from Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers,

Johnson, who has represented the United States 10 times in various levels of international play, insisted that his frustration and disappointment will not affect his performance with the Blue Jackets, or the way he plays under Richards.

But he clearly feels he wasn’t fully supported by his coach and others within USA Hockey.

“I read the article that said three coaches unanimously left me off,” Johnson said, referring to a report by ESPN.com’s Scott Burnside, who chronicled the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to the final roster, including some stinging criticisms of certain players and details of how coaches and management voted.

“It’s over now. … Anything that’s said now is empty and meaningless. When I needed the belief and trust, I didn’t get it, and I didn’t get it when it counted from numerous people.”

“The team’s picked. I sat there and watched it on TV along with everybody else. That’s how I heard. From TV.”

The ESPN article never states that Richards voted against Johnson being on the team, but it does say in more than one instance that the coaching staff, as a whole, favored other players after Johnson got off to a poor start this season. Anaheim’s Cam Fowler claimed the last spot on defense.

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