Chad Johnson Making a Name for Himself

Published on October 8, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Since his college days at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Chad Johnson has affectionately been linked to his namesake, the outspoken wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Guys started joking around calling me Ocho or Ochocinco," Johnson recalled with a smile. "It was just one of those things."

Johnson, the goalie, has also been referred to as dos nueve because of his No. 29 and in reference to Johnson, the wide receiver.

In his customary way, Johnson, the goalie, smiles and enjoys the comparisons.

"If they find anything on you, they'll let you know," he said with a wide grin. "But it's all in fun, so I don't mind it."

Though not as outspoken as his namesake, Johnson enjoys chatting and sharing free moments with anyone interested in verbal exchanges. And despite his free-spirited nature, Johnson is a straight shooter on virtually any subject.

Except perhaps on what being on the Hartford-New York shuttle did to his game in his rookie pro season. While Rangers coach John Tortorella and assistant general manger and Wolf Pack GM Jim Schoenfeld said shuffling between the Wolf Pack and Rangers hurt the rookie netminder, Johnson takes a more positive approach.

"I didn't really know what the situation was at first," said Johnson, who makes his first start in his second pro season Saturday night at 7 when the Wolf Pack open their 14th AHL season against the Charlotte Checkers. "But once I got on kind of a routine of going up for two weeks and then going down on the weekends and playing two games, I felt a lot more comfortable. I just kind of went with the flow. As a first-year pro, I didn't really know what to expect, but I thought it went really well and kind of a good situation to be (in New York) and playing every now and then, practicing with the Rangers and then going down and playing a lot of games.

"It may not have been the best situation, but for me, being around the Rangers just made me better. They know what's best for me, and I have all the trust in them. I'm more nervous sitting on the bench than being in a game, but I think I'm right there and you never know what can happen. I didn't know where I'd be at the start of the last season and never expected to be called up when I was the first time (Dec. 3).

"But it doesn't benefit a young goalie to play just 20 games. I want to be in the NHL, but I also want to make sure that when I'm there that I'm ready and developed and at the top of my game. So when the time is right for me to be in New York, I'm sure I'll be there."

Johnson, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fifth-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft, came to the Wolf Pack with major credentials, having been named CCHA player of the year in 2008-09, after leading NCAA Division I goalies in goals-against average (1.66) and save percentage (.940) while compiling a 14-16-5 record at Alaska-Fairbanks. He had spent the previous five years honing his skills under the tutelage of Tyler Love, a consultant with World Pros, whose clients have included former Rangers and Wolf Pack goalie Jason LaBarbera of the Phoenix Coyotes, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens and the Binghamton Senators' Mike Brodeur, a distant relative of future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.

Despite the constant shuttling, Johnson was 24-18-2 with a 2.54 GAA, .919 save percentage and three shutouts in 47 games with the Wolf Pack and went 1-2-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .919 save percentage in five games with the Rangers. And Johnson had the thrill of Rangers star goalie Henrik Lundqvist presenting him the puck on the ice after his first NHL victory on Jan. 31, a 3-1 win at Colorado in which he made 34 saves.

"Hank was the last guy there, grabbed the puck, dropped it in my glove and congratulated me," Johnson said. "It was really nice of him to do that, and it's pretty special from a guy at his level and caliber of goaltender. It meant a lot because he has helped me, let me follow him as far as what he does, his habits and what he does with Bennie (Rangers goaltender coach Benoit Allaire).

"We have a good relationship, and he has always been open with me about plays after a game. We're usually right next to each other, and we'll kind of just bounce things off each other. With me being younger, it's nice to have a veteran elite goaltender in the NHL to be able to follow and talk to. And it's nice that he's open to it. He doesn't have to talk to me as the starting goaltender who doesn't have to prove anything.

"It's just the little things, not just breaking down my game and comparing it. It's like what a guy does or how he plays in a certain situation, just being able to watch somebody do it. Not just talk to him but actually be around to watch him do it on the ice just makes you better. Growing up, that's what you do. It doesn't matter who you are, you watch someone else, how he got interviewed, the way he handled this and that. It means a lot for him to do that."

Despite the solid rookie season and second preseason, Johnson realized he was ticketed for Hartford after the Rangers signed veteran free agent goalie Martin Biron to a two-year deal. But if anyone thinks Johnson is upset, think again.

"I want to develop and make sure I turn into one of the premier goalies in the NHL," Johnson said. "I understand it's a process to develop, it doesn't happen right away. I know the situation with Henrik playing a lot of games in New York that it's important for my development to play a lot of games, which that will only benefit me.

