Brent Spencer Johnson (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

for the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

, and the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

. He is currently a studio analyst for

Monumental Sports Network Monumental Sports Network, formerly NBC Sports Washington, is an American regional sports network owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the channel broadcasts regional coverage of sport ...

Playing career

As a youth, Johnson played in the 1991

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from

Fraser, Michigan Fraser is a city in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Fraser is located roughly northeast of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, th ...

. Originally a fifth round 1995 draft pick of the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

, Johnson started his NHL career with the

in the 1998–1999 season. He played there until he was traded during the 2003–04 season to the

. Johnson was signed by the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

prior to the start of the 2005–06 season, but was soon claimed on waivers by the Capitals, where he played behind both

Olaf Kölzig Olaf Kölzig (born 6 April 1970) is a South African-born Germans, German professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltender coach and player development coach for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). With the exce ...

and

José Théodore José Nicolas Théodore (born September 13, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, and Flor ...

. Johnson is the grandson of NHL Hall of Famer

Sid Abel Sidney Gerald Abel (February 22, 1918February 8, 2000) was a Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame ice hockey, hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Detroit Red Wings, and was a member ...

and the son of former NHL goaltender Bob Johnson. Brent Johnson was in goal for the Capitals on February 4, 2006, when they played against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

. The Lightning's goaltender for the game was

John Grahame John Gillies Mark Grahame (born August 31, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. He won the Stanley Cup with t ...

, the son of former NHL goaltender

Ron Grahame Ronald Ian Grahame (born June 7, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played four seasons in the National Hockey League and four in World Hockey Association between 1973 and 1981. Playing career After a collegiate ca ...

. According to the Capitals, this game was the first occasion where two second-generation NHL goaltenders competed against each other. For the week ending November 9, 2008, Johnson was named the NHL Third Star of the Week by helping the Capitals collect five points in three games (each consecutive starts). He went 2–0–1 with a 1.63 GAA and a .953 save percentage. He underwent hip surgery in February 2009 and was expected to be out of action two months. Johnson was deemed expendable by Washington after the emergence of young goalie

Semyon Varlamov Semyon Aleksandrovich Varlamov ( rus, links=y, Семён Александрович Варламов, , sʲɪˈmʲɵn vɐrˈlaməf; born 27 April 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Islanders of the National H ...

. On July 21, 2009, Johnson was signed as a free agent to a one-year contract by the

to back-up

Marc-André Fleury Marc-André Fleury (; born November 28, 1984) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL entry draft, Fleury p ...

. After helping the Penguins to 10 wins in 23 games for the 2009–10 season he was signed to a two-year extension with Pittsburgh, through to the 2011–12 season on April 13, 2010. On February 2, 2011, Johnson had his first fight in the NHL when he engaged with

Rick DiPietro Richard W. DiPietro Jr. (born September 19, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current co-host of ESPN 98.7 FM New York's "DiPietro and Rothenberg" with Dave Rothenberg. He is also an analyst on National Hockey ...

in a fight after DiPietro and

Matt Cooke Matthew David Cooke (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played sixteen seasons and 1046 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Cooke won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the ...

collided near the goal crease. Johnson skated over to DiPietro, ignoring the referee waving him off, and took DiPietro down with one punch. It was later found out that DiPietro suffered facial fractures from the punch. Johnson received leaving crease and game misconduct penalties. The next game against the Islanders (9 days later), Johnson once again in goal, fought with Islanders center

Micheal Haley Micheal Haley (born March 30, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played for the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, and Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League (NHL). Hayley ...

along with Penguins forward

Eric Godard Eric Godard (born March 7, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Godard was known as an enforcer for his ...

who left the bench to assist his goaltender. 2011-10-11 Brent Johnson

In the last year of his contract with the Penguins, during the 2011–12 season, Johnson struggled to repeat his impressive earlier form and suffered his worst season in Pittsburgh. With just six wins, he was subsequently not tendered a new contract by the Penguins and was released to free agency.

Personal

He married Erica Danielle Ence of

Burke, Virginia Burke is an unincorporated section of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, traditionally defined as the area served by the Burke post office (Zip Code 22015). Burke includes two census-designated places: the Burke CDP, population 42,312 in ...

on August 11, 2007. The couple have two daughters. Johnson is the grandson of NHL Hall of Famer

and the son of former Penguins' goaltender Bob Johnson. Johnson is also a fan of the English rock band

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

, and often paid tribute to the band in the artwork on his

goalie mask A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask, is a mask worn by goaltenders in a variety of sports to protect the head and face from injury from the ball or puck, as they constantly face incoming shots on goal. Some sports requiring t ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links