While it's a brand new season for Wisconsin, one of its oldest traditions is strengthened as freshman forward Patrick Johnson becomes the latest in his family's lineage to partake in Badger hockey.
Patrick's grandfather Bob Johnson put Wisconsin hockey on the map when he became the head coach in the 1960s and led the team to three national championships. Patrick's father Mark Johnson made his mark as a player, becoming Wisconsin's second all-time leading scorer in just three seasons, and has led the women's team to two-straight national championships as head coach.
When they told me I had the chance to come here, it was pretty exciting. I got a scholarship, but even if I didn't get a scholarship I would have come here and walked on. Just getting the opportunity to put on the jersey is kind of a cool thing,"" Patrick said.
Mark has his recollections of opening night, and understands what his son will be going through on Friday.
""My first game I missed a penalty shot and we lost in overtime so I was pretty upset,"" he said. ""He's going to be nervous like any athlete would be but more so because it's in his hometown in front of the home crowd, and then having a grandfather that started the program and having a dad who played here.""
It has been a year of storylines for Mark, who has been a main character in two scripts written from above. Not only is his son playing for the Badgers, but earlier this year he saw his women's hockey team win an NCAA title in Lake Placid, the same site as the 1980 Olympics where he starred.
Patrick claims he didn't fully understand the magnitude of his father's triumphs and assumed that the U.S. vs. U.S.S.R. game was the Olympic gold medal game when it was actually the semifinals.
""Until you get a little bit older, you don't actually know the total of what he's actually become and what he did when he was younger,"" Patrick said.
What Mark accomplished as a player at Wisconsin is difficult to match. That he scored two goals in the ""Miracle on Ice"" Olympic game against the Soviets in 1980 makes it impossible for Patrick to live up to his father's legend. Both realize this and have their own goals for the younger Johnson.
""He can't put pressure on himself to try to live in my footsteps or what my dad did here with the program. The big part is to enjoy the four years and not get wrapped up in expectations of what other people are going to be wanting out of him,"" Mark said.
""I'm never going to get to his records and beat those at all. They're not untouchable, but I'm not going to beat those and he knows that. I'm just trying to go out there and play my game,"" Patrick said.
Both Mark and Patrick were stickboys for the men's teams at young ages. It was this job that helped Patrick realize he wanted to play at Wisconsin.
""I was sitting next to Dany Heatley and I was like 'I want be here sometime when I'm older.' I never thought it would be true but it actually came true, so it's pretty sweet,"" Patrick said.
Mark never pressured Patrick into being good enough to play for the Badgers, though.
""As a parent, I didn't sit down and say, 'OK Patrick I can't wait 'til you play for Wisconsin,'"" he said. ""That's why it's so enjoyable ... because now something that we maybe didn't expect or look at heavily we're going to get a chance to experience.""
Patrick has an advantage because he has a father who was once a freshman in Madison and knows exactly what adjustments Patrick will have to go through in his first season. Mark knows it is up to men's head coach Mike Eaves to take care of the hockey aspect, and does not expect that conversations between father and son will focus that much on the sport.
""We won't talk about hockey a lot. It'll be more so how he's feeling, what he's thinking,"" Mark said.
However, the talk among Badger fans this weekend will be hockey. Their eyes will notice when #10 takes the ice with the last name ""Johnson"" stitched on the back, exactly like his dad in the late 1970s.
""I think this weekend is going to be pretty special. A bunch of fans hopefully will be here, and it will be pretty exciting to put on a jersey in front of all these fans,"" Patrick said.
