Greg Johnson

Lore & Background

Johnson played four years at the University of North Dakota where he led the WCHA in assists once (1992–93) and was placed on the conference First All-Star Team three straight years from 1991 to 1993. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers as the 33rd pick in the second round of the 1989 NHL entry draft, but never played for the organization. On June 20, 1993, he was traded from the Flyers with future considerations to the Detroit Red Wings for Jim Cummins and a fourth round pick in the 1993 NHL entry draft. Johnson spent parts of four seasons with the Red Wings from 1993 to 1997. On January 27, 1997, he was traded by the Red Wings to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tomas Sandstrom. He played the rest of the 1996–97 season and part of the 1997–98 season with the Penguins before being traded to the Blackhawks for Tuomas Gronman on October 22, 1997. Johnson was the 23rd pick of the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft by the Predators from the Blackhawks. He would go on to spend the final seven years of his career with the team. Johnson was the second captain in Nashville Predators history, and served in that capacity from 2002 until 2006. He had previously served as an alternate captain from 1999 to 2002. On August 14, 2006, Johnson signed a one-year contract to rejoin his former team, the Detroit Red Wings. In September 2006, during a routine preseason physical, an EKG test returned abnormal results. Johnson had further testing, and eventually decided to retire before training camp.

Reader's Guide

Johnson recorded 96 points in 47 games for the local Thunder Bay Flyers of the USHL in 1988–89. In over 700 career NHL games, Johnson earned 350 points from 134 goals and 216 assists. His best season was in 1998–99 where he achieved 16 goals and 34 assists. Johnson became part of an anomaly during the 2005–06 season when he was credited with scoring a goal before the start of a game against the Detroit Red Wings. On November 21, 2005, he scored a goal during the first period of a game that was eventually postponed after Red Wings defender Jiri Fischer suffered a cardiac arrest. The game was replayed on January 23, 2006, and, while the full game was replayed, Johnson's goal was allowed to stand, thus giving Nashville a 1–0 lead before the opening faceoff.

Did You Know?

• Johnson earned a silver medal representing Canada at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.
• Johnson's brother Ryan was also a professional hockey player, playing for five teams over a fifteen-year NHL career.
• On July 10, 2024, five years after his death, it was announced Johnson was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).