America’s fifth President, James Monroe, is not the revered figure in American history that other Presidents are. He is not mentioned in the same breath as a George Washington, or an Abraham Lincoln, or a Franklin Delano Roosevelt. That is not to say he was not an effective President, perhaps worthy of a little more “good feeling” than he generally gets. In that respect, he is not unlike a current Washington Capital – Marcus Johansson.
You might say that James Monroe had a “first round” pedigree
in his development. He studied law under
Thomas Jefferson, was Governor of Virginia, served as a diplomat to France
where he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, and served as Secretary of
State and Secretary of War under James Madison.
Marcus Johansson became a first round pick of the Capitals
by effecting a steady, purposeful rise through the ranks of hockey in Sweden –
the IF Malmo Redhawks, the Swedish U-18 national team, Lulea HF, Farjestads BK
Karlstad U18, Skare BK, Farjestads BK Karlstad, the Swedish Junior National
Team. It prepared him to become a 24th
overall selection for the Capitals in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.
Marcus Johansson has no “doctrine” as James Monroe has, but
there is something of a connection here.
For those of you who have forgotten just what the Monroe Doctrine is, here it is in the “author’s” words… “as a principle in which the rights and
interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by
the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are
henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any
European powers. . .”
In other words, any efforts by European nations to colonize territory in the
Western Hemisphere would be considered an act of aggression requiring an
American response.
But did he write those words? No, he didn’t. It turns out that the wording came from his
Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams.
Not to take away anything from Monroe, who certainly was an advocate for
the point of view reflected in the statement, but it sort of shows the
importance of teamwork.
As for Johansson, it is worth noting (and we have in the
past) that Johansson is among the brightest stars of his draft class. Seventh in games played, eighth in goals
scored, fourth in power play goals scored, fifth in assists, fifth in
points. Since he came into the league with
the Caps in 2009-2010, he is fifth on the team in games played, fourth in goals
scored, fourth in assists, third in total points. However, over those years, Johansson spent
the bulk of his 5,407 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time playing along side Alex Ovechkin
(1,864 minutes) and Nicklas Backstrom (1,533 minutes).
It would be hard not to be productive playing more 5-on-5 minutes with those
two forwards than with any other for the Caps over that period. Not to take anything away from Johansson, who
certainly has been productive in that role, but it demonstrates the value of
teamwork.
As President, James Monroe’s administration was one
characterized by a disinclination to draw party lines. He made appointments without regard to
partisan affiliation for many posts, a behavior that led to his era being
called the “Era of Good Feelings,” although there are those who employ the term
with a measure of sarcasm. Marcus
Johansson is a player who in a sense epitomizes “good feelings.” Since he came into the league in 2010-2011,
no player in the NHL has appeared in at least 375 games and accumulated fewer
penalty minutes than Johansson (52).
James Monroe is often lost in the reverie of our Founding
Fathers and as a result might not be accorded the respect he deserves as
President and in his other capacities.
But, in an aggregate ranking of American Presidents, there he is, in 16th place, between Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Marcus Johansson might not be generally recognized among the best of his
generation of hockey players, either in the NHL generally or the Capitals
specifically, but he has made his contributions. In that respect, there are some things that
the two have in common.