By Matt Nemeth

Calgary Flames goalie Chad Johnson inducted into Brooks Bandits Wall of Fame

Jan 21, 2017 | 5:10 PM

Brooks, AB – 1,629 Brooks Bandits fans came out Friday night to the Centennial Regional Arena to honour one of the club’s most accomplished alumni, current Calgary Flames goalie Chad Johnson.

“It’s special,” said Johnson shortly after becoming the first Smith Group Brooks Bandits Wall of Fame inductee. “It’s humbling, there’s a lot of emotions running through my body right now.”

The 6’3″ netminder spent two seasons with the AJHL team from 2003-2005, backstopping the Bandits to their first-ever playoff appearance in the 2004/05 campaign. He also still holds the franchise record for save percentage with the .923 mark he set en route to the Bandits first postseason.

“Everything that you do when you’re here prepares you for that next level,” says Johnson, who moved onto the University of Alaska-Fairbanks after his time as a Bandit before embarking on a more than 120-game NHL career.

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Before the curtain came down to reveal Johnson’s spot on the Wall of Fame, a video tribute of his time in Brooks played on the CRA’s jumbotron.

“It was crazy, I was thinking I’m pretty old now,” said Johnson after being asked what was going through his mind as the video played. On the ice watching the tribute beside him were his parents, and Johnson’s former billet Sandra Sanheim, who he hadn’t seen for over a decade.

“I’ve been watching him on TV but to see him in person again is really special,” said Sanheim. “Of all the boys I ever billeted he (Chad) was the most level headed and focused.”

Even before being hired this summer by the Bandits, marketing/sales and community relations manager for the team Mark Printz had the idea for Chad Johnson Night.

“Knowing that Chad was in Calgary, knowing that he was a Bandit alumni, I knew I had to get him down here,” said Printz. “This means a lot to the Bandits organization, the players, the staff, the fans. This is something that our organization needed.” Johnson, who’s in his first year with the Flames, says it’s surreal to now be playing for his hometown team he grew up cheering for.

“It’s a special time for me right now, so I try to take advantage of it as much as possible right now and enjoy it.”

The Bandits ended up beating the visiting Calgary Mustangs 13-1 for their 13th win in a row.