For a world-class athlete, dropping down into a plank position and performing a push-up seems a simple task.
Doing a series of them falls in line with a normal training routine.
But during the summer of 2015, the training regimen for Tyler Johnson was anything but routine. Just doing a push-up proved problematic for the former All-Star after he fractured his wrist during the Stanley Cup Final against Chicago.
That injury lingered deep into his 2015-16 season and had a profound effect on his season. Johnson, who tied for the team lead in scoring in 2014-15, slipped to 14 goals and 38 points in 69 games.
As he prepared for last season, Johnson was unable to do any upper-body work that required lifting weights, or doing push-ups. He did some resistance training involving his shoulders, but everything else was limited to lower body and conditioning work.
He spent more time working out in the pool than on the ice.
“That was definitely something that was tough,’’ said Johnson, who picked up an assist in Tampa Bay’s preseason opener against Carolina on Tuesday. “I tried to do more conditioning and running, that type of stuff, but that doesn’t really translate to being on ice. I think that for me was the toughest thing.’’
When he arrived in training camp for the 2015-16 season, he knew he was behind from the start and tried to play catch up but it had the same effect of running uphill on a treadmill.
“The fact that I kind of had to still deal with the injury, it wasn’t fully healed . . . that was tough,’’ Johnson said. “I always have the highest expectations for myself so when things don’t go well it’s tough. With the injuries and whatnot, it’s really annoying when things were not necessarily progressing the way you thought, and whatnot, you try to push it and things happen. So there is a lot going on, a lot of different emotions being thrown in.’’
It was a situation that perhaps the team was not fully aware of.
“The one thing where Johnson did not let on as a competitor was how banged up he actually was,’’ head coach Jon Cooper said. “The severity of his injury that happened in the Final was much worse than we every anticipated because it prevented him from properly working out, properly looking after himself. So then when he came into the season he wasn’t much better off than when he actually left. He was just trucking uphill all year.’’
Johnson also suffered a pair of injuries in the early stages of the season, which forced him to miss time, which in turn allowed him additional rest and recovery time. That allowed him to turn things around late in the year as he went on to lead the team in playoff goals as Tampa Bay reached the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive year.
Now, after a full season of normal training to prepare for the 2016-17 season,
Johnson feels he is ready for a fresh start.
“It was just one of those things where I felt that a lot of weight was lifted off my shoulders just being able to be in the same (summer) routine and not trying something and saying I can’t do it and have to do something different,’’ he said. “I was just able to do what I do, what worked for me and what I knew would get me ready. Doing that, I just feel I have a lot more confidence coming in to the season. Now I don’t have anything I have to worry about, mind feels great, body feels great, everything is ready.
“Now it’s just up to me to work hard enough to succeed and help the team out. I feel good now, I can sweep it under the rug and just move on.’’
In the preseason opener, a 3-2 loss to Carolina, Johnson logged 15 minutes, 21 seconds, setting up Brayden Point’s goal, finished with three shots on goal and won 13-of-18 faceoffs. The start is light years ahead of where he was at this point last season.
“So much better,’’ Johnson said. “The legs felt good, the conditioning felt good. Now it’s just getting back the timing and everything like that.’’
Cooper is looking forward to having a healthy and mentally fresh Johnson in the lineup from the start.
“To see him now and you just see his demeanor and the way he is, it’s night and day compared to the way he came into last year’s camp,’’ Cooper said.
But there will be something else hanging over Johnson this season – his contract status.
The Lightning have certainly had their share of contract issues the past couple of seasons, including the current status of unsigned restricted free agent Nikita Kucherov. Johnson will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season.
If you ask him, however, he’s not even sure if there have been any discussions between his agent and the team about exploring an extension.
“I think if you asked my agent he would be the first one to tell you that I might be the last guy to call him,’’ Johnson said. “He actually tells me every once in a while that he would like to hear from me every now and again. I don’t really focus on that stuff at all, I play hockey, that’s what I’ve done my whole life, it’s got me this far and I feel like I’ve had a pretty good time so far and I’m just going to continue doing that.’’
Though Johnson has been through a similar contract situation before coming out of his entry level contract when he was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, this time around is a bit different. Now he is an established player in the league and a key component on a Stanley Cup contending team. He has been an All-Star and led the league in playoff goals.
“I don’t really think about it,’’ Johnson said. “It’s really just one of those things that you really don’t control. Really if you want to say you have any control over it, it’s how you play. You just focus on yourself, focus on how you can help the team succeed. We’ve always said from day one that everyone likes a winner, so if your team is playing well and your team is succeeding, that helps you in your contract status.
“So I don’t know why anybody would think about that instead of thinking about the team. For me, I’m a Tampa Bay Lightning, that’s what I want to be, I’m here and I’m just worrying about that. … I just play the game, I do what I love and do what I can do and that’s all I worry about.’’
With the injury from last year now behind him, that’s one less worry for Johnson to deal with.
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