TSN: Searching for Matt Johnson

[DAkings20]

What a crazy story. I remember Matt being a favorite of mine as a kid

Searching for Matt Johnson

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[Fat Elvis]

Watched a lot of Matt Johnson, super tough guy. That's an amazing story. Makes you really feel for these guys. Same thing has happened with NFL players. Hope he's able to get some help.

 

[BigKing]

Gnarly. Been wearing my Johnson jersey to a few games this year. Mid-90s is when I became a real fanatic and he and Lappy were my favorite players.

Had my Matt Johnson jersey on at the game on Saturday and some clown walked by me and yelled "Yeah man! JMFJ!!" Sigh.

 

[Basilisk]

Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't that Wild team a system where EVERYBODY was captain, depending upon the month? I.e., a "rotating captaincy"? If so, I think the article should have explained that. Otherwise, it can be a bit misleading.

 

[BigKing]

Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't that Wild team a system where EVERYBODY was captain, depending upon the month? I.e., a "rotating captaincy"? If so, I think the article should have explained that. Otherwise, it can be a bit misleading.

There aren't 23 months in the season so, no, they were right to not delve deeper into how the "C" was awarded that season.

Even if he was one of eight, they gave the "C" to a 6-minute a night player. It still means something.

 

[Basilisk]

There aren't 23 months in the season....

Thanks for that, Captain Obvious!

Even if he was one of eight, they gave the "C" to a 6-minute a night player. It still means something.

I don't know. I'm still not convinced. IMHO, everybody on that Lemaire-coached Wild team was a captain at some point or another, unless they were a borderline minor leaguer. I believe it's worth researching. When I'm less lazy, I'll set about that task....

 

[LAK74]

You are correct about that. Sean O’Donnell, Willie Mitchell and Marian Gaborik were all Wild captains at one point or another.

 

[BigKing]

During the 2003 season, the Wild had three captains with Johnson being one of them.

They definitely had a lot of them throughout their early years, but it means zero to the article to detail how the Wild used the captaincy. The article states his time in Minnesota was the best and happiest of his career with the note that he wore the "C" helping to support this statement.

 

[Legionnaire]

So I'm guessing meth then? Sad. A lot of people never get over their addictions; that stuff is that addictive.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Yeah, they're human like everyone else. Also true that once you're out of the spotlight, you're pretty much on your own. If he's standing by your bed as you sleep, and trying to pick the lock when you lock him out, that would be unnerving.

 

[AmadiosAmigos]

Such a sad and touching article.

Can only hope that there is a happy ending to this story. Too many people go by the wayside.

 

[Bandit]

Absolutely brutal read, couldn't even get through it.

 

[King'sPawn]

Absolutely brutal read, couldn't even get through it.

Me neither.

 

[Tammy Wegener]

I dated Matt for a short while, many years ago. I also went to the same high school as himself and his siblings. This makes me very sad to hear this has happened. He comes from a wonderful, loving family. My heart goes out to them and to Matt. I truly hope he is found and gets the help he needs.❤

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

That was a very tough and sad read. When Johnson came up to the Kings, it was at a time where it was unheard of to see the team thrust an 18-year old kid into the lineup, let alone one who was expected to protect his teammates, which included Wayne Gretzky. The Kings had wanted to draft Brett Lindros that year, but the Lindros family apparently didn't want him in LA, and his career would end after 51 games, due to concussions.

Matt Johnson left a lasting impression from his first training camp, and he held his own against one of the best enforcers at the time in Stu Grimson. He also took on Darren Langdon in that preseason, and he was out to prove that he could hang with the best heavyweights in the NHL.



Ray Ferraro mentioned a conversation he had with Matt Johnson about how he would allow opponents to get a few shots in in order for him to get into better positioning while fighting. Well, here is an example of that as he allows Daniel Lacroix to get a few licks in before he lands the TKO punch,


During those days, the Kings ranged from average to below average as a team, so the blue collar, lunch pail carrying types like Matt Johnson, Eric Lacroix, Ian Laperriere, and Sean O'Donnell became fan favorites. I remember a friend buying a Matt Johnson fight tape off of eBay, and we'd spend the off-season watching Pro Beach Hockey, Don Cherry Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em videos, and that Matt Johnson fight compilation.

