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Two-Time Stanley Cup Winner Makes Definitive Career Announcement
Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Former two-time Stanley Cup champion Tyler Johnson  announced his retirement on Monday, putting an end to a 13-season NHL career that included another trip to the finals.

“As a short kid from a small town, I saw my chances of playing in the NHL as very slim,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “But my family — my parents, Ken and Debbie, and my grandparents — believed in me when doubt clouded my mind. Their unwavering faith turned that dream into reality.”

Undrafted and a bit undersized at 5-foot-9, Johnson put together a great junior career with the Spokane Chiefs, where he won the Memorial Cup in 2008.

He followed that with a Calder Cup in 2012 with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals before joining Tampa Bay in March 2011.

Johnson debuted two years later, in the 2012-13 season, and became a core part of the Lightning’s success throughout the next decade.

He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, leading all scorers with 13 goals and tying for the postseason lead with 23 points, and ultimately won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021, featuring prominently for the Bolts.

After nine years with Tampa, Johnson spent three seasons with a rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks franchise, and lastly signed a tryout deal with the Boston Bruins last offseason, where he played nine games.

“I’m ready for what’s next,” Johnson said. “This moment is bittersweet, but I leave the game with no regrets.”

Johnson retires with 193 goals and 433 points in 747 NHL games. Including playoffs, he appeared in 863 games and totaled 498 points.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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