Jets D-man Pionk still grieving loss of close friend Johnson

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This article was published 28/09/2024 (371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Neal Pionk fully realizes the grieving process is far from complete.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman endured the sudden loss of best friend Adam Johnson — who died following a gruesome skate cut last October during a pro hockey game in England — and there’s no denying the tragedy hit him hard.

As much as Pionk used his time at the rink as a release and even a way to honour Johnson, a longtime teammate in junior and college hockey and roommate, the emotional toll was heavy.

“It was horrible. I would say it’s the biggest loss I’ve had to this day,” said Pionk, who was in the lineup for the Jets on Friday night against the Minnesota Wild. “I still have both of my parents, all of my grandparents. I’m fortunate and lucky. That one hurt the most that I can remember.

“Just going through it, with the way that it happened, was brutal. Just the whole total shock of it.”

There’s no manual when it comes to dealing with a personal loss of this magnitude, so Pionk did his best to lean on his loved ones and his teammates to try and push through as best as he could.

Having the opportunity to spend time with Johnson’s parents and fiancée this summer was incredibly helpful. Johnson grew up in Hibbing, Minn., while Pionk hailed from nearby Hermantown.

“I went up to the charity golf tournament that we had in his name and celebrated his birthday — or what would have been his birthday at his house,” said Pionk, who is preparing for his sixth season with the Jets. “Saw his mom, saw his dad. That stuff is really good. It’s a healing process. It’s slow, but it’s necessary.”

That process is ongoing, though Pionk conceded that having a number of people on the Jets’ roster that either played with Johnson or knew him helped provide an outlet when he needed one.

“We could share stories and stuff,” said Pionk. “When we went up to his golf tournament, sitting on the first tee box, he’s supposed to be there. It’s one of those things. Usually he showed up for off-ice training and we’d have some banter going on — and he wasn’t there this year.

“That was an adjustment. That was the wave you went through during the summer. And I’m sure it will come back again. It’s the healing process and I’m glad that I have good friends around me.”

Another life event that helped bring some additional joy to Pionk’s life was the birth of his daughter, Stevie Mae, in late July.

“It’s fantastic,” said Pionk. “I get home from the game (on Wednesday) night and I can’t fall asleep because I have to change her diaper at 2:30 in the morning. I do it and for one of the first times, she cracks a big smile after I do it. After all of the long nights you go through, you get a little reward like that. There’s nothing better.”

Being in a more positive state of mind should be beneficial for both Pionk and the Jets.

Even before the Jets depth on defence was being tested by training camp injuries to both Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley, a productive season from Pionk was essential.

Pionk has been leaned on heavily in a Top-4 role on defence since he was traded to Winnipeg by the New York Rangers along with a first round pick (that ended up being Heinola) for Jacob Trouba in June of 2019.

Pionk’s tenacious style of play immediately caught the attention of the fan base, though there have been stretches of uneven results, especially during the past two seasons.

Although Pionk has often been hesitant to discuss his health, there’s little doubt that he hasn’t been at full health down the stretch at various points in each of those past two seasons — playing through a broken foot in 2022.

Thanks to a strong summer of training, Pionk is back to 100 per cent physically and ready to attack the season.

Pionk suited up in his first preseason action on Wednesday against an inexperienced Edmonton Oilers lineup and chipped in a nifty backhand goal and recorded three assists in a 6-1 victory.

Following the game, he was quick to point out the backhand pass from Rasmus Kupari and the unheralded net drive from Parker Ford rather than take any credit for his ability to beat Stuart Skinner off the rush.

“Should we start (negotiations) now?” Pionk quipped, referring to his status as a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1. “It was a good start. I don’t care who you’re playing or what kind of roster you have or they have, it’s more about the habits. Points are the points, that doesn’t necessarily matter, it’s more about how you feel and certainly there are some things I’ve got to clean up, but there were some good things too.”

The more good things Pionk does this season, the better his negotiating position will be but that will be on the backburner for him.

The last time Pionk was a pending free agent — albeit a restricted free agent with arbitration rights — he played some of the best hockey of his career and cashed in on a four-year contract that carried an AAV of US$5.875 million per season.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld