Stars defenseman Stephen Johns of Wampum announces retirement
NHL defenseman Stephen Johns, a native of Wampum, has retired from professional hockey.
The 29-year-old announced his decision via social media.
In the post, Johns touched on his battles with depression and plans to Rollerblade across the country.
Johns wrote:
“Someone asked me the other day what I like to do for fun… and I didn’t give him an answer, because I didn’t have one. I’m writing this post because I’m tired of letting depression destroy my life. The realization that my career has come to an end has really (expletive) with my identity… What I’ll miss most about the game of hockey is providing inspiration. So, I’ve decided to rollerblade and road-trip across the country to hopefully help others facing their own battles. I’ll be documenting along the way, to share my full story, because I know what it feels like to be alone. For me, I watched one video and it changed my life and made me want to do this crazy thing. If I can still inspire one person to climb out of their hole, then that’s a successful trip and exactly what I’m aiming for. Peace & Love.”
Johns’ career was disrupted largely due to concussion issues that began in October of 2017.
A second-round pick (No. 60 overall) of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, Johns was traded to the Dallas Stars in 2015 and played all 167 games of his NHL career with that organization over parts of four seasons.
After missing parts of three seasons due to his concussion issues — including the entire 2018-19 season — Johns returned to Dallas’ lineup in 2019-20 and was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an honor that recognizes the player who best “exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
Johns couldn’t fully shake his lingering concussion woes and was on long-term injured reserve for the duration of the 2020-21 season, the final year of his contract.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-hander was an alumnus of the former Pittsburgh Hornets youth program.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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