Shark Tales: Matt Johnson February, 1997

by Jean Sawyers

This is the tale of a very speedy and dangerous Shark around the net. Solid on his skates and able to stop on a dime, this rookie Shark has been dubbed "the Sling-shot" by the ever-creative Kyle Schultz because of his wicked wrist shot!

We are talking about Matt Johnson (Matty to his friends) who is currently tied with Dan Lupo for the second highest scoring position on the team.

He is well spoken with a mischievous sense of humor (remember him modeling his huge, furry slippers at the Christmas party?) and is unfailingly courteous. He has a slight Massachusetts accent but can really lay it on thick when he wants to be funny.

When I spoke to him on Monday night after the game, he was very tired and hungry but was quite patient and amiable during the interview. He told me that his dad put him out on the ice on skates with double runners at the age of two. That was the start of his career in hockey.

His father, Bill, an account executive, played a season for Colgate before injuries forced his retirement from the sport and Matt's younger brother plays hockey for the Tilton School. Matt's sister has a management position in a psychiatric facility and his mother is with the Providers Food Program.

Born in Millis, Massachusetts, Matt attended Mount St. Charles School in Rhode Island where he was Captain of the hockey team in his senior year. He then won a scholarship to the University of Vermont where he was All-TIme Leader in games played (133) including an appearance in the 1996 Final Four. He also has a degree in business and plans to go into stock brokerage or a related business after his hockey days. If his career doesn't really take off, he'd like to go back to Germany where he played ten games under Kurt Kleindornst before coming to Tallahassee

He says he would like to learn the language this time because it was very hard not having anyone to talk to! Matt sends out the word to any interested Tallahassee fans that he really is interested in job offers after his playing days, saying Tallahassee is great and the fans are warm and supportive people.

Matt likes any kind of music (even has learned to like CW because of his fellow Shark's enthusiasm for it) and lists chicken as his favorite food.

Matt loves all sports with golf, tennis, and fishing as his special interests. He likes the Bruins and the Red wings in the NHL and has great admiration for Stevie Yzerman and Sergei Federov as players. He sometimes daydreams about being a Boston Bruin if he is successful at pro hockey.

Unbelievably, Matt likes road trips, saying that they unify the team and foster the camaraderie that makes a team pull together well. He is a real hustler and will undoubtedly go far with the fierce determination he has shown so far. I know it would be a thrill for him as well as all of us if the Sharks could win the Kelly Cup this year!