Craig Thomas Johnson is an American ice hockey player who most recently played for the EC Red Bull Salzburg of Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

's Erste Bank Eishockey Liga

Austrian Hockey League

The Austrian Hockey League , called the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Austria.-History:...

. He drafted 33rd overall by the St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...

 in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft

1990 NHL Entry Draft

The 1990 National Hockey League Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on June 16, 1990...

 and went on to play 563 games in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

. He is best remembered as being the key player the Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 received in the Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 trade of 1996.

Johnson made his NHL debut during the 1994-95 season with St. Louis. He scored the first goal in the Kiel Center (now Scottrade Center) when it opened in 1995. On February 27, 1996, Johnson was traded with Patrice Tardif

Patrice Tardif

Patrice Pamphile Tardif professional ice hockey centre, formerly of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings....

, Roman Vopat

Roman Vopat

Roman Vopat is a Czech professional ice hockey forward currently playing for HC Litvínov in the Czech Extraliga. He is the younger brother of former NHL defenceman, Jan Vopat.-Playing career:He was drafted by the St...

 and two draft picks to the Los Angeles Kings for Wayne Gretzky. He would remain a King for another seven seasons until 2003 where he played for three different teams during the 2003-04 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

 and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Johnson moved to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

's Deutsche Eishockey Liga, signing with the Hamburg Freezers

Hamburg Freezers

The Hamburg Freezers are a member of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga that play their games in Hamburg, Germany. Originally known as the Munich Barons from 1999 until 2002, team owner Philip Anschutz relocated the franchise to Hamburg for financial reasons on 3 June 2002, and renamed the team the...

. After one season he signed with the DEG Metro Stars

DEG Metro Stars

The DEG Metro Stars is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players...

 in Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

 where he spent two seasons. In 2007, Johnson moved to Austria and signed with Red Bull Salzberg.

Johnson is now retired and coaches youth hockey in Orange County, California for SCAHA's

Southern California Amateur Hockey Association

Southern California Amateur Hockey Association is the governing body for competitive and developmental youth hockey on Southern California and is sanctioned by the California Amateur Hockey Association as part of USA Hockey....

 Anaheim Wildcats.

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