Johnson was undrafted in the National Hockey League, but played 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018-19 and 2019-20. After two more seasons in North America, he ended up in Europe, first in Germany, and later in the United Kingdom.

Shortly after Johnson’s passing, the Western Hockey League made neck guards mandatory. Following that, the International Ice Hockey Federation did the same, and you’d hope it’s only a matter of time before the National Hockey League does so as well.

Gone, but never forgotten.

Dakota Joshua diagnosed with testicular cancer

Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua released a statement on Tuesday, noting that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Thankfully, the tumour has been removed and while he’ll miss the start of the Canucks’ training camp due to healing from the surgery, all seems to be good.

It’s incredibly important for all men to regularly check for this type of cancer. If it can happen to a professional athlete in the best shape of his life, it can happen to anyone of you. Hopefully, Joshua returns before the start of the season.

Chris Wideman, Tyler Ennis and Alexander Edler all retire

Speaking of the Canucks, one of their former players is calling it a career as Alexander Edler is expected to sign a one-day contract on October 11 to retire a Canuck. The team will honour during their game against the Philadelphia Flyers the same day.

Edler was drafted in the third-round of the 2004 draft by the Canucks. The defenceman spent 15 seasons in British Columbia, scoring 99 goals and 409 points in 925 games, along with a Stanley Cup Final appearance with the team in 2011.

At the end of the 2020-21 season, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings, playing two seasons with the team where he scored five goals and 30 points in 105 games.

Another player that called it a career on Tuesday was Tyler Ennis. Selected 26th-overall in 2008 by the Buffalo Sabres, the 5’9”, 160 lbs forward crafted a nice career for himself, scoring 144 goals and 346 points in 700 NHL games with the Sabres, Minnesota WIld, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and the Edmonton Oilers.

The past two seasons, the 34-year-old played in Europe, first with Bern SC in Switzerland during the 2022-23 season, before playing in Germany in 2023-24.

It was a trifecta of players that retired on Tuesday, as Chris Wideman also called it a career on Tuesday. Like Edler and Ennis, Chris Wideman played a significant chunk of his career with Canadian teams. He was drafted in the fourth-round by the Ottawa Senators in 2009, but made his National Hockey League debut in 2015-16.

After three seasons in the Nation’s capital, he played for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in 2018-19. In 2019-20 he returned to the American Hockey League and played overseas in Russia in 2020-21 before returning to the NHL in 2021-21. He posted a career-high with the Montréal Canadiens, scoring four goals and 23 points in 64 games. Wideman’s last season was in 2022-23, also with the Canadiens.

Thomas Harley and others sign extensions

There was also a trifecta of re-signings on Tuesday. It started with the Dallas Stars signing Esa Lindell to a five-year deal worth $5.25 million annually.

Last season, Lindell scored five goals and 26 in 82 games, along with three goals and five points in 19 postseason games. Now 30, Lindell’s best season came in 2018-19 as he scored 11 goals and 32 points in 82 games.

Sticking with the Stars, they signed fellow defenceman Thomas Harley to a two-year deal worth $8 million, or $4 million annually. Harley has quickly become one of the best young defencemen in the league, scoring 15 goals and 47 points in 79 games in his first full National Hockey League season.

Lastly, the Buffalo Sabres re-signed Peyton Krebs to a two-year, $2.9 million deal worth $1.45 million annually.

Krebs was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019, but was involved in a package to the Sabres in exchange for Jack Eichel. His career-high came in 2022-23, where he scored nine goals and 26 points in 74 games. However, he managed just four goals and 17 points in 80 games with the Sabres in 2023-24.