Team Ditches Controversial Hockey Player Days after Signing Him
Well, that didn't last long. A European team that announced the signing of a controversial former NHL draft pick has announced they have terminated his contract.
Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round (90th overall) in 2012. He never played in the NHL. The next year, Johnson was charged with sexual assault against a 16 year old woman in Windsor, Ontario, where he was playing junior hockey. Johnson was 18 at the time. A year after that, he was found guilty and was dropped from his entry-level deal. Johnson appealed the conviction, and lost again.
Fast Forward
Moving up to last week, the Krefeld Pinguine of Germany's second tier professional league (DEL2) announced they had signed Johnson to a one-year contract. The team has since had a change of heart.
"Due to the developments of the last few days, we have come to the conclusion that it is our duty to avert further damage to the Krefeld penguins and Ben Johnson. That's why we called Ben on Saturday evening and came to the mutual agreement that that both sides will benefit if we terminate the contract." - Krefeld Managing Director Peer Schopp."
The interesting part of this story is this wasn't Johnson's first contract since he got out of prison. After two years in jail, Johnson immediately signed a contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, where he played from 2018 to 2020. After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson then moved to the ECHL's Kansas City Mavericks, and then spent last season playing pro in Slovakia.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 12 | 221 ANSWERS Team Ditches Controversial Hockey Player Days after Signing Him Did the Krefeld Penguine make the right move in dropping Johnson? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 45.7 % |
| No | 65 | 29.4 % |
| Not sure | 55 | 24.9 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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