Tyler Johnson said he hates watching hockey.
The veteran forward who waited two months after signing a professional tryout agreement to finally sign an NHL contract with the Bruins, said the waiting wasn’t fun, but thinks it will be worth it.
Johnson officially signed a one year deal on Monday and was in the lineup for Boston’s 4-0 loss to the Leafs on Tuesday. He skated with Matt Poitras and Trent Frederic on the third line and played 13:51 over 19 shifts and had one shot on goal.
He was glad to be out of hockey purgatory.
“It wasn’t the most fun experience. But I’m here now. So it’s all worth it. It’s one of those times, where I truly hate to watch hockey,” Johnson said. “For me to watch for that long and not be part of it is tough, so it’s nice to be back.”
The 34-year-old, who won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay, has worked out with the team when it was in Boston as he waited.
“I was able to practice the whole time,” he said. “But until you get into those game situations it’s a little odd, but hopefully I can shake off the rust pretty quickly.”
The signing delay likely stemmed more from the Bruins’ desire to retain some salary cap flexibility. Boston waited until Oct. 30 to sign Danton Heinen, who was also on a PTO last year, for the same reason. Jim Montgomery spoke highly of him in the preseason.
Johnson said the team kept in touch with him through the process and he didn’t waver in his desire to eventually be a Bruin.
“I wanted to be part of a team that had expectations to try to win. That was the biggest thing for me,” he said. “The Boston organization is just top-notch in class. The very first day I was in here you could kind of see the professionalism from top to bottom. It really felt good. I just felt at home. I knew I wanted to be here.”
