Comments on: Dean Lombardi: Jack Johnson Is Learning His Craft…Belatedly

By: midwestnative

midwestnative — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 06:55:55 +0000

Spot on. Lombardi simply publicly acknowledged what many people in hockey already know, the USNTDP is a breeding ground for spoiling kids and putting them on an untouchable pedestal. By extension, UofM recruits heavily from the neighboring program. While their results show success, the fact is if Michigan ever got their character act together they should have had more recent championships than 1998! Put that timeline together with the US Program and figure it out folks! Johnson was a dirty, free lancing, do what I want whenever I want player when he played for the blue and maize.

By: midwestnative

midwestnative — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 06:33:51 +0000

Keep them out of trouble… I guess that’s why a former USNTDP player got kicked off this year. Or why Kampfer ended up tha horrid and unfortunate altercation with a fifth string football player.

By: Dean Lombardi Criticizes The Golden Goose | NHL

Dean Lombardi Criticizes The Golden Goose | NHL — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 01:14:27 +0000

[...] By the way, the interviews, which are really good, are available at Frozen Royalty. [...]

By: Salary Cap | Hockey Phanatic Blog

Salary Cap | Hockey Phanatic Blog — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:05:59 +0000

[...] Dean Lombardi: Jack Johnson Is Learning His Craft…Belatedly … [...]

By: Dean Lombardi Criticizes The Golden Goose | PuckUpdate :: The Hockey Blog

Dean Lombardi Criticizes The Golden Goose | PuckUpdate :: The Hockey Blog — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:20:55 +0000

[...] By the way, the interviews, which are really good, are available at Frozen Royalty. [...]

By: clippers of the nhl

clippers of the nhl — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:05:14 +0000

lol gann ,,,,,,……… are you still alive … lol …. must be real busy i guess ….. okay look, brown is playing great right now …. im so glad to be proven wrong for the most part ….. i no longer want to trade him in the kovulchuk deal …… brown still cant finish, but hes doing so many things well right now that he is proving his worth …. since it dosent look like dean wants to pay frolov, then try to include him in the deal for kovulchuk ……. atlanta probably wont do it since frolov will be a free agent, but it cant hurt to try ….. hmmmmmmmm i wonder if jack johnson will be part of the deal now that gann has triggered such controversey …… lol lol … yes im bored and cant think of anything to say except dreaming about trades …. gann where are you

By: clippers of the nhl

clippers of the nhl — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:06:01 +0000

but gann u never answered my question …. yes i know the big johnson controversey im sure has u in a bit of a stuper lol, but gann , who would u sit when drewiske comes back ….. drewiske, odonnel or harrold

By: clippers of the nhl

clippers of the nhl — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:24:49 +0000

well i couldnt find a recent thread to post this so i will post this off topic comment here , since this seems to be the most recent one ……… continuing to use brown over handzus in shootouts and ivannis will be back in the lineup tomorrow against the leafs ….. dumb and dumber ….. its truly sad when i , as a fan, know more than the coach and gm ….. oh and no need to respond gann …. i know u think thats ludicris of me to say and that im a moron so dont bother …. i know where u stand – and just about everybody else – as far as me being dumb as hell ….. but i stand by my opinions and convictions wholeheartedly …….. marion gaborik anyone? …… all we had to do was sign him …. simple as that …. and there is our superstar skill guy ….. and only 7.5 million ….. what a bargain …… instead of battling for a playoff spot, wed be battling san jose and chicago for first overall if we had gaborik …. dummies running the show ….. truly sad …… and yes brown scoring in the last two shootouts was complete luck for him ….. guy has the worst hands i have ever seen ….. hes an absolutely fabulous player – hes all over the ice – but has proven throughout his career that finishing is not his strongsuit ….. to keep handzus off the top three in the shootout is simply inexcusable ………. and where the hell is westgarth …. didnt he prove to everyone last year hes 5000 times better than ivannis …… jesus …… truly sad whats going on around here

By: Bobby Scribe

Bobby Scribe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:23:27 +0000

Keep your chin up Gann. I was critical of your approach to this and still am, but if you love your craft, you learn from these experiences and apply better judgment in the future.

By: IntheSinBin

IntheSinBin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:38:49 +0000

It’s all Helen Elliot’s fault!!! I’ve been forced to read her awful coverage of the Kings for years since she was it here in l.a. until just recently. The worst hockey writer in all of hockey. Sometimes I would wonder if she even was at the games she would report about. I really think she just through tidbits (the juicy stuff to get a reaction) of the story on JJ’s lap without JJ actually reading the whole article and caught JJ in a vulnerable position. If I would’ve read the full article and it was about me, I only would’ve thought of it as complimentary.

