Hockey

Children of NHL veteran Jack Johnson baptized in Stanley Cup

By Joshua Doering Jul 26, 2022
Jack Johnson's three children were baptized in the Stanley Cup. (Photo via Twitter/@Peter_Baugh/provided by Kelly Johnson)

It just so happened that the three children of defenseman Jack Johnson were scheduled to get baptized during his time with the Stanley Cup. The baptism date was set weeks in advance, well before Johnson became a Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche.

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Since Lord Stanley’s Cup would be in attendance anyway, Johnson and his family decided to put it to use during the baptisms. On Sunday night, The Athletic’s Peter Baugh tweeted out photos of the baptisms provided by Johnson’s wife, Kelly:

Also featured in the photos are former NFL players A.J. Hawk and Brady Quinn, who are Johnson’s in-laws. Quinn is Kelly’s brother, and Hawk married Kelly’s sister. If that wasn’t enough athletic talent in the family, Quinn is married to a former Olympic gymnast, and Johnson’s younger brother, Kenny, plays hockey at Penn State.

According to Yahoo, Johnson is the fourth player to use the Stanley Cup for baptism. The first was former Avalanche player Sylvain Lefvre, who had his daughter baptized in 1996.

Johnson also followed through on a promise he made to his kids that if he ever won the Stanley Cup, they could eat ice cream out of it.

“We didn’t want to jinx it, but we all started daydreaming and fantasizing what he would do with the Stanley Cup when it was his turn with the Cup,” Hawk told NHL.com. “He talked about having the kids eat ice cream out of it.”

Drafted third overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005, Johnson spent the following two seasons at the University of Michigan and was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 2006. He made his NHL debut with the Kings in 2007.

Another trade sent him to Columbus in February 2012, where he played until signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins before the start of the 2018-19 season. Johnson signed a one-year deal with Colorado — his fifth different team in 16 seasons — on Oct. 10, 2021.

During his short stint with the Avalanche, Johnson reached the 1,000-game mark for his career, completed his degree from Michigan and won the Stanley Cup for the first time. The 35-year-old played in 74 regular-season games and the team’s final 13 postseason contests.

Johnson’s primary defensive partner during the playoffs was outspoken Christian Josh Manson, who joined Colorado at the trade deadline. Manson was a recent guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast and talked about the bond he formed with Johnson through their shared faith.

“He’s a believer as well, and so I was able to have conversations with him a little bit just about prayer on the bench and whatever it may be,” Manson said.

While Manson signed a four-year deal to remain with the Avalanche, Johnson remains a free agent. He is open to the possibility of returning to Colorado and is taking some time to decide what his next step will be.

“Honestly, I don’t know yet,” Johnson said. “I’d love to go back to Denver. There’s conversations being had, but right now I’m just enjoying my day with the Cup and we’ll see what happens.”

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