Some players would turn off their phone for a few hours when out to dinner for a special occasion. But when a ring from his agent interrupted Jack Johnson and his wife Kelly’s evening celebrating their 10th anniversary in early July, it turned out to be a call worth taking.
The news was that after 19 NHL seasons, Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin was wondering if the veteran defenseman was interested in a chance to try out with the Wild.
“My agent called to say ‘great conversation with Billy.’ I’ve known (Guerin) since my days in Pittsburgh, and he said he was interested,” Johnson said, after his second day of Wild training camp. “Then it just kind of came to fruition later on in the summer, and I was excited to have a great conversation with him. I know coach (John) Hynes and Billy