*This story dates back to when Johnston returned to Long Island, where he received a video tribute.*
On Wednesday evening, former New York Islanders forward Ross Johnston made his return to Long Island.
The 29-year-old spent seven seasons on Long Island and played 134 games, with nine goals, 15 assists, 355 hits and 21 fights.
Due to the Islanders’ salary cap situation, Johnston and his $1.1 million cap hit hit waivers on October 9, and the Anaheim Ducks claimed him on the 10th.
His former teammates were quite excited Wednesday morning when they faced Johnston for the first time.
Related: Islanders excited about Ross Johnston reunion
During warmups, a few of Johnston’s former teammates stopped by to say hello as the Ducks’ No. 44 stretched out on the side of the red line.
Then, during a television timeout in the first period, the Islanders honored Johnston with a video tribute, as the UBS Arena crowd all rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation.
Johnston skated around the Ducks bench, thanks to loud applause and stick taps from his former team.
The Islanders then defeated the Ducks 4–3, thanks to a short-handed goal by Simon Holmstrom with 1:33 to play in regulation.
After the game, The Hockey News spoke with Johnston about his return.
“I don’t know if I expected a video tribute or not, but I don’t think you can really prepare for that,” Johnston said. “So it probably hit me a little deeper than I thought.”
“I have a lot of great memories here and a lot of good teammates, and I called Long Island home for many years, so it’s special to be back, and the tribute was nice. I’m touched by the Islanders, and I’m forever grateful for my time here.”
The Hockey News asked Johnston how strange it was to be back and meet his old teammates for the first time.
“It’s really weird,” Johnston told THN. “I think the nerves before the game are kind of on a pedestal, and once you get there – and I got talking to a few guys – it felt more like a head-to-head against those guys.
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“Like I said, a lot of good friends, but once you get there, everyone is professional. You play hockey. You play hard.”
In the first period, it looked like Pageau (5’11, 185 lb) went through a right hook toward Johnston (6’5, 230 lb) during a scrum in front of the Ducks goal.
“I have to go talk to him,” Johnston joked.
From an outside perspective, Johnston was just a depth forward, a fourth-line enforcer. But he meant so much to the culture of this Islanders team, especially in that locker room.
When Johnston did play, his physicality and willingness to stand up for teammates made him an easy player for the fanbase to root for.
You can watch Rosner talk about Islanders hockey Hockey night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8:00 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny.
