Former Red Wing, longtime NHL veteran Greg Johnson passes away

By @StefanKubus – 

Former Red Wings forward Greg Johnson passed away Monday in Detroit.

The news was first reported by The Chronicle-Journal, a daily newspaper that serves Johnson’s hometown of Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario.

Johnson, 48, broke into the NHL with Detroit in 1993 after leaving the University of North Dakota as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 272 points in four years (a record that still stands).

He remained with the Wings until he was dealt to Pittsburgh during the 1996-97 season. Originally a second-round pick of Philadelphia in 1989, Johnson went on to play for Chicago and then found a long-term home in Nashville from 1998-2006, which included being part of the inaugural Predators squad as he was chosen in the expansion draft. He also served as the Preds’ captain from 2002-06.

At age 35, Johnson had signed a one-year contract to return to the Red Wings following the 2005-06 season, but a training-camp physical unveiled a heart abnormality that ultimately led to his retirement before the season began.

Johnson played in a total of 785 regular season games and posted 145 goals and 369 points.