Who is Brent Johnson?

We all know Brent Johnson is supposed to be Marc Andre Fleury's backup. We also know that Johnson has outplayed Fleury to this point and has put up the following numbers..
4 wins, no loses
1.49 GAA
9.50 save%

So who is this guy and where did he come from?

 Brent Johnson was born in 1977 and is 33 years old. He stands 6'3" and weighs 199. He was born in Farmington, Michigan. Brent Johnson was drafted in the 5th round, 129 overall by Colorado in 1995. He played junior hockey for the Owen Sound Platers of the OHL. In 97-98, he moved up to the Worcester Ice Cats of the AHL. He began his NHL career with the St Louis Blues in 98-99. He was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in 03-04. He was signed by Vancouver before the 03-04 season but claimed off waivers by the Washington Capitals soon after. On July 21, 2009 Johnson was signed to a 1 year contract as a free agent to back up Fleury. This past April he was signed to a 2 year extension which runs through the 11-12 season. Johnsons grandfather was Sid Abel, who is in the Hall of Fame. Abel played 41 games for the Pittsburgh Hornets in 38-39 before going on to the Detroit red Wings. There he played along side Gordie Howe and won 3 Stanley Cups. His father also had Pittsburgh ties. His name is Bob Johnson(not Badger Bob). He was a goaltender and had a brief stint with the Penguins in 74-75.

Here are Johnsons career statistics:

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1994–95	Owen Sound Platers	OHL		18	3	9	1	904	95	0	4.98	—
1995–96	Owen Sound Platers	OHL		58	24	28	1	3211	243	1	4.54	—
1996–97	Owen Sound Platers	OHL		50	20	28	1	2798	201	1	4.31	.891
1997–98	Worcester Ice Cats	AHL		42	14	15	7	2240	119	0	3.19	.899
1998–99	Worcester Ice Cats	AHL		49	22	22	4	2925	146	2	2.99	.896
1998–99	St. Louis Blues	NHL		6	3	2	0	286	10	0	2.10	.921
1999–00	Worcester Ice Cats	AHL		58	24	27	5	3319	161	3	2.91	.911
2000–01	St. Louis Blues	NHL		31	19	9	2	1744	63	4	2.17	.907
2001–02	St. Louis Blues	NHL		58	34	20	4	3491	127	5	2.18	.902
2002–03	Worcester Ice Cats	AHL		2	0	1	1	125	8	0	3.84	.880
2002–03	St. Louis Blues	NHL		38	16	13	5	2042	85	2	2.47	.900
2003–04	Worcester Ice Cats	AHL		8	2	2	2	365	14	0	2.30	.910
2003–04	St. Louis Blues	NHL		10	4	3	1	493	20	1	2.43	.901
2003–04	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		8	1	6	1	486	21	0	2.59	.914
2005–06	Washington Capitals	NHL		26	9	12	1	1413	81	1	3.43	.905
2006–07	Washington Capitals	NHL		30	6	15	7	1644	99	0	3.61	.889
2007–08	Hershey Bears	AHL		1	0	1	0	59	3	0	3.04	.925
2007–08	Washington Capitals	NHL		19	7	8	2	1032	46	0	2.67	.908
2008–09	Washington Capitals	NHL		16	10	4	2	902	37	0	2.46	.908
2009–10	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		23	10	6	1	1,108	51	0	2.76	.906
NHL totals				270	121	100	31	14872	655	13	2.62	.903

So is he the real deal or just a flash in the pan who is having a hot streak right now?


Well, as you can see from his career stats, he has shown flashes of better than average goaltending. 00-01 and 01-02 with the Blues come to mind. He has also had a couple rough season, 05-05 and 06-07 with the Capitals bear this. He has tremendous size for a goaltender at 6'3". He has quick legs and is good getting pucks out of the crease. His glove hand appears solid. For his age and size, he appears to be very quick and can go post to post with ease. His long legs are an asset as he has made several spectacular saves stretching out. 


We all know how hockey can be, especially goaltending. One day you're the hero, next day you are the goat(just ask Fleury). Right now, Johnson is the hero. Whether he can sustain this play is really not known. His highest amount of games played was in 01-02 when he played 58. He did finish 34-20-4 with a 2.18 GAA. Thats very good but also almost 10 years ago. One thing is clear, Johnson is very capable. He is someone who the team can count on when needed. He has proved that. Marc Andre Fleury was, is, and still will be this teams franchise goalie. Fleury will get chances to redeem himself. But if Fleury does falter, we all can breath a little easier knowing Brent Johnson is there to back him up.