Daniel Douglas Johnson (October 1, 1944 – March 6, 1993) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

player who spent three seasons 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 ...

(NHL) and another three seasons in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

(WHA) during the 1970s. He was a member of 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 ...

' inaugural NHL team in 1970.Mackie, John
"This Week in History: 1970: The Vancouver Canucks get off to a grim start in their first NHL Draft"
''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'', June 14, 2019. Accessed February 1, 2024.

Playing career

Johnson was signed by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

following his junior career and spent five seasons with their

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL) affiliate, the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa ...

. He was twice a CHL All-Star and was league MVP in 1970, but only managed to earn a single game with the Leafs in the 1969–70 season. He was claimed by the

in the

1970 NHL Expansion Draft The 1970 NHL expansion draft was the second expansion draft of the National Hockey League (NHL). The draft was held on June 10, 1970, a day before the 1970 NHL amateur draft. The expansion draft was held to allow the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver ...

and finally received the opportunity to stick in the NHL. In the Canucks' first season, he appeared in 66 games and recorded 15 goals (seventh on the team) along with 11 assists for 26 points. Midway through the following season, however, he was waived by the Canucks and claimed by the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. He struggled to find his offensive touch and finished the 1971–72 season with just 3 goals and 11 points in 54 games between Detroit and Vancouver. In 1972, Johnson jumped to the fledgling WHA, signing with a

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

team featuring superstar

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...

. He had the most successful stretch of his career in Winnipeg, emerging as a valuable leader and two-way player. In

1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

, he recorded 19 goals and 42 points en route to helping the Jets to the inaugural

Avco Cup The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, is the playoff championship trophy of the defunct World Hockey Association, which operated from 1972 until 1979. The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation (a name origin ...

Finals. Over the next two years, he added another 34 goals and was named Jets' captain for the 1974–75 before retiring the following year. Johnson finished his career with 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points in 121 NHL games, along with 62 penalty minutes. He added 53 goals and 58 assists for 111 points in 232 games in the WHA. Johnson died of amyoltrophic lateral sclerosis on March 6, 1993.

Career statistics

Awards and achievements

MJHL The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior ice hockey, Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirt ...

Second All-Star Team (1964) * CPHL Championship (1968) * CHL Second All-Star Team (1969 & 1970) *Most Valuable Player ( CHL) (1970) *"Honoured Member" of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

Douglas, Greg
"The Class of 1970: Where are they now?"
''

'', September 29, 2009. February 1, 2024. "A member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, Danny Johnson hailed from Winnipegosis and was a junior star with Flin Flon, Fort Frances and Brandon.... Johnson died of Lou Gehrig's disease on March 6, 1993 at the age of 49."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Danny 1944 births 1993 deaths Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey centres Deaths from motor neuron disease Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey people from Manitoba Flin Flon Bombers players Fort Frances Royals players People from Parkland Region, Manitoba Rochester Americans players Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Canucks players Winnipeg Jets (WHA) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen