Gotta See It: Johansen stands by his comments on Kesler

The injured star couldn’t help from throwing a little more shade

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Gotta See It: Johansen stands by his comments on Kesler
Keystone Press

The Ryan vs Ryan showdown from the Nashville Predators’ and Anaheim Ducks’ Western Conference Final was as compelling a storyline as the NHL playoffs has offered up this postseason. The two centerman, Ryan Johansen and Ryan Kesler, had a clear dislike for each other that manifested itself in some entertaining on-ice altercations. Even more entertaining? The off-ice altercations between the two.

If you recall, Johansen fired the first shot saying ,“his family and friends watching him play, I don’t know how you cheer for a guy like that.” Kesler followed that up by saying, “doesn't matter he's not my friend he's not going to be my friend so he can say whatever he wants." Easy fellas.

Now, with the Preds moving on to the Stanley Cup Final, albeit with Johansen watching from the press box due to an injury, and the Ducks packing their bags for the summer, Johansen is still not backing away from his comments.

When asked to comment about his remarks on Kesler, Johansen stated, “I really meant what I said. I would never take back what I said because it’s just frustrating. Whether people think he’s doing a good job at what he does… what I said is what I meant.” 

There you have it, no love lost between these two. Johansen did offer some semblance of sportsmanship however, concluding his comments with, “I’m just happy we were able to beat them. I wish I could have been in the line to shake their hands.”

Source: Sean Leahy