. Despite failing to medal in the 2006 World Junior Championships, he was selected to the All-Star Team of the Tournament.

Johnson was named to his first Olympic team on January 1, 2010. Johnson would march on behalf of the United States Olympic team in the opening ceremony in Vancouver on February 12, 2010, being the first American-born NHL player to march in the Olympic opening ceremony. In six games with Team USA, Johnson collected one assist and helped claim a silver medal. In the following 2010 IIHF World Championship, he was selected and named as captain of Team USA.

Legal issues

On November 20, 2014, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Johnson had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming just $50,000 in assets against $10 to $15 million in estimated debts.

Shortly after signing his first major contract, a seven-year, $30.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings, Johnson granted his mother, Tina Johnson, power of attorney over all his finances. Over the next few years, Tina and Johnson's father, Jack Sr., took out several large, high-interest loans against Johnson's future earnings, a lending practice known as "monetizing," and spent the money on homes, cars and travel.

Lenders, among whom was Iowa Congressman-elect Rod Blum, eventually brought three lawsuits against Jack Johnson for defaulting on over $6 million in debt. In court documents, Johnson claimed to have no knowledge of his parents' spending, but will not pursue criminal charges against them. He has sued Miller, National Mortgage Resources and an investment firm, CYA Investments, for at least $1.5 million, including for punitive damages.

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