Greg Johnson

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Johnson was selected by the Nashville Predators from the Chicago Blackhawks as the 23rd pick of the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft. He spent the final seven years of his career with the team. Johnson became the second captain in Predators history, serving in that role from 2002 until 2006, after having been an alternate captain from 1999 to 2002. During the 2005–06 season, Johnson was part of an unusual event: on November 21, 2005, he scored a goal during the first period of a game against the Detroit Red Wings that was later postponed after Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer suffered a cardiac arrest. When the game was replayed on January 23, 2006, Johnson's goal was allowed to stand, giving Nashville a 1–0 lead before the opening faceoff. After the season, on August 14, 2006, Johnson signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Detroit Red Wings, but during a routine preseason physical in September 2006, an abnormal EKG result led to further testing, and he decided to retire before training camp.

In Their Own Story

On November 21, 2005, Greg Johnson scored a goal in the first period of a game against the Detroit Red Wings. But the game was stopped and eventually postponed after Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer suffered a cardiac arrest. When the game was replayed on January 23, 2006, the full game was replayed—but Johnson's goal was allowed to stand. That meant Nashville started the game with a 1–0 lead before the opening faceoff, a bizarre and unprecedented situation in NHL history.

Reader's Guide

Greg Johnson played for the Nashville Predators from 1998 through the 2005–06 season, covering the team's first eight years. He was the second captain in franchise history, serving from 2002 to 2006, and had been an alternate captain from 1999 to 2002. Over his NHL career, Johnson played in more than 700 games, scoring 134 goals and 216 assists for 350 points. His best season was 1998–99, when he recorded 16 goals and 34 assists. Johnson was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers as the 33rd pick in the second round of the 1989 NHL entry draft but never played for them. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on June 20, 1993, and later to the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 27, 1997, then to the Chicago Blackhawks on October 22, 1997, before being selected by Nashville in the 1998 Expansion Draft.

Did You Know?

• Greg Johnson was the second captain in Nashville Predators history, serving from 2002 to 2006.
• He scored a goal on November 21, 2005, that was allowed to stand when the game was replayed on January 23, 2006, giving Nashville a 1–0 lead before the opening faceoff.
• Johnson was selected by the Predators as the 23rd pick of the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft from the Chicago Blackhawks.
• He played four years at the University of North Dakota, where he led the WCHA in assists twice and was named to the conference First All-Star Team three straight years from 1991 to 1993.
• Johnson earned a silver medal representing Canada at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.