DULUTH — Adam Johnson found a way to connect with anyone and everyone he met during his way-too-short time on this Earth.
A perfect example of that impact is this week’s guests on the Duluth News Tribune’s Bulldog Insider Podcast : UMD defensemen Joey Pierce and Aaron Pionk.
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Neither grew up in Johnson's hometown of Hibbing. Pierce spent much of his childhood in Ely before moving to Hermantown, where he met Pionk.
Johnson was more eight years older than Pierce and Pionk, and he played at the University of Minnesota Duluth several years before them.
Yet both Pionk — whose older brother Neal was best friends with Johnson — and Pierce can point to significant impacts Johnson made on and continues to make on their lives and the lives of others every time they step out onto the ice.
Pierce and Pionk joined the DNT’s Matt Wellens on the podcast this week ahead of Adam Johnson Memorial Night at 5 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena when the Bulldogs host Western Michigan in the finale of their NCHC series.
Pierce, Pionk and Wellens discuss the legacy of Johnson, including neck guard requirements that are in place almost everywhere — the NCAA and NHL being the exception.
The two former Hermantown High School Hawks also answer listener/viewer questions, Pierce shares his journey from Ely to Hermantown, and talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Below are edited excerpts from this week’s episode.
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Bulldog Insider: Joey and Aaron, how well did you know Adam and what kind of impact did he make on your lives? Aaron, I know he had a significant impact on yours.
Aaron Pionk: Adam was, he was like another big brother for me. I had a lot of them like that. He lived with Neal in college for two years and I slept on their couch for a couple of those nights. I got to know him really well and he also played with my brother in Sioux City in juniors as well. So probably three or four years straight I was watching Adam play. We just got super close with them and my brother was best friends with him.
We watched a couple of his pro games as well. We went out to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a couple of times and stuff like that. Just a super, good family connection with them and got to know him very well and watch him grow up and play in college and pro and everything. That was super cool as well.
BI: Any good stories, that you can share on the podcast, crashing on the couch of that hockey house?
Pionk: The first year was when they were at Oakland (Apartments on the UMD campus) and so the benefit was, because I went to school at Holy Rosary out on the east end, Neal just dropped me off in the morning at school so my parents didn’t have to drive 30 minutes out there. Then the next year was when they were at their hockey house. That was the first year they had it.
There was nothing really. It was like a Tuesday afternoon I’d go stay over there, so nothing really. I just remember sitting there watching Shark Tank with them. Those guys were all business majors. They kind of understood what was going on. I was just clueless. I was probably 12 or something. I was clueless there watching but I had a great time with those guys. They just made me feel really comfortable hanging out with them.
BI: Joey, did you know Adam?
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Joey Pierce: Yeah, through Aaron and Neal, a little bit, just in the summers whether skating then or skating at Amsoil during COVID, just different skates. It was always a blast when he was there. You could tell he brought the room up. He brought everyone up, was always joking. He was awesome to have around and the little bit I knew him it was pretty special and I cherish that.
BI: Where do you guys see his impact on the Bulldog hockey program and hockey in Northeast Minnesota?
Pionk: I think it was a big impact. He shows that small-town kind of mentality and stuff like that. His uncle and dad played here at UMD. Three guys out of that family from a small town in Hibbing, that's super cool. It shows a lot of kids in the small towns how far they can really go with it and hockey and everything like that. He was just a great kid. Growing up in Hibbing, he was known around the state for being one of the best players in the state of Minnesota for hockey.
It's super cool you can do that. And then the years following with Scotty Perunovich, guys like that come from the same town as well. It's so cool small town connections like that happen here at UMD. That's one thing we live on and strive on for our community to keep going.
Pierce: Growing up in a small town, it just shows that it can be done and people are doing it. It’s very special. You see the video of him scoring a goal in the NHL and that’s every kid’s dream. That, on top of everything you hear about him, all the stories that were shared and how special of a person he was to be around. That’s pretty special and people understand that.
Another thing is neck guards. You see that. We both wear them. You see guys on our team wear them, you see guys on other college teams wearing them. That just shows all the other youth players, too, that it’s important. There’s nothing wrong with wearing a neck guard, that’s for sure. That’s another important part of it as well.
Check out the full episode for more from Pionk and Pierce. You can find the Bulldog Insider Podcast at DuluthNewsTribune.com/BulldogInsider , and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop almost every Thursday throughout the UMD men's and women's hockey seasons. We’ll be off next week for Thanksgiving.
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