Sadly, little was known of the long term consequences his profession would have on his health, and it is depressing to read about his current condition. I hope he is found and that he can somehow get back to living a normal life.

 

[KingTrouty]

That was a very tough and sad read. When Johnson came up to the Kings, it was at a time where it was unheard of to see the team thrust an 18-year old kid into the lineup, let alone one who was expected to protect his teammates, which included Wayne Gretzky. The Kings had wanted to draft Brett Lindros that year, but the Lindros family apparently didn't want him in LA, and his career would end after 51 games, due to concussions.

Matt Johnson left a lasting impression from his first training camp, and he held his own against one of the best enforcers at the time in Stu Grimson. He also took on Darren Langdon in that preseason, and he was out to prove that he could hang with the best heavyweights in the NHL.



Ray Ferraro mentioned a conversation he had with Matt Johnson about how he would allow opponents to get a few shots in in order for him to get into better positioning while fighting. Well, here is an example of that as he allows Daniel Lacroix to get a few licks in before he lands the TKO punch,


During those days, the Kings ranged from average to below average as a team, so the blue collar, lunch pail carrying types like Matt Johnson, Eric Lacroix, Ian Laperriere, and Sean O'Donnell became fan favorites. I remember a friend buying a Matt Johnson fight tape off of eBay, and we'd spend the off-season watching Pro Beach Hockey, Don Cherry Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em videos, and that Matt Johnson fight compilation.

Sadly, little was known of the long term consequences his profession would have on his health, and it is depressing to read about his current condition. I hope he is found and that he can somehow get back to living a normal life.

Thank you for those clips, Ziggy. After round two, with Stu, OD says something to Matty on the bench and Matty smiles back. OD is so witty, he probably said something self-depreciating to make Matty laugh.

I love Stanley Cup Competitor Kings Hockey, but I also adored mid 90's-early 2000's Kings Hockey.

Eye opening article, OP. I've had many of the fights that Matty is going through, in my own life, and I know there's hope in the end.

 

[lumbergh]

I just want to bring up the elephant in the room here. We are fans of a sport that condones fighting, and guys like Matt Johnson become fan favorites based almost entirely on their ability to take and throw bare knuckle punches. I'm not gonna lie; I enjoy watching hockey scraps. Given what we know about concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, every time a hockey player takes a punch to the head, he shortens his life or decreases his future well being. What we're watching is human beings doing permanent harm to their opponents' brains as part of a competition to put more pucks in the net. Matt Johnson's plight is the result.

The sport of hockey, in particular the NHL and the leagues that feed it, bears responsibility for Matt Johnson. And Derek Boogaard. And who knows how many others. I fear for Kyle Clifford. I really do. I don't have a good solution, but the sport of ice hockey needs to figure out how to better protect its players.

 

[Reaper45]

Honestly that was such a different time period. It was a great time to be a fan of the sport but the guys destroyed their bodies. The league is already cracking down on fighting so I fear less for the future crop of players. Also, CTE is less likely to occur from fighting as it is from the repeated body checks, causing whiplash type motions that truly rattle the brain.

 

[KingTrouty]

I just want to bring up the elephant in the room here. We are fans of a sport that condones fighting, and guys like Matt Johnson become fan favorites based almost entirely on their ability to take and throw bare knuckle punches. I'm not gonna lie; I enjoy watching hockey scraps. Given what we know about concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, every time a hockey player takes a punch to the head, he shortens his life or decreases his future well being. What we're watching is human beings doing permanent harm to their opponents' brains as part of a competition to put more pucks in the net. Matt Johnson's plight is the result.

The sport of hockey, in particular the NHL and the leagues that feed it, bears responsibility for Matt Johnson. And Derek Boogaard. And who knows how many others. I fear for Kyle Clifford. I really do. I don't have a good solution, but the sport of ice hockey needs to figure out how to better protect its players.

