By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Hundreds of hockey players have donned the Boston Bruins iconic Spoked B sweater throughout the team’s one-hundred-year history in the National Hockey League. Some came to Boston as draft picks or by trade and spent over a decade in the Black and Gold. Most former Bruins were just around for a quick coffee, coming and going so quickly that their tenure in Boston was lost in the shuffle. In the case of backup goalie Chad Johnson, his one season with the Bruins became a springboard for his NHL career after years in the minors.
Johnson, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was drafted 125th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006 NHL Draft following his freshman season with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Johnson played four seasons as a member of the Nanooks, assuming the full-time starter role during his senior season. He recorded 14 wins, a .940 save percentage, 1.66 goals against, and six shutouts, finishing in the top five in Hobey Baker Award voting.
Before signing with the Penguins after his college career, Pittsburgh traded Johnson’s rights to the New York Rangers at the 2009 NHL Draft. Johnson signed with New York and began his pro career with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League. He would make his NHL debut later that season and start four games for the Rangers in January of 2010, notching his first win by stopping 34/35 shots for a 3-1 victory in Colorado.
Johnson spent most of his first three seasons with the Wolf Pack (and later Connecticut Whale), starting AHL 133 games compared to just one additional relief appearance with New York. Upon expiration of his entry-level contract, Johnson signed a two-way deal with the Phoenix Coyotes for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. While Johnson again found most of his workload in the AHL, he made four starts with Phoenix, recording a .954 save percentage and his first career shutout.
In the offseason, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Bruins, who were looking to fill the backup goalie role after Anton Khudobin’s departure. In Boston, Johnson finally had a full-time role on an NHL team and made the absolute most of his opportunity. As the primary understudy to eventual Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask, Johnson saw action in 27 games with the Bruins. Behind a Boston defense that finished second in goals allowed, Johnson’s solid performance helped the Bruins win the President’s Trophy, posting a 17-4-3 record, .925 save percentage, and 2.10 goals against average.
Johnson’s performance in Boston was a springboard for his full-time NHL career, as he would not play another game in the AHL for the rest of his career. He became firmly established as a solid backup/tandem goaltender and signed a two-year deal with the New York Islanders. His best NHL campaign came in the 2015-16 season with the Buffalo Sabres. Behind a decidedly not-great Sabres team, Johnson won 22 of his 45 appearances, posting a .920 save percentage and 2.36 goals against, splitting the crease with Robin Lehner and a very young Linus Ullmark.
Off the back of his solid performance with Buffalo, Johnson found himself in another goaltender tandem, this time with the Calgary Flames, sharing the net with Brian Elliott. Johnson won 18 of his 36 starts with the Flames, recording a career-high three shutouts. He also made his first and only Stanley Cup Playoff appearance that season, coming in relief of Elliott in game four of the first round, as the Anaheim Ducks swept the Flames.
Johnson returned to Buffalo after one year with Calgary and could not match his previous stint behind an even worse Sabres team, winning just ten of 36 appearances. On the move again, Johnson signed with St Louis ahead of the 2018-19 season. Johnson struggled to find his form with the Blues, only winning two of ten appearances with below-league-average numbers before being waived in December. Finishing off the season with Anaheim, Johnson went winless in nine appearances before suffering a concussion that ended his season in February.
Johnson appeared in 192 NHL games for his career, finishing with a record of 80-72-15 in his 164 starts with eight different teams. 155 of Johnson’s career games came after his breakout season with the Bruins. His name may not go down in the hallowed halls of Bruins goaltending history, but he was solid when called upon and had a respectable NHL career because of it.
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