Donald Ernest Johns (December 13, 1937 – July 8, 2017) was a Canadian 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 ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

who played 153 games 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) for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, and

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

between 1960 and 1967. He played in the Canadian minor leagues for the Fort William Canadiens and the

Winnipeg Warriors The Winnipeg Warriors were a junior ice hockey team that played in the Western Hockey League. They were founded as an expansion team in 1980, but suffered from attendance problems competing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and ...

(1957 to 1960) before signing with the Rangers, where he teamed with Harry Howell,

Bill Gadsby William Alexander Gadsby (August 8, 1927 – March 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1946 and 1966. P ...

and Lou Fontinato. Johns was on the Minnesota North Stars roster during their inaugural season of 1967–1968. The Canadiens dropped him after a single game, when he left to attend his mother's funeral.

Personal

Johns and his wife Carol were married for 55 years, until his death, and they had a son, Michael and daughter, Kimberly.A moment with Canadiens that lasted a lifetime
''

'', Dave Stubbs, July 21, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2021.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1937 births 2017 deaths Baltimore Clippers players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Hull-Ottawa Canadiens players Ice hockey people from Ontario Montreal Canadiens players Minnesota North Stars players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States New York Rangers players Quebec Aces (AHL) players Rochester Americans players St. Louis Braves players Sportspeople from the County of Brant Springfield Indians players Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1930s-stub