Fighting is part of the game. Plenty of former NHL'ers, as well as NFL'ers whom never threw a single punch suffer from CTE. Hockey is a contact sport, there will always be concussions and injuries that linger after they hang up the skates. Fighting or otherwise.

"Every time a player takes a punch to the head, he shortens his life" is a bit sensationalist and hyperbolic. Sure, there are consequences for chosen professions, in this case Hockey. But blanket statements like the one I quoted scare me for the future of fighting in hockey. Too many of Joe Public think they have to change things, and when Joe Public becomes a larger voice than the purists, goodbye part-of-what-makes-the-NHL-unique.

This is coming from a person with an orbital plate, a hairline skull fracture, and a monthly visit to VA Wilshire's Poly Trauma Clinic.

The solution for "protecting the players," imo, is better oversight on the meds they're prescribed, as well as hands-on medical after they retire.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Just a sad, sad story that I hope has a happy ending. We knew him as nothing but a super dude.

 

[BigKing]

That era is over with a lot of the high FM players being what would be considered middle or lightweights back in the 90's. Sure, there are still guys like Reaves and even MacDermid as far as size goes but it's not an arms race where every team has a guy that is at least 235 and hopped up on performance enhancers.

The days of Tony Twist are over so the horrible plight of Matt Johnson and other enforcers from a different era does not mean the NHL needs to look at handling fighting in today's game: it has already been taking care of itself. What it really needs to do is look at what they do for its former players; that goes for the league and the NHLPA.

 

[lumbergh]

Fighting is part of the game. Plenty of former NHL'ers, as well as NFL'ers whom never threw a single punch suffer from CTE. Hockey is a contact sport, there will always be concussions and injuries that linger after they hang up the skates. Fighting or otherwise.

"Every time a player takes a punch to the head, he shortens his life" is a bit sensationalist and hyperbolic. Sure, there are consequences for chosen professions, in this case Hockey. But blanket statements like the one I quoted scare me for the future of fighting in hockey. Too many of Joe Public think they have to change things, and when Joe Public becomes a larger voice than the purists, goodbye part-of-what-makes-the-NHL-unique.

This is coming from a person with an orbital plate, a hairline skull fracture, and a monthly visit to VA Wilshire's Poly Trauma Clinic.

The solution for "protecting the players," imo, is better oversight on the meds they're prescribed, as well as hands-on medical after they retire.

Are you arguing that it's acceptable for hockey players to get concussions from fighting because 1) fighting is essential to hockey, and 2) hockey players get concussions in other ways?

I guess I'm just gonna take issue with fighting being essential to the game. The Pittsburgh Penguins had the second fewest fighting majors in the league last season with 12. Kyle Clifford alone had 11 fighting majors in the same season. The Penguins played 71 games in the regular season and about 20 more in the post season without fights. Somehow those games still counted. Somehow the Penguins managed with win the Stanley Cup.

Also, I'm guessing that some of the medications the players take wouldn't be necessary without the concussions, so maybe treat the disease, not the symptom, is what I'm saying.

We can agree to disagree. Regardless of our disagreement on this, best of luck on your recovery from head trauma.

 

[lumbergh]

That era is over with a lot of the high FM players being what would be considered middle or lightweights back in the 90's. Sure, there are still guys like Reaves and even MacDermid as far as size goes but it's not an arms race where every team has a guy that is at least 235 and hopped up on performance enhancers.

The days of Tony Twist are over so the horrible plight of Matt Johnson and other enforcers from a different era does not mean the NHL needs to look at handling fighting in today's game: it has already been taking care of itself. What it really needs to do is look at what they do for its former players; that goes for the league and the NHLPA.

I give you exhibit A, Kyle Clifford, who entered the NHL at age 19, almost straight from Junior Hockey, where he amassed 327 penalty minutes in 184 games.

Clifford patient in rehabbing injury, not concerned - LA Kings Insider

 

[BigKing]

Clifford started his career in 2009. We aren't seeing many "enforcer" types being thrown into the NHL straight out of Juniors anymore.

Is Clifford's longest injury for games missed the shoulder injury from this season or the concussions? Think his worst concussion was from being boarded in the 2012 SCFs and not from a fight.