Jimmy Johnson, original member of the Flyers and part of a blockbuster trade, dies at 78 -- Obituaries, She Wrote

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 12:09:00 05/06/21 Thu
Author: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Subject: Jimmy Johnson, original member of the Flyers and part of a blockbuster trade, dies at 78

A center, he scored 17, 18, and 16 goals, respectively, in his first three full seasons with the Flyers.
by Sam Carchidi

https://www.inquirer.com/flyers/jimmy-johnson-philadelphia-flyers-died-20210506.html

Jimmy Johnson, a center who was a member of the original Flyers in 1967-68 and played parts of five seasons with the team, died Tuesday at 78, according to the team’s alumni association.

The Flyers took Mr. Johnson from the New York Rangers with the 75th pick in the 1967 expansion draft. He had the first goal ever scored by a Flyer, in an exhibition game.

“He was a good teammate who did everything he was asked to do,” Joe Watson, another original Flyer, said on Thursday. “That’s all you can ask from a teammate.”

A productive player who had 17, 18, and 16 goals, respectively, in each of his first three full seasons with the Flyers, Mr. Johnson had 13 goals in 46 games when he was traded in a blockbuster deal with Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 1972.

The trade sent Mr. Johnson, Serge Bernier (the No. 5 overall pick in the 1967 draft), and Bill Lesuk to the Kings for wingers Ross Lonsberry and Bill Flett, two players who helped the Flyers win their first Stanley Cup in 1974, and Jean Potvin and Ed Joyal.

Mr. Johnson, a Winnipeg native, had 168 points (66 goals, 102 points) in 266 games with the Flyers, highlighted by a hat trick in a 6-2 win over the California Golden Seals at the Spectrum on Nov. 19, 1970.

Before they became teammates, Watson opposed Mr. Johnson when they played in the Central Professional Hockey League. Mr. Johnson was with the St. Paul Rangers, and Watson was with the Minneapolis Bruins.

“We had quite a rivalry going between the two towns, and boy oh boy, he was a key guy to their success there,” Watson said. “I played against him when he played for Winnipeg, too.”

Watson called Mr. Johnson “a fun guy to be around. He was never down; he was always very encouraging, always an ‘up’ guy. He could laugh at himself, and he could laugh at other people. Great teammate and a character. He liked his babalouie — which is Canadian for beer — and who doesn’t love them? Just a fun guy, a character guy, and a good guy to play hockey with.”

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]