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AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson
Just last year Brent Johnson inspired a lot of fans in Washington with his stellar play for the Capitals in the beginning of the season when the newly acquired Jose Theodore needed some time to settle in with his new team.
Just a few months earlier he was the odd man out after Cristobal Huet was traded by the Montral Canadiens and came to our nation's capital to lead the team on an improbable run to make the Stanley Cup finals only to lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.
With the emergence of Semyon Varlamov Johnson once again was left out of the game. Of course, his injuries were the primary reason. But Varlamov proved that he could be a better back up, if not the starter, for the Washington Capitals. And Brent Johnson headed north to the igloo of one of the Capitals' bitterest rivals - the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was still a very unusual sight, to say the least, to see Johnson wearing black and gold. But there is little doubt that he will be a great backup to Marc-Andre Fleury, even though he did allow 3 goals on 7 shots in Friday's loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. I caught up with the former Cap in Pittsburgh before the game to chat about the transition, being a #3 sometimes, his take of the Caps-Pens rivalry and who should be the Caps' No. 1 starter this season.
Brent, what is it like coming to Pittsburgh from Washington?
“In terms of talent? Oh, both are teams with tremendous talent. For me personally, it is just important getting to know the guys here. And then take it from there. It’s the National Hockey League. There are talented guys all over the ice. It doesn’t change with those two teams. They are both very talented.”
You are now on the “other” side of one of the biggest rivalries in the NHL. Does it or has it felt strange to be a Penguin?
“Yeah. But no, I don’t get any strange feelings. It’s a game of hockey. You go for these kinds of things. You dream of great rivalry. We’re only a couple of hours away. It’s a fantastic thing to have. I think a lot of times it’s made out to be about three top players – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin, when really when it comes down to it, it’s all about the score on the paper. It’s more of a team rivalry than a rivalry between a couple of guys.”
What was the transition like for you when you came to Pittsburgh?
“Oh, everyone has been real nice to me. Every single guy. I have played with different guys at different camps, different team. Everyone has been really great so far. It’s been a great time. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Do you have any ill feelings about leaving Washington? Sometimes you were like a third goaltender. First, when Cristobal Huet was acquired. Then, when Semyon Varlamov was brought up from the AHL.
“No, there are no hard feelings at all. Like I said, it’s the game of hockey and that’s the way it goes. I think I played rather well when I was injury free last year. And that’s all I got to do. I am not bitter, or sour, or anything like this. It’s just the way the game is.”
There is a lot of talk about in Washington about who should be the number one goaltender for the team. You know all the guys there – Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. What’s your take? Who’s your pick?
“Who’s my pick? I really don’t know. It seemed like they were grooming Varly to take up the number one this year. But I have been hearing different things out of camp over there. I have heard that everyone’s been playing about the same. Everyone’s been really well. I think that out of the three guys Jose [Theodore] might have an upper hand because of his contract deal and what not. But I think all three of them are talented goaltenders and any one of them will get it done.”
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