Johnson Feels "No Burdens, No Pressure" As He Takes Over In Goal
By Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Online, 9-19-01
Brent Johnson does not appear to be scared.
Which is very important. Johnson enters the Blues preseason schedule as the frontrunner to replace Roman Turek as the No. 1 goaltender.
This, of course, is an enormous job. It's safe to say that no single St. Louis athlete will endure more scrutiny than the 24-year-old Johnson this autumn. Can he do the job? Can he be the final piece to a championship puzzle?
The spotlight isn't making him wince, at least not yet. "No burdens, no pressure, I feel confident," Johnson said Wednesday, before the Blues left for Chicago to play their first preseason game. "The team is great this year."
The Blues will be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender IF they get top-flight netminding. Roman Turek folded during the 2000 playoffs and then buckled again in the 2001 playoffs, so he had to go.
When Turek began to flail, it was an ugly sight _ sort of like watching a pelican flee a grease fire. While Roman thrashed about, shots from anywhere within the zip code had a chance to go in.
If the Blues are to ever win it all, they will need a goaltender who won't choke under duress. The Blues will need a goaltender who will reassure his teammates, not fill them with apprehension.
Last season, Blues general manager Larry Pleau had a deal for New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter. But hapless Rangers general manager Glen Sather, for whatever reason, dragged his feet while completing it. Richter suffered a major knee injury in the interim.
Efforts to land goaltender Dominik Hasek this summer failed when The Dominator's agent stiffed the Blues and steered him to the Detroit Red Wings instead. Although Pleau acquired scrappy goaltender Fred Brathwaite from Calgary in the Turek deal, Johnson came to camp entrenched as the incumbent.
He realizes the job fell to him by default, but he seems ready to take advantage of the break. "If they do run out of options," Johnson said, chuckling, "I hope they're confident enough to let me play a lot."
This appears to be his job to lose. Coach Joel Quenneville would never put it that way, but the Blues finished last season with Johnson in goal and they'll start this season with him in the nets _ unless he spits up the job.
Yes, the goaltenders will split the preseason duty and both will get plenty of work once the real games begin. The Blues love Brathwaite's reflexes and tenacity, realizing that he played heroically in Calgary behind the terribly overmatched Flames.
But Johnson, who has a 22-11-2 record in his one-plus NHL seasons, has the size, agility and puck-moving skills to be a major asset. He is an emerging talent in the league.
Johnson's status was further validated by his invitation to the U.S. Olympic camp this summer. Should he flourish in goal for the Blues, he'll be a prime candidate for Team USA at the Winter Olympics. "It would be quite an honor, it would be very special," he said.
All this is heady stuff for a guy who came to his previous camp fighting for the back-up spot. A year ago, the Blues didn't know if Johnson had what it takes to succeed in the NHL.
Now the team is counting on him to fill the most difficult job of all. If all this overwhelms Johnson, he's not letting on.
"Last year went well. I didn't play a ton of games, but I felt like I ended the season well," he said. "When Roman got dealt to Calgary for Freddie and (Daniel) Tkaczuk, the door kind of opened a little bit more. I felt like if I worked hard enough this summer, I could try to get in here and get that No. 1 job."
Johnson finished last season on a high note, playing spectacularly in the 2-1 loss at Colorado that knocked the Blues from the postseason.
"Oh, yeah, that was the highlight of my first year, being able to play a playoff game and against Colorado as well, it was special," he said. "We lost, but just getting the start felt really good."
He didn't fold in that game and he's determined not to fold this season, with his career in the balance.
"It's almost 90 percent mental," Johnson said. "Once you go into a game, you try not to think about it too much. I feel like I haven't established myself totally, but I've made a little bit of a presence in the organization."
"We'll just see, that's all I can tell you. We'll just wait and see . . . and it's going to be fun."
