From Boston To CBR - We Go Gloves Off With Ryan Johnson

Fan favourite Ryan Johnson, has built a reputation for his determination and commitment on the ice as much as his integrity and leadership off it.

Johnson’s career in ice hockey started in his hometown of Boston. He was only a toddler when he put on his first pair of skates, he started playing organised hockey at 5-6 years old. “My father was a hockey player and his uncle was and hockey is a pretty big thing in the Boston area. When I was a kid we played on the frozen ponds and lakes in winter, that’s what you do there, play hockey on the frozen ice.”

Despite a very young start, Johnson took 20 years off in the middle of his hockey career. “I started when I was about 3 and played until I was 17, and then I didn’t play organised hockey again until I moved here to Australia when I was 37-38 years old.” Johnson says he spent the time doing other things, including recreational hockey, but it wasn’t the same as the full contact sport.

Johnson notes a clear best and worst moment in his hockey career. “Last year I got an award from the Brave called the John Lewis Memorial Award. It’s given to the player that best exemplifies dedication to the team on and off the ice. I’d say that was my best moment because that’s the kind of player I would like to be known as. So to be recognised by the team as that person was really special for me.”

“The worst moment would be the finals last year. Up by 3 goals and lost in the semi-finals, I don’t know how it gets worse than that.”

Another great moment for Johnson was being named assistant captain this year. “I wasn’t really expecting to get it and I’m really honoured to have gotten it because it says to me that the boys trust me and respect my opinion and the feeling is mutual. I have a great deal of respect for the boys on this team and the team in general, and to be recognised as a leader of this team is a real honour and something I’m taking really seriously.”

Asked what the number one thing is that a good alternate captain must do, Johnson immediately responded that it’s all about attitude. “I think it’s staying positive, even when we go through tough periods and keeping the boys positive, or trying to. Staying positive, being hard working and to try and remind the boys that attitude is important and try to lead by example in that regard.”

“There are a lot of guys who are 20 years younger than me who know a s***load more about hockey than I do, so I don’t think that I’ve been around the game more or at a higher level than those guys. I think I’m a little older and I have a little more life experience. I can be even-keeled and I can use my life experience to kind of keep things on track and keep the boys focused.”

Johnson is often known for his big hits and standing up for his teammates physically if the need arises. “You can be a nice guy and still be tough at hockey. I was raised to use my body. When I was playing in high school, I was 13 and a lot of the other players were 18 because I was playing at a higher level. I was really small and those guys would try to kill me. So I learnt to keep my balance and how to hit because people were hitting me.”

“It just so happens that the role I found myself in here in Canberra is a physical role, not because I want to, I’d prefer scoring goals to be honest, but I’m not as skilled as the other guys who can score 20 goals, I’ll be lucky to get 4. So I do what I can to help the team and typically what that is using my body and getting in the ugly spots and in the other team’s face. That just happens to be my role and I’m happy to play it.”

It was clear that Johnson has a lot of gratitude and dreams for his team. “The Brave in general has been amazingly positive for me. When I moved here I didn’t think I’d be playing hockey. I got to see the Brave born in my first season. Our first game was against Newcastle, my first game in a Brave jersey and I couldn’t believe the atmosphere, the environment. I’m in Australia and it blew my mind how strong the fans are here. We lost that game and I remember skating off the ice and we got a standing ovation! Everyone in the building was standing and the place was going nuts but we’d lost the game! It was because ice hockey was back, but not only that, we were competitive.”

“My number one ice hockey goal is that when I leave the CBR Brave the kind of culture and attitude and pride that I envision for this team is in place. If we never see a championship and I leave, it won’t make me happy, but I’ll be okay. What I’d prefer to see is this organisation is where I’d like to see it when I hang up my skates.”

When Johnson isn’t at hockey, he’s number one priority is hanging out with his 9 year old son. “I spend a lot of time with him and I spend a lot of time with my partner. I’m at the gym quite a bit and I work at the ANU doing reporting. I like to exercise, I like to run, ride my bike. I like to get outside in Canberra when I can. My partner and I do a biking pub crawl when we get the time. It’s easy in Canberra because of the bike paths and pubs along the water.”