Height: 5-9
Weight: 190
Shoot: L
Born: 7 Nov 1942, Winnipeg MB (d. 2021)
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Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1972-73 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| Indianapolis | ||||||||||||
| Totals (2 teams) | ||||||||||||
| Totals: |
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Jimmy Johnson Returns Again • by Charley Hallman • The Hockey Spectator • January 12, 1973
He's back. Norman James (Jimmy) Johnson is in the Minnesota Fighting Saint lineup again. Hopefully, this time to stay. The 30-year-old veteran of three National Hockey League teams had been out of uniform for 70 days when he put in an appearance against the Philadelphia Blazers December 26. And than, just as quickly, Johnson vanished again. This time, though, the absence was explainable, Johnson is under court order not to play in California for anyone other than the Los Angeles Kings. "It is kind of funny," Jimmy said, "Just getting back in the lineup and having to get out of uniform again, even if it just was for two games." Going into the New Year, Jimmy Johnson only had played four total games during the regular season for the Fighting Saints. At first, he was required to sit on the sidelines because he was involved in the Hull-McKenzie test case. Then, after beginning to play, he was sidelined in a freak accident in New York in mid-October. While on his first shift on the ice, Johnson went down in a heap with what was later diagnosed as a sprained knee. At first, Johnson was expected to be sidelined 2-3 weeks, but the knee's condition did not improve. It got worse. Two Fighting Saints' team doctors thought about "putting me under the knife." Johnson said. "It just didn't seem to get any better." Finally, the team's trainer, Glenn Gostick, put Johnson through a heavy schedule of exercises aimed at improving the condition of the knee. "What we're trying to do," said Gostick, after one especially exhausting workout, "is to make the injured knee stronger than the one that wasn't damaged. Thankfully, Jimmy's been an excellent pupil — he' s worked very hard at improving his situation." During the period of his one rehabilitation, Johnson admits to "nearly going nuts. My wife stayed in Winnipeg with the kids and when the team was on the road, I was virtually on my own." One thing that helped Jimmy out a great deal was his familiarity with the Twin Cities. He spent nearly three years in St. Paul while he was in the minors. Much of Johnson's time was spent with his close friend Dutch Delmonte, a former National Hockey Leaguer who owns a bar-restaurant in St. Paul. Delmonte is still a great hockey buff and takes in as many Saint and North Star games as he can. "We're really pleased to have Jimmy back in the lineup," said Saints' General Manager and Coach Glen Sonmor. "Jimmy's a bonafide major leaguer, he plays tough and he'll give us some of the hitting we've been missing up front." Sonmor admitted, "It may take awhile for him to get going, but we're much better up front with Johnson in the lineup, even if he doesn't score." Johnson does score, though. He had 21 goals in the NHL last season and 51 goals and 89 assists in the three previous years, "I hope we can chase Winnipeg down and win the Western Division," said Johnson. "I know I won't get any bonuses this year for scoring myself, but I'd like to help someone else earn theirs." While he was out of the lineup, Johnson also went on a weight reducing program and has now lost 15 of the 20 excess pounds he put on over the summer. "Without any skating, it was hard to lose the weight," Jimmy said. |
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