THUNDER BAY— A local legend returned home beaming with pride.
Longtime NHLer Ryan Johnson, the Thunder Bay-born general manager of the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks, brought the Calder Cup to the Neebing Roadhouse on Friday, weeks after the team captured the AHL championship, the first in franchise history.
“He is wonderful, he cares about the people that work for him, his players, the staff, everybody from the ground up, and that is what makes him successful and a wonderful person,” said Jenner Johnson, Ryan’s wife.
The young Canucks won the Calder Cup, defeating the Charlotte Checkers in June, with a 3-2 ame 6 triumph at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C.
“I give our players all the kind of credit in the world,” Johnson said. “They decided they want to take a run at this, and they did, and they were able to come out on the on the right end of it.”
Johnson's own family members shared his pride of the accomplishment, celebrating the Calder Cup win alongside him
“It is amazing just watching and going through the years, all the ups and downs, how this team came together,” said Judy Johnson, Ryan’s mother. “I am so proud of them.”
Johnson said having a dedicated team on and off the ice made for a strong and steady path to victory.
“We have been building up to this and not necessarily to win a Calder Cup, but trying to develop NHL players,” he said.
“At the end of the day winning is a part of development and to have this group and some of them I've been with seven, eight years in their path to watch them raise this over their head is pretty special.”
“I am still digesting a lot of it because there is so much that went into it and it was such a gauntlet to get through but so rewarding at the end,” Johnson said.
After witnessing the team’s success, Johnson said being a general manager is both a dream job and a challenging role.
“Yeah, it is a large workload, but there is a lot of connectivity to what we do in Vancouver and the importance of the players in Abbotsford that come up during the year that sustain us through injuries,” he said.
“So, it is really enjoyable to be a part of the entire process and be able to see our big team and the guy’s underneath that are pushing, it gives me a real total perspective of where the organization sits.
Following a jam-packed season, Johnson said the summer was a much-needed break.
“It is always busy, It is a lot of travel, it is a lot of back and forth between Vancouver and Abbotsford and seeing games and other arenas, but you got to be organized,” he said.
“You have to get your scheduling down correct and obviously I have got a family that there is a balance to all of it too, but we make it work and at the end of the day it is enjoyable, which is what matters.”
Johnson also the assistant GM with the Vancouver Canucks, said he holds high hopes for the AHL team's fifth season.
“We have got a lot of work to do, but at the end of the day is to bring a Stanley Cup to Vancouver is the end goal last question,” he said.
“That's what we work towards every day here.”
The highlight of winning the Calder Cup was the chance to share it with his family and the Thunder Bay’s community, Johnson said.
“I still come back here at points in the summer and to bring this back and share it with some local people, get some pictures, Terry Fox monument and different things that meant a lot to me.,” he said.
