Report: Police rule death of former Penguins center Greg Johnson an apparent suicide
According to police, the death of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Greg Johnson was an apparent suicide, the Detroit News reported Thursday.
The newspaper, citing a police report, said Johnson, 48, was found by his wife on the morning of July 7 in a storage room in the basement of the couple’s Michigan home. A gun and single bullet were found near his body.
Johnson’s wife told police the longtime NHL center suffered multiple concussions during his playing career, but was showing no signs of depression. She said she was not aware of any financial problems and that the couple had no trouble with their marriage. There was no suicide note.
Johnson played 37 games for the Penguins over parts of two seasons in 1997. He is best known as the second captain in Nashville Predators history, playing the last seven seasons of his career with the team.
All told, Johnson scored 145 goals in 785 NHL games and won a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics and gold medal at the 1991 World Junior Championships.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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