Matt Johnson (hockey player)
Encyclopedia
Matt Johnson is a Canadian
former professional ice hockey
left winger. He played parts of 10 seasons as an enforcer in the National Hockey League
with the Los Angeles Kings
, Atlanta Thrashers
and the Minnesota Wild
. Johnson was born in Welland, Ontario
, but raised in Fenwick, Ontario
.
in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft
.
After two-plus seasons in the Ontario Hockey League
with the Peterborough Petes
, Johnson joined the Kings during the 1994–95 season. During the 1998–99 season, Johnson was suspended for twelve games for sucker-punching Jeff Beukeboom
in the back of the head. He would remain a member of the Kings until he was chosen by the Atlanta Thrashers
in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft
. On November 17, 1999, Johnson scored 10 seconds after fellow teammate Andrew Brunette
in a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning
to mark the then two quickest goals in Franchise history. After just one season with the Thrashers, he would join another expansion team, the Minnesota Wild
, for the 2000–01 season. Johnson played four seasons with the Wild and, to date, has had no NHL experience since the end of the 2003–04 season.
In his NHL career, Johnson appeared in 473 games, tallying 23 goals and adding 20 assists. In addition, he recorded 1,523 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 16 Stanley Cup
playoff games, going scoreless with 31 penalty minutes. He currently makes his home in Los Angeles
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
former professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger. He played parts of 10 seasons as an enforcer 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...
with 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...
, Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
and the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. Johnson was born in Welland, Ontario
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
, but raised in Fenwick, Ontario
Fenwick, Ontario
Fenwick is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, in the town of Pelham. It is located near the town of Fonthill in the Niagara Region. Welland is the closest city center.-External links:* at Geographical Names of Canada*...
.
Playing career
He was drafted in the second round, 33rd overall, by the Los Angeles KingsLos 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...
in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft
1994 NHL Entry Draft
The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Hartford Civic Center on June 28–29, 1994.-Selections by round:Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
.
After two-plus seasons in the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
with the Peterborough Petes
Peterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...
, Johnson joined the Kings during the 1994–95 season. During the 1998–99 season, Johnson was suspended for twelve games for sucker-punching Jeff Beukeboom
Jeff Beukeboom
Jeff Beukeboom is a former NHL defenceman from Dutch descent. He is a cousin of NHL player Joe Nieuwendyk, as well as a brother of former minor-leaguers John and Brian Beukeboom....
in the back of the head. He would remain a member of the Kings until he was chosen by the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft
1999 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1999 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 25, 1999, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The draft took place to fill the roster of the league's expansion team for the 1999–2000 season, the Atlanta Thrashers.-Rules:...
. On November 17, 1999, Johnson scored 10 seconds after fellow teammate Andrew Brunette
Andrew Brunette
Andrew Brunette is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:Brunette grew up in the small community of Valley East, Ontario just outside of Sudbury...
in a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
to mark the then two quickest goals in Franchise history. After just one season with the Thrashers, he would join another expansion team, the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, for the 2000–01 season. Johnson played four seasons with the Wild and, to date, has had no NHL experience since the end of the 2003–04 season.
In his NHL career, Johnson appeared in 473 games, tallying 23 goals and adding 20 assists. In addition, he recorded 1,523 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 16 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
playoff games, going scoreless with 31 penalty minutes. He currently makes his home in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1992–93 | Peterborough Petes Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:... |
OHL Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada.... |
66 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 211 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 54 | ||
| 1993–94 1993–94 OHL season The 1993–94 OHL season was the 14th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Sixteen teams each played 66 games. The North Bay Centennials won the J... |
Peterborough Petes | OHL | 50 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 233 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 1994–95 OHL season The 1994–95 OHL season was the 15th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Sixteen teams each played 66 games. The Detroit Junior Red Wings won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm... |
Peterborough Petes | OHL | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | 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... |
NHL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Phoenix Roadrunners Phoenix RoadRunners The Phoenix RoadRunners were a minor league ice hockey team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They played in the ECHL, beginning in the 2005–2006 season and ceasing operations at the end of the 2008-2009 season... |
IHL | 29 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 52 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 194 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 66 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 249 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1998–99 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 49 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 131 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Atlanta Thrashers Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season... |
NHL | 64 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 144 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Minnesota Wild Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... |
NHL | 50 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 137 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 183 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 60 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 201 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | ||
| 2003–04 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 57 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 177 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 473 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 1523 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | ||||