Ryan Johnson (ice hockey)

For other people with the same name, see Ryan Johnson (disambiguation).
Ryan Johnson
Born (1976-06-14) June 14, 1976
Thunder Bay, ON, CAN
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Draft 36th overall, 1994
Florida Panthers
Playing career 1996–2011

Ryan M. Johnson (born June 14, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He currently works as the director of player development for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Panthers and Lightning

Johnson was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round, 36th overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He subsequently played two seasons of college hockey with the University of North Dakota. He scored 19 points in 21 games, splitting the 1995–96 season with the Canadian National Team.

In his first three seasons with the Panthers, Johnson played with Florida's AHL affiliates, the Carolina Monarchs and the Beast of New Haven. In 1999–2000, he earned a full-time roster spot with the Panthers, but was traded during that season to the Tampa Bay Lightning with Dwayne Hay in exchange for Mike Sillinger on March 14, 2000.[1]

Johnson spent one full season with the Lightning, scoring 21 points in 2000–01. On July 10, 2001, he was traded back to the Panthers with a 6th round draft choice (later traded back to Tampa Bay) in 2003 in exchange for Vaclav Prospal.[1] However, he missed the majority of his first season back in Florida from a head injury suffered on December 22, 2001, against the St. Louis Blues.[1]

St. Louis Blues

Near the trade deadline of the next season, he was placed on waivers and picked up by the St. Louis Blues on February 19, 2003.[1] Johnson spent four full seasons with the Blues, playing with the Missouri River Otters of the UHL during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. After posting 18 points and leading all forwards in the league in shot blocks with 105 in 2007–08,[2] Johnson became an unrestricted free agent in the off-season; he signed a two-year, $2.3 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks.[2]

Vancouver Canucks

Johnson taking a faceoff against the Phoenix Coyotes in 2009.

Playing his first season in Vancouver, Johnson broke a finger on his right hand while blocking a shot in November against the Minnesota Wild. He played with the injury for two games before being pulled from the lineup. It was then revealed that Johnson had also suffered a broken bone in his left foot in the third game of the season, which he had played through for six weeks.[3] After missing 20 games, Johnson returned to the lineup on January 9, 2009, despite still feeling considerable pain in his fractured finger.[4] After completing his first season in Vancouver with 2 goals and 9 points in 62 games, it was revealed that off-season surgery was required for the injured finger.[5]

Nearly a month into the 2009–10 season, Johnson was involved in a head-first collision into the end boards in a game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 27, 2009. After chipping the puck into the offensive zone, Johnson lost his balance trying to skate around Detroit defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom and slid heavily into the boards with his shoulder and neck. He was taken off the ice in a stretcher after laying motionless on the ice for several moments.[6] After missing five games with a concussion, he was later sidelined for 12 games in January 2010 with a broken foot.[7] He played through lingering injuries on both feet until suffering another broken foot while blocking a shot in early April.[8] Limited to 58 games, Johnson recorded a goal and five points.

Chicago Blackhawks

After not receiving a contract extension from the Canucks, Johnson became an unrestricted free agent. Unsigned to start the 2010–11 season, he was given a professional tryout with the Chicago Blackhawks minor league affiliate, the Rockford Icehogs, in December 2010. He played one game for the Icehogs before signing a one-year deal with the Blackhawks.[9] Immediately recalled after the deal, Johnson played his first game with the Blackhawks on December 17, 2010.[10]

Personal life

Johnson was born to Jim and Judy Johnson in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on June 14, 1976.[11] He has a sister, Sarah,[11] and two older brothers: Greg, a retired hockey player who played with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Nashville Predators; and Corey. After his father lost a battle with cancer on June 7, 2008, at age 63, Johnson completed a 42.2-kilometre marathon the following year on June 20, 2009, in Duluth, Minnesota, as a tribute.[11] He finished the run in just under four hours at three hours, 59 minutes and 52 seconds.[11]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 Thunder Bay Flyers USHL 48 14 36 50 28 — — — — —
1994–95 University of North Dakota WCHA 38 6 22 28 39 — — — — —
1995–96 University of North Dakota WCHA 21 2 17 19 14 — — — — —
1996–97 Carolina Monarchs AHL 78 18 24 42 28 — — — — —
1997–98 Beast of New Haven AHL 64 19 48 67 12 3 0 1 1 0
1997–98 Florida Panthers NHL 10 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
1998–99 Beast of New Haven AHL 37 8 19 27 18 — — — — —
1998–99 Florida Panthers NHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
1999–00 Florida Panthers NHL 66 4 12 16 14 — — — — —
1999–00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 14 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2000–01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 7 14 21 44 — — — — —
2001–02 Florida Panthers NHL 29 1 3 4 10 — — — — —
2002–03 Florida Panthers NHL 58 2 5 7 26 — — — — —
2002–03 St. Louis Blues NHL 17 0 0 0 12 6 0 2 2 6
2003–04 St. Louis Blues NHL 69 4 7 11 8 3 0 0 0 0
2004–05 Missouri River Otters UHL 29 7 14 21 12 6 1 0 1 13
2005–06 St. Louis Blues NHL 65 3 6 9 33 — — — — —
2006–07 St. Louis Blues NHL 59 7 4 11 47 — — — — —
2007–08 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 5 13 18 22 — — — — —
2008–09 Vancouver Canucks NHL 62 2 7 9 12 10 1 1 2 2
2009–10 Vancouver Canucks NHL 58 1 4 5 12 4 0 0 0 2
2010–11 Rockford IceHogs AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2010–11 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 34 1 5 6 8 6 0 1 1 2
NHL totals 701 38 84 122 250 29 1 4 5 12

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Ryan Johnson - NHL Profile". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  2. 1 2 "Coach can circle the wagons by sending out Johnson". The Province. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
  3. ↑ "Two bad breaks put Johnson out 3-5 weeks". Vancouver Sun. 2008-11-26. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  4. ↑ "Johnson set to return after 20 games with finger, foot injuries". Vancouver Sun. 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  5. ↑ "Demitra and three other Canucks go under the knife". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  6. ↑ "Canucks breathe big sigh of relief as Ryan Johnson's injury not as bad as first seemed". Calgary Herald. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  7. ↑ "Ryan Johnson". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  8. ↑ "Canucks' Johnson out for at least first round of playoffs". The Sports Network. 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Blackhawks sign Ryan Johnson". Daily Herald. 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  10. ↑ "Hawks snap slump by beating Red Wings 4-1". National Hockey League. 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "A marathon Ryan Johnson will always remember". The Province. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
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