"Jack Johnson: Before the Bigs" tells the story of how Kings rookie defenseman Jack Johnson was destined to be a hockey player from infancy, and the risks that his family took to ensure that he fulfilled his destiny. Jack's parents relate how they knew he was feisty even as a baby after he destroyed his crib and anything around it. Upon realizing that Jack had a special talent for hockey, they had to make a lot of sacrifices like getting up a 4 am so he could skate and still have time to eat and shower before before going to elementary school.
The show takes us to the places where Jack learned the game as Jack and his parents tell how his dream to someday be a Michigan Wolverine snowballed into a successful stint with the USA Hockey team and finally his being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL Entry Draft. "As a little kid sitting at Yost, I always thought about how cool it would be to be one of those guys", Jack says about watching the Wolverines in his youth. It's easy to see why Jack wasn't ready to leave Michigan after seeing that he had spent his young life with the dream of wearing the maize and blue to the point that he even wore the colors to the NHL Draft, where the first thing Hurricanes Owner/GM Jim Rutherford told him after being selected was, "You can lose that tie now".
Mrs. Johnson is a testament to hockey moms everywhere as she tells some of the tribulations she endured along the way, from behind Jack's goalie to having the kitchen floors ruined by Jack teaching his younger brother stick-handling drills. When it came time for Jack to go to Shattuck St. Marys, Jack Sr. explains that they were too selfish to send their 8th grader off to boarding school and decided to move the whole family instead. When he was noticed by USA Hockey, they packed up again and moved to Ann Arbor where Jack and Team USA went 15-0 and won a gold medal.
All this time he had Michigan in his sights and next thing he knew he was selected for the Hurricanes before ever setting his skates on the ice in Yost arena. As Jack was finally on the verge of realizing his dream of becoming a Wolverine, the Hurricanes were demanding that he sign and start playing in the NHL immediately.
During the show, Jack takes us inside Yost arena and describes the atmosphere of one of the wildest places to see a hockey game, anywhere. He shares what it felt like to get an invitation for Shattuck, an invitation from Team USA and even the text message telling him he had been traded to the Los Angeles Kings. His mom even tells verbatim what his "JMFJ" moniker stands for.
One of the things that you pick up on during the show is what genuinely nice people the Johnsons are. They are a tightly-knit bunch who made a lot of sacrifices and took a lot of risks in order for Jack to reach his potential and they seem to be really enjoying the ride as Jack fulfills his destiny.
Jack Johnson - Before the Bigs airs on Tuesday night March 18th at 7 PM on FSN (preceding the Kings/Sharks match-up)
Jack Johnson - Before the Bigs Review 