"I have all the trust in the organization that Benoit will make good decisions for me in my development."

Allaire said Johnson displayed plenty of patience and poise during the unsettling times on the Hartford-New York shuttle. There was the bonus of practicing with a NHL team, but as a former goalie, Allaire understood the difficulty of losing one's rhythm, especially as a first-year player in the game's most taxing position.

"He's more powerful and has just grown up a lot," Allaire said. "And he's got the great glove and is a good student of the game. He's a calm guy, knows the game and loves to learn it. He wants to know everything about the game, is very technical about everything and wants to be perfect. When anyone wants to be perfect and technical, I think he's a good goalie."

Allaire said an expanded schedule also can make life difficult in goal.

"Going from college to the pros was a different game because you don't play just two games on the weekend," Allaire said. "And now it's just a matter of growing up some more and being more consistent. He knows pretty much what he has to do and how he has to train. And he had good training in the summer so he's ready to go. They play three games in three nights or four in five all the time, which can be tough, but if he can play 55-60 games it will be good for him."

Johnson said Allaire's biggest help has been making sure he's patient and "plays big at all times with proper body posture."

"He makes you aware of certain techniques in certain situations, like which hand a guy shoots and where he is on the ice," Johnson said. "He lets you play your own game, but he also helps you adjust to the NHL-style hockey. He just makes things a lot easier for you."

Johnson prepared for his second pro season working out in his home province of Alberta, Canada, with NHL players such as the Washington Capitals' defenseman Mike Green, Carolina Hurricanes center Zach Boychuk, and other pros, and stopping 27 of 28 shots as the backup to the Atlanta Thrashers' Chris Mason for Team Canada in the World Championships. NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier, a former Rangers captain and general manager of Team Canada, asked Johnson to play for his country for the first time. Johnson expected to be the No. 3 goalie, but spending three weeks with many of his home country's best players and seeing action in games was a bonus.

"I got an opportunity to be the backup and get in some games, so it was pretty exciting," Johnson said. "I really gained being around the top-end players and a different atmosphere with NHL players and a bigger ice surface. And putting on that maple leaf is every kid's dream growing up in Canada, and it was extra special since it was the first time. I felt fortunate to get the opportunity because there were so many other goalies."

Johnson now has special motivation as a No. 1 goalie and hopes to help the Wolf Pack/Whale return to the playoffs after missing the postseason for the first time in their 13 seasons. Most of that could traced to a 3-12-5-1 slide from mid-January to early March that put the Wolf Pack in such a deep hole that not even Johnson's season-high, five-game winning streak down the stretch could get them into the postseason.

"It was a tough situation," Johnson said. "I had three bad games, and it was bad timing. I think everybody goes through those things. If you look at Henrik, even he has bad games. But for me that one week was bad timing because I'd come down and we were fighting for a playoff spot. It was tough for me and the team not to be as sharp as I needed to be. But everybody experiences that so you just have to rebound."

Johnson tried to rebound in a unique way and demonstrated just how much he cares. Despite being pulled after the second period of a game during that rough patch, Johnson sat in front of his locker in full goalie gear after the game and answered questions from the media. Once everyone left, including teammates, Johnson returned to the ice and skated on his own for about an hour, firing pucks at the boards and doing laps around the XL Center rink.

"It was just frustrating because it was an important time of the year, and I don't think there was that urgency in the team," Johnson said. "I think for goaltenders, it was just a tough year for everybody. The team wasn't as consistent and focused as we needed to be. We weren't a good hockey team the second half of the year. I look back at some of those games, and they were just awful. Bounces and pucks just rolling in, but that's how it is sometimes. You get what you work for, so we got (what we deserved).

"Personally I did well, but we didn't make the playoffs, which was very disappointing. I was pretty consistent except for one week where I struggled, but from a team standpoint, we just didn't accomplish what we wanted to."

So Johnson is particularly focused to help make amends for the Wolf Pack not reaching the postseason.

"I just want to get off to a good start and continue to have success," he said. "I want to build on the experience I gained last season by being up (in New York), playing those NHL games and in the World Championships. I got stronger in the summer, and I just want to continue to improve, help the team and obviously make the playoffs.

"Not making the playoffs made for a long summer for everybody. You can't look too far ahead and worry about the playoffs now, but you have to realize that every game is important. It doesn't matter if it's at the start, in the middle or at the end. They're all important and they all add up."

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