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Ryan Johnson
RJohnson
Born June 14, 1976 (1976-06-14) (age 47)
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height
Weight
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team
F. teams
Chicago Blackhawks
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
NHL Draft 36th overall, 1994
Florida Panthers
Playing career 1996–present


Ryan Johnson (born Ryan M. Johnson on June 14, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now currently a free agent.

Playing Career[]

Florida Panthers[]

Ryan 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.

Ryan scored 19 points in 21 games, splitting the 1995–96 season with the Canadian National Team. In his first three seasons with the Panthers, he played with Florida's AHL affiliates, the Carolina Monarchs and the Beast of New Haven.

In 1999–2000, Ryan earned a full-time roster spot with the Panthers, but he was traded during that season to the Tampa Bay Lightning with Dwayne Hay in exchange for Mike Sillinger on March 14, 2000.

Tampa Bay Lightning[]

Ryan 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.

Ryan missed the majority of his first season back in Florida from a head injury suffered on December 22, 2001 against the St. Louis Blues.

St. Louis Blues[]

Near the trade deadline of the next season, Ryan was placed on waivers and picked up by the St. Louis Blues on February 19, 2003. He 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, Ryan became an unrestricted free agent in the off-season. He signed a two-year, $2.3 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver Canucks[]

Playing his first season in Vancouver, Ryan 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.

After missing 20 games, Ryan returned to the lineup on January 9, 2009 despite still feeling considerable pain in his fractured finger.

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.

Nearly a month into the 2009–10 season, Ryan 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, he lost his balance trying to skate around Detroit defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom and slid heavily into the boards with his shoulder and neck. Ryan was taken off the ice in a stretcher after laying motionless on the ice for several moments.

After missing five games with a concussion, Ryan was later sidelined for 12 games in January of 2010 with a broken foot.

Ryan played through lingering injuries on both feet until suffering another broken foot while blocking a shot in early April. Limited to 58 games, he recorded a goal and five points.

Chicago Blackhawks[]

After not receiving a contract extension from the Canucks, Ryn 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 of 2010.

Ryan played one game for the Icehogs before signing a one-year deal with the Blackhawks.

Immediately recalled after the deal, on December 17, 2010, Ryan played his first game with the Blackhawks.

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

Personal Life[]

Ryan was born to Jim and Judy Johnson. He has a sister named Sarah and two older brothers: Corey and Greg Johnson (who is a retired hockey player who has played for the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators).

On June 7, 2008, Ryan's father Jim passed away from cancer at the age of 63. On June 20, 2009, he completed a 42.2-kilometre marathon the following year on June 20, 2009, in Duluth, Minnesota, as a tribute.

Ryan finished the run in just under four hours at three hours, 59 minutes and 52 seconds.

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