By: Dale

Dale — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:30:43 +0000

Guess you won’t be getting any interviews with the Kings players, coaches or staff again. I hope your instant rise to fame was worth it.

Well, it did get me to visit your blog, but I won’t be back….

By: Gann Matsuda

Gann Matsuda — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:35:23 +0000

Big thank you to Greg "Puck Daddy" Wyshynski...couldn't have said it better myself... Kings GM Lombardi blames blogger for Michigan hockey flap.

By: Gann Matsuda

Gann Matsuda — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:17:55 +0000

OK…I’ve been away from a computer since 8:00 AM on Saturday morning and just sat down in front of the computer to find a huge load of comments, the vast majority—I’d say at least 90%—loaded with blatant insults, personal attacks, name-calling, epithets and other offensive or otherwise inappropriate language.

I have little time as it is, and I’m not going to waste my time sifting through all that crap. So other than the previous eight comments, the rest were deleted. Also, I took a quick spin through earlier comments and removed ones that contained such words as well, to be consistent.

Like it or not, such behavior is not tolerated on this blog, and I will not bend on that, so don’t even bother complaining.

I welcome comments by anyone, as long as they do not contain what I mentioned above. I don’t care who you’re targeting, or if you’re just responding to to a perceived attack on you by someone else. Doesn’t matter who starts it. That kind of behavior simply doesn’t fly here.

I really want to foster discussion by allowing all of you to comment on this story. However, I will not hesitate to disable comments if all I’m going to get in my moderation queue are messages loaded with inappropriate content.

By: clippers of the nhl

clippers of the nhl — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:06:01 +0000

lol …. gann gann ….. lol i cant believe …. i knew the article was a little strange with those negative quotes but i didnt expect this firestrom …. this is first time i have returned to your blog in 3 days or so and i cant believe i didnt know about all this going on …. i commented early on in the comments section and figured their would only be a few more after me and then wammmmm….. i come on here now and all this controversey …… can we please have the same honesty from lombardi about the johnson situation as the ivannis situation …. i doubt it, since the ivannis situation – playing him every game …. implicates lombardi as the dope …… but once again the proof is out there ………. the kings have played two games with a fourth line of moller purcell and segal and they beat two great teams and now look like a playoff calibur team …. i mean that solid 4th line looks like they will actually get a few goals before the seasons end …… but knowing the kings , ivannis will return at some point …… ivannis and jones should be scrathed for the remainder of their contracts – every game ……. neither of them should ever see the ice again with this team if lombardi knows what he is doing ……. jones, maybe, with a little coaching …. or if theres an injury to a forward, maybe he can be a fourth line forward like harrold ….. so jones seeing the ice for a game or two to see if he can improve i can tolerate … because at least jones can play …. but however, there should be no more excuse for ivannis …. i do not ever want to see him on the ice again – ever …. healthy scratch every game ….. by the way, peter harrold looks like an all star on defense – who knew? ….. i think all those games harrold played at forward improved his game on defense because he really looks confident with the puck and takes charge out there – wow! ……. gann, i hope your great article dosent stir up unrest with the kings … they do not need the distraction …. so far ivannis and jones on the scratch list and the kings look great …. even purcell is doing well on the fourth line without all the pressure on him and hes getting chances …… gann, my question for you – when drewiske comes back …. who do you sit , odonnels old legs , drewiske, or harrold …….. harrold looks too good to sit ……… my vote is to sit odonnels old legs and go with the young drewiske ….. or at the very least, trade them off like every game to save odonnels legs …. drewiske one night, odonnel the next ……. so gann, who do you sit …. whats your opinion ….. and is lombardi still your boy for throwing you under the bus …. or do you still like him

By: Gayle

Gayle — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:18:28 +0000

Question–is this distraction will effect the Kings during this road trip? I just hope not.

By: Gann Matsuda

Gann Matsuda — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:45:27 +0000

With all due respect, you clearly have no clue about journalism. Your claim that I have a responsibility to support the team in any way is absolutely ridiculous. Try learning something about journalism before you spout off about it.

By: falmer

falmer — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:32:33 +0000

Gann, I’m not exactly impressed with your judgement in publishing some of these quotes by DL. Just my opinion, of course, but it seems you don’t quite “get it” as a journalist. I wouldn’t be surprised if from now on the Kings organization decides to restrict player/personnel access to more seasoned, proven, professional reporters. Just because you’ve got the dirt — as do all journalists (or “journalists”, in your case) with similar access to such public figures — doesn’t mean you have to show it to everybody. There are some responsibilities on your side, too. If I were Lombardi, I wouldn’t want to speak you again, ever. You might not have intended it, but it sure looks like you betrayed his trust and twisted that story up big time. What a circus this has become! Thanks a lot for the soap opera, dude. Just what this tightly-knit, cohesive teams need now is a stupid rift. Good job, not!

