“Meant a lot to me” – Jack Johnson chases Stanley Cup Final win after earning college degree from Michigan

Jack Johnson

Colorado Avalanche defenceman Jack Johnson is just a couple of wins away from realising a dream of many National Hockey League (NHL) players: winning the Stanley Cup Final. The Indianapolis native was plus-2 for the Avs in their 7-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 at Ball Arena on Saturday to extend their lead in the 2022 Final.

Meanwhile, Jack has already realized his long-pending dream during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 35-year-old, who stepped foot on the campus of the University of Michigan as a freshman after 17 years, spring with a degree in general studies.

“It was a big thing for myself, I wanted to do it,” said Johnson, 35, who is in his 16th NHL season. “As a kid, I grew up dreaming of playing college hockey at Michigan. I wanted to graduate from there, the No. 1-ranked public school in the country. So, it meant a lot to me. I made a promise to Red Berenson when I left that I was going to finish. I called him as soon as I did.”

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“John’s more satisfied as graduate than all the things he’s done as player”

Johnson reached the League late in the 2006-07 season with the Los Angeles Kings after an early exit from school. He has played 1,024 regular season games, while the Game 2 against Tampa Bay marked his 39th in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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“He knew how proud I was of him as a player, and for him to finish up this promise after all these years is a great testament to the kid, obviously his integrity and his purpose,” Berenson, the 82-year-old former Michigan coach, said in a phone interview with NHL.com on Saturday. “He said it gave him more satisfaction to graduate than all the things he has done on the ice as a player. I’m really proud of him and I think that will set a good example for a lot of other guys that didn’t quite finish up in school. “

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