WORCESTER—There have been books written, and movies made, about the fantasy of Endless Summer.
Railers forward Kolby Johnson is one of only a few people, it seems safe to say, who opted for Endless Winter.
Johnson spent most of last winter here skating for the Railers. As soon as the weather began to warm up, he headed for Australia where — like the entire southern hemisphere — July is the coldest month of the year.
A man of ice and snow, if not steel, right?
“Not really,” he said. “I played in Perth. It doesn’t get cold there. I think the lowest temperature they’ve ever had is 55.”
OK, so Johnson went there for the hockey, not the weather. Also, his girlfriend is from Australia and that factored into the decision.
For some reason — maybe it’s the Canadian mindset that still rules the game— hockey players seem to be the happiest of athletes. Johnson plays the seventh position on the team, one that goes by different names. He is a tough guy, an enforcer, or more simply, a fighter.
Like most of that species, Johnson is almost always in a good mood off the ice. Think of previous Worcester fighters like the Sharks’ Jimmy Bonneau, or even all the way back to original IceCat, Rob Melanson.
While the suit-and-tie accountants employed by pro hockey are trying to eliminate fighting from hockey, fans love it. So do general managers and coaches, but they risk being exiled for saying so. In Worcester, the fighters’ jerseys always bring the highest bids in charity auctions.
Pro hockey with fighting is ice cream. Without it — sherbet.
“I’m usually in a good mood,” Johnson said, “but hockey players have alter egos. The best athletes have alter egos.”
His alter ego appears sporadically. When it does, the result is generally pretty devastating.
Johnson was one of three Railers with 100 or more PIM last season. That was not 20 fighting majors, and those PIM accumulated in just 34 games. Timing is often everything when it comes to fighting.
“If a guy is doing too, too much,” he said, “then I’ve got to go and talk to him. If he keeps it us, they you do what you’ve gotta do. People know there’s a bell to answer.
“Some times I just want one if I can find someone who’s pretty tough. Some times, if we have a couple of practices and I can see that the compete hasn’t been up, nothing gets guys going like a fight. Home is great, yes, but if you’re away and the other team is flying, there’s a big crowd — if you win the fight, that can drain the crowd.”
Johnson’s dad, Chester, was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada as a teenager. Kolby grew up in Saskatchewan but was out of the house and playing hockey by the time he hit his mid-teens. The Johnsons are an athletic family. Chester was a decathlete. Kolby’s brother Kayden played in the Canadian Football League.
Kolby Johnson has played hockey for a lot of teams in a lot of places including four years of Canadian college hockey. He has a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on business and communications.
Hockey is not his only employment option.
“I think about it all the time,” he said. “I have all this education, and why am I fighting and stuff? I love playing hockey. It’s like trying to be the best at something, being part of a team and I’ve been able to travel the world since I was 15.”
Johnson enjoyed his Australian experience. He gained some confidence and Perth reached the playoff finals so it was a good winter.
This will just be Johnson’s second full pro season even though he is 27. A few seasons back he suffered a serious injury when kicked by a skate and missed two years because of it. The injury may have actually prolonged his career.
“I wanted a break from fighting,” he said. “My dad has dementia and I don’t want to make any mistakes. Long-term, I want to have something to fall back on, and I wanted to take care of my brain while it was fully developing.”
Johnson was born in Saskatchewan but his family moved around a bit. The various hockey references list his birthplace as Rosetown, but that’s not exactly right.
“I’m just a good old Canadian boy,” he said. “If I had to say what my hometown was, it’s probably Kindersley.”
Worcester turned out to be a good place for Johnson to come to. He has a good friend here, Lynn Loyns, who is also from Saskatchewan and has been active with the Junior Railers program. Johnson has sometimes stayed at Loyns’ house.
These days, fighting is a smaller part of the game than a generation ago. Fighters have become like Star Wars weapons. Even if you don’t use them, you have to have them just in case the other guy fires them.
So at some point, Johnson will move on and he is ready for that.
“Hockey is always gonna be just one part of my life,” he said. “I think I’ll always be coaching and playing, maybe some senior games, regardless of where I’m living.
“I’d like to be able to play hockey until I’m 30 if Worcester will keep me. I don’t see any sense in going anywhere else.”
Railers fans, who have always loved a good fight, would be OK with that.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