By: wavesinair

wavesinair — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:35:58 +0000

I am seriously shocked that Dean Lombardi threw Gann under the bus. Here we are, many fans, believing DL’s words were calculated and intended to be published. What was the message he was trying to send? Was a trade involving JJ imminent? Was this some strange GM voodoo he was trying to use on a player? Nope. Nothing of the sort. It was simply DL shooting his mouth off ON THE RECORD… and now he’s backtracking in a huge way.

Gann did absolutely nothing wrong. Is Gann a professional reporter for a paper? No. Is he a hall-of-fame sports writer? No. Did DL know this. Yes. Gann wrote a respectable, accurate piece that was objective and thorough with DL’s full knowledge that it was on the record.

Dean Lombardi, you should be ashamed of yourself and you owe Gann and Kings fans an apology. This one is ALL on you.

By: George

George — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:15:02 +0000

Let’s see…. U of M has the most players in hockey of any University… they have the most national championships of any University…

Well, what about Lombardi? He started as an assistant GM with Minn in 88, then as the Sharks GM for 7 playoff choking years, and now is the GM of the perpetual losers the Kings (a team which is outside the playoff picture yet again)…..

Yeah, I believe this dumbass.

By: Jay Ocharby

Jay Ocharby — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:14:42 +0000

What is odd is for an NHL GM to tell the truth in plain English. Lombardi is dead on about Johnson and here are many more of these ‘highlight reel’ types of kids coming up through the Canadian and US minor hockey systems. I have managed AAA hockey teams (Toronto) for 30 years and have received calls from scouts about kids and they look for character and coach-ability. The kids that do well are those that are well coached within a respectable program. In my experience 99% of kids at the Bantam AAA level are there because of the need to feed the minor JrA or college clubs and most by the grace of deep pockets of elitist hockey parents. Of the 2000 kids there will be 2-3 players come through the program and shine. Johnson was one of those kids who ended up in a spoiled brat program. We will see how Johnson reacts to Lombardi’s remarks – chances are Jack will act like a spoiled brat – just as Lombardi has described.

By: Bobby Scribe

Bobby Scribe — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:18:45 +0000

Here is an analysis of what occurred, the statements made and the interview. If the link does not work, copy and paste it in your url.

http://www.lakingsnews.com/2010/01/22/jack-johnson-the-father-the-son-and-the-internet-spirit/

By: Doomer21

Doomer21 — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:58:45 +0000

Trade Johnson to our Red Wings…Hey you (Lombardi), take a common sense pill since you have none of it and I am thankful it is Ken Holland at the GM helm with the Wings instead of Y-O-U!…Kings, fire him and hire a better GM.

By: Gann Matsuda

Gann Matsuda — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:33:10 +0000

The only thing I apologized to Lombardi for was making him look bad. However, as I told him and he knew, I wasn’t trying to do that, nor was I trying to throw him under the bus. Although I probably should have written the story without that particular quote (still could’ve gotten the same point across), I stand by the story. The comments he made were on the record, so he must bear some responsibility as well.

Like I said, I believe that there’s a fine line that you have to draw between maintaining your objectivity, integrity and journalistic independence with building and maintaining trust with interview subjects so that they’ll talk to you again. The question is: where do you draw that line? That’s really the only question in my mind right now.

As for Johnson’s reply and Lombardi’s apology, Johnson spoke to the LA Times, not me. I won’t be able to talk to Lombardi until the Kings return from their road trip (if he’ll talk to me at all; we’ll see). As such, I’m not sure I’d be adding anything with a story on that of my own at this point.

By: MiamiWing

MiamiWing — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:22:04 +0000

Gann,

There’s absolutely no need for you to apologize for your journalism! You did EXACTLY what a good journalist does–ask the questions and let the subject dig his own grave.

Granted, you should put up an article about Johnson’s reply and about Lombardi’s apology, but in terms of the interview, you did it exactly right.

BTW, I was a journalist for 10 years and have a Master’s in Journalism, so I know a little about what I’m saying. :-)

By: lowdrive

lowdrive — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:23:31 +0000

He said they were taken out of context and then said that what he meant was that JJ has come a long way and is now a more complete player…which is exactly what your article says. It is typical posturing by a public figure who is unhappy that what he said, on the record, is being received badly.