Frei: Johnson and Johnson got their Olympics chance, regret that next wave of Americans isn’t

Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues was 21, while Jack Johnson of the Los Angeles Kings was 23.

The young defensemen took the ice for the USA in the 2010 Olympics at Vancouver, often playing in a pairing.

They came agonizingly close to winning gold medals before Sidney Crosby’s goal at 7:40 of overtime of the championship game won it for Canada. (Before going to Michigan, Jack Johnson had been a Crosby teammate at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota.)