NHL teams
Pierre LeBrun, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

MVP Johansen completes script

NHL, Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- You wonder how moments like these can change one's perspective, or even do a little healing.

The marriage between Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets took a severe hit just a few months ago as his contract negotiation grew into one of the ugliest battles we've seen in some time in the NHL.

The two parties finally agreed to terms, yes, but bitter feelings lingered. There are some who wondered if too much damage was done. That neither side would want a long-term arrangement once his three-year, $12 million deal was up.

And perhaps all of that still plays out down the road, but this weekend showed a different picture of it all.

The Blue Jackets organization absolutely knocked it out of the park in terms of hosting All-Star weekend. And Johansen nailed the part of the event's central character, from his Ohio State homage in the skills competition Saturday to his two-goal, two-assist MVP performance Sunday.

It was a perfect script.

"Yeah, you know what, it's been really cool," the 22-year-old center said after Team Toews beat Team Foligno 17-12. "It hasn't hit me yet for sure, and this is something I'll remember for a very long time. We've been -- I don't know, we've just been really enjoying every moment of this weekend, and just being in Columbus and in front of our fans and our first game, it really has been a very special weekend and something we'll remember for a long time."

He's not kidding, as much as we all make fun of how terrible the All-Star Game is -- and, my gosh, Sunday's highest-scoring All-Star Game ever might have redefined hockey at its ugliest -- Johansen spoke with genuine passion and emotion about what this whole weekend meant to him.

I don't think you can claim that this will have served as his coming-out party, last season was truly that. But perhaps on a national basis, more fans will have come away more appreciative of this kid.

"[Johansen] is a great player. I think people are starting to pay attention to him," Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "Maybe he flew under the radar a little bit last year. To have the combination of size and skill ... he has played great for these guys. He's a tough guy to play against when he is on his game."

There's no denying Johansen's talent. But what the Jackets organization privately worried about during that contract negotiation, and why they weren't really ready to give him one of those seven- or eight-year deals just yet, is that they want to make doubly sure about his commitment level, his work ethic as he develops as a star.

And that's fine, that's what smart organizations do before blowing away a zillion dollars on a player who perhaps turns out not to be a self-starter and a sound investment.

Is there too much surfer dude in Johansen to not ever get it? They used to say that about a young Ryan Getzlaf, too.

Like Getzlaf, I think Johansen will be just fine, he's going to continue to grow into one of the game's very top players. And imagine, the Vancouver native is just another option for Team Canada as it prepares for the World Cup in September 2016. The team that was unbeaten in Sochi can add the likes of Johansen and Stamkos for the World Cup, neither of which played last February at the Olympics.

"He's got sweet hands, for sure," Los Angeles Kings star center Anze Kopitar said of Johansen. "He's a big boy and he's very strong on the puck. That's all you've got to know about him. He's obviously very dangerous."

Off the ice, Johansen said he had just as much fun this weekend as he and Jackets teammate Nick Foligno soaked in the roles of All-Star hosts.

"You know, it's meant a lot, us being a part of it," Johansen said. "That's all we've been talking about over the last few days, is seeing the fans and how much they've been enjoying all the festivities and stuff. And we did a two-hour signing today at the convention center up there, and everybody just seemed to be having a great time, and all the kids were laughing and smiling and having fun. So it's just been a great thing to see these last few days."

Johansen said it was unreal just sitting on the bench and realizing he was part of this all.

"Yeah, to me it felt like I was playing a road hockey game with my buddies and I was pretending to be Ovechkin and Folig [Nick Foligno] trying to be Toews or Gretzky," Johansen said. "It's so surreal. You never expect this to happen when you're growing up as a kid, and it hasn't been an easy road for both of us. A lot of hard work goes into this, and to share it with all our friends and family who made it into town, 'special' is just the word that comes for me. It's something that we've had such a privilege to be a part of."

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