Former college scoring star Greg Johnson (North Dakota) died on Tuesday in Detroit, of unknown causes, according to multiple published sources. He was 48 years old.
A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., Johnson remains the all-time leading scorer in University of North Dakota hockey history, having tallied 74 goals and 198 assists for 272 points in 155 appearances between 1989 and 1993. His best collegiate season came as a sophomore in 1990-91, when he collected career highs of 61 assists and 79 points, one year after he helped the then-Fighting Sioux
to the 1990 NCAA Tournament. He was also a three-time Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist.
After UND, Johnson played two seasons with the Canadian National Team. He then appeared in the only three AHL games of his professional tenure, with Adirondack, before embarking on a 12-year NHL career. Drafted by Philadelphia in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, he never skated for the Flyers but still accumulated 145-224—369 points in 785 NHL regular-season contests with Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Nashville.
Johnson's best NHL campaign came in 1998-99, when he registered a career-high 34 assists and 50 points for expansion Nashville. He also served as captain of the Predators for several seasons, before retiring following the 2005-06 season at the age of 35 due to a heart condition. He leaves behind a wife and two children.
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