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JLysohirka · 03-18-2016, 04:04 PM

The Long Road to the SHL: A Johnny Cahill Story

I walked into the St Louis Locker room to see a pensive Johnny Cahill staring at his empty locker. The rest of those that had been called up had already cleared out, with Chris Crutchfield having passed me as I walked it. This being the first in last out mentality seemed to epitomize who Johnny was for this franchise for the last 4 years. I came to the arena to hopefully get one last interview out of the young defender before he moved on to the SHL. As I clear my throat he turns to me with a thousand mile stare, shakes his head, and then opens his mouth.

â€œHey Amanda, long time no seeâ€

Hey Johnny I was hoping I could get one more interview before you head back to Winnipeg to begin preseason training. It can be as short or as long as you are comfortable with.

â€œMy flight doesnâ€™t leave until the morning, so do your worst.â€

Alright then letâ€™s start from the beginning, you first joined the Crows 4 years ago. Did you think this would be such a long journey when you first got here?

â€œWell, as you know I was new to the whole pro/semi-pro scene of hockey so I had no idea what to expect coming in. I found a core group of guys that I enjoyed being around and the next thing I knew I blinked and here we are.â€

In your first season here you kept your head down and just went about getting the job done. You accumulated a decent rookie stat line of 10 points with a +/- of +1. Can you spend a little time telling me what you experienced during your first season?

â€œSure. I came into the franchise at the mid to late point in the draft, and I believe only then it was because of the desire of BBP to have me on the team he was assistant GM for. The first season was a big adjustment for me never having played anything near what the rest of my compatriots had in terms of hour spent on the ice. I feel that led to my growth being somewhat stunted in comparison to those in my draft class. You mentioned points and +/- but I have always felt that my game is more fairly judged on what I do off the puck and for moral purposes when it comes to the team. In my first season the crows were, arguably, one of the favourites to win it all, with the likes of veterans like Wert, and rookies like Wind racking up crazy point totals. Unfortunately we crashed out of the playoffs in an epic fashion. As I was more focused on catching the curve I was not a very active presence in the locker room, and I feel a lot of that had to do with nerves about being the new guy.â€

The next year saw a lot of shakeup occur and could be considered the beginning of what many have called a rebuilding phase for the crows. It also saw an increase in your production with you hauling in 30 points and a +/- of -2. What light can you shed on your second season?

â€œThis was the year that I was still trying to catch up in terms of the basics. A couple rookies this year had better seasons than I did, and that made me happy but at the same time made me realize I had to pick things up a little bit. This was also a season that I had a peak, a major drop, and then a 2nd peak in form. There was a lot going on off the ice that contributed to this but I feel I have left that in the past. In terms of where the team was at this point, we were trying our best with what we had, having had a number of our best player getting called up. Current GM King had a standout year and it was the beginning of a great career for the likes of Wick and French in terms of offensive players. I was beginning to get a lot of chances, and we actually won a playoff game, which up until that point in my career had never happened before. Unfortunately, it was the only game we won, and the need to rebuild even more became apparent. This was unfortunately the point where BBP had to step back due to not being able to put as much time into the franchise as I believe he wanted to. But we would see him again, and this move would prove to be beginning of an already great managerial career of King.â€

In your 3rd season with St. Louis you gained a new co-gm and your game began to take the shape that you had always been striving towards. At this point you were playing nearly the most minutes on the team, being on the top pairing with Matthews for most of the season. Tell us a little about this season as you experienced it.

â€œWell, that was the season I viewed as being the turning point in my career. I gained a consistency that I didnâ€™t have in previous years, became a more active presence around the locker room, and was playing with people that would become great friends. This season saw my soon to be competition nemesis Chris Crutchfield join up with the team, as our captain no less. This pushed me to start playing better, mainly because I was afraid this upstart American was going to steal all my minutes. I also was aware that Winnipeg really wanted me to become a viable option, and I was getting looks from several different national teams. In terms of output my point totals drooped slightly but I was gaining a fast reputation for being a hard hitting, shot blocking, defensive beast. Near the end of the regular season, one that had indeed looked quite dire up until that point, saw the return of BBP and Scotty Reay. This became an iconic moment in our season and led to the coining of the term the Reay/Charlybâ€™y effect. We began winning. At the right time no less, right as we headed into playoffs. We were matched against the number one seeded Impact, and we blew them out of the playoffs in nearly a clean sweep. Not only had I won a playoff game I had won a playoff series. I was ecstatic for not only myself but for the team as a whole, unfortunately we didnâ€™t get past the next round. That did not sit well with me, as I had wanted to win Cuffy a cup as he was soon to depart from management in St Louis.â€

That is a good transition into your 4th and final season here in St. Louis, which may just be a record. We saw the changing in managerial guard with King taking over and Allen coming in as Co-gm. You were supposed to play in the SHL that season and yet when time came we saw you back in a Crows jersey. You went on to have a great season winning the Michael Haan award for most dedicated award for most dedicated, and narrowly missing out on a number of defensive awards to Chris â€œCaptain Americaâ€
Crutchfield. What were the defining moments or actions in this final season in the SMJHL in your opinion?

â€œAs has been made clear numerous times in the media I did indeed ask to be sent back down for one more year. A lot of this was to do with the fact that the roster was a little stretched after losing so many players, but there were also personal motives involved. I wanted to win a cup, and I wanted to do it with the great guys we have here in St. Louis. You mention King and Allen, both of whom are not only amazing players for their respective teams, but are also great management material. As for others there are too many to name, but my main motivator was, as you mentioned, Chris, The fact that we had a competition going that couldnâ€™t even be settled in the regular season had a lot to do with this. I still rue the fact that a poor playoff series cost me the â€œhold my dickâ€ award, but I suppose those are the breaks. In terms of my personal play I became way more active in the locker room, and was rewarded with an A stitched on my chest. I also feel I began to catch the curve, at one point in the season one member of the media even called me the 2nd best draft steal. I think I left my all on the ice every night out there, when I wasnâ€™t in the sin bin at least. It is just unfortunate that we didnâ€™t end up lifting the cup at the end.â€

Well that is a lot for one interview so I think we will end there. Is there anything you would like to say before we end?

â€œYa, for sure. I would like to thank a number of people. There are too many to name, but Cuffy, BBP, TML, and Allen, for being some of the best GMâ€™s someone new to this league could ask for. To the likes of Chris and Matthews for making me a better defensive player by playing with me and pushing me. Finally, to St. Louis for being a great city, and being home to some of the best fans in the league, and I hope to continue on the same way in Winnipeg in the coming seasons.â€

Johnny grabbed his skates and his bag and with a last look to his locker left soon after the interview was done. As I was leaving the arena I looked to the ice and saw him standing in the center circle staring around, taking it in one last time. As I watched he began walking down the tunnel slapping a piece of tape on the wall as he walked past. I walked over to investigate, and the tape read â€œJohnny â€œEnglishâ€ Cahill #15â€. It is this reporterâ€™s opinion that Johnny will be remembered here in St. Louis for a long time to come, and I for one hope to see him back here in some capacity in the future.

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