From The Archive: "MUSCLE MEN"

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"MUSCLE MEN" -  JUL 15, 2016 - VOL. 70, ISSUE 2

WHO GETS THE TITLE OF ‘STRONGEST’ ON EACH OF THE NHL’S 30 SQUADS?

Jack Johnson loved stuffing the run. Nothing gave him greater pleasure during his days as a middle linebacker in Pop Warner football growing up in Ann Arbor, Mich. “At that age, not many kids could throw the ball, so I knew pretty much every play was going to be a handoff,” he said. “You just try to hit the running back as hard as you possibly can.”

Every time he pulverized an opponent, he did so wearing No. 45 as a tribute to his hero, star Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer.

Johnson, 29, now patrols the Columbus Blue Jackets blueline instead of a football field, but that didn’t prevent his world from colliding with Katzenmoyer’s. When the Jackets acquired Johnson in 2012, it was public knowledge he was a diehard Michigan Wolverines supporter. That didn’t exactly jive with his new address in Buckeyes country. To win over some Blue Jackets fans, he told his tale of idolizing Katzenmoyer, star of Michigan’s hated rival. It worked and even caught Katzenmoyer’s attention. He decided to surprise Johnson one day after Jackets practice. “He was actually sitting in my locker,” Johnson said. “I thought it was a reporter at first. Then, as I got close, I thought, ‘This guy is way too big to be a reporter.’ And then he stood up, he was still a little bit taller than I was, even with my skates on. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Andy Katzenmoyer. I can’t believe it.’ ”

They became fast friends, even movie buddies who double date with their wives. Katzenmoyer was retired due to injury but had started up his own gym in Westerville, Ohio. Johnson asked Katzenmoyer if he would train him. “Whatever you did, do it to me,” Johnson told him.

And it worked. Johnson explains while his workouts aren’t football-focused, they help him build impeccable strength. He’s the rare NHLer who prefers to lift weights during the season’s dog days, as he feels it armors him for potential post-season runs. His favorite exercise: heavy squats. And his power-lifting regimen under Katzenmoyer has done wonders. Johnson is one of the NHL’s strongest players pound for pound, and Jackets trainers named him their fittest player when The Hockey News asked.

Not that Johnson sees himself as The Hulk. His brothers-in-law are NFLers A.J. Hawk and Brady Quinn. Johnson and Hawk are married to Quinn’s sisters. Their workouts are crazy competitive. “I’m not even the strongest guy in my family,” Johnson said with a laugh.

That just means Johnson will keep pushing himself harder. On the opposite page, we identified Johnson’s counterparts – the strongest and/or fittest player on all 30 NHL teams. They’re the guys who treat a gym like most of us would our living rooms.

JOSH MANSON

His father, Dave, was a nasty NHLer, so it’s no surprise Manson rates as the brawniest Duck.

ZDENO CHARA

‘Big Z’ grew up with a chin-up bar in his yard and would pound out reps every time he walked by.

SHANE DOAN

Strength coach says “no question” Doan, 39, is the strongest. He’s known for constantly changing his workouts.

MARCUS FOLIGNO

The Sabres say team strength title is a tossup between this 6-foot-3, 226-pound monster and Evander Kane.

MARK GIORDANO

Even on a team with Micheal Ferland and Deryk Engelland, Giordano is the most powerful, say the Flames.

LUKE GLENDENING

Green Bay Packers tackle T.J. Lang has worked out with Glendening and says he’s tough to keep up with.

DARNELL NURSE

Nurse is 6-foot-4 and hardened by grueling workouts, including hill sprints in desert heat.

JAROMIR JAGR

Jagr’s in the gym rat Hall of Fame. He’s famous for working out wearing weight belts – at all hours of the night.

KYLE CLIFFORD

Clifford’s exemplary fitness techniques have been singled out by legendary MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy.

CHARLIE COYLE

Coyle is a team workout virtuoso. His ability to drive the net helped him score a career-best 21 goals in 2015-16.

CHRIS NEIL

His granite-like build is a big reason why he can handle the fisticuffs. He leads active NHLers in PIM.

RADKO GUDAS

Built like a hard-hitting tank, Gudas gets his power by sprinting on a treadmill – wearing skates.

KRIS LETANG

There are YouTube videos of his seemingly inhuman workouts, including pull-ups wearing weights.

BRENT BURNS

His favorite workouts include jiu-jitsu and hiking mountains. You didn’t expect something ordinary, did you?

RYAN REAVES

He regularly places first in the Blues’ fitness testing. The brawler’s specialty: bench press.

JORDAN STAAL

The Hurricanes aren’t known for their brute strength, but towering Staal is the best of the bunch.

NIKLAS HJALMARSSON

He was named fittest Hawk in camp last year. His physique must help him withstand all those shot blocks.

JAROME IGINLA

No surprise: ‘Iggy’ is a training beast. One of his specialties: skating and stickhandling drills…on one leg.

JACK JOHNSON

Johnson, a big football fan, trains in heavy weightlifting with former Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer.

JAMIE BENN

It takes a special athlete to have off-season surgery on both hips and not miss a game.

BRENDAN GALLAGHER

Only 5-foot-9, but the Habs champ. Built his tree-trunk legs working with dad, Ian, a high-performance trainer.

MIKE FISHER

Country music star Carrie Underwood must be a gym beast. She trains with her husband, known for his fitness.

BOBBY FARNHAM

An Ivy Leaguer and a pure athlete who even undergoes boxing training to prepare himself for fisticuffs.

NIKOLAY KULEMIN

Dogged in the weight room, even when he’s injured. He’s one of the NHL’s hardest to knock-off puck.

CHRIS KREIDER

He can jump out of a pool from a standing position in the shallow end. A workout freak.

BRAYDON COBURN

It says something that Coburn is the strongest on a team with giants Brian Boyle, Andrej Sustr, and Victor Hedman.

ROMAN POLAK

He was asked to stop his bench press at 315 pounds during testing as he couldn’t improve his score anymore.

THE SEDINS

Henrik and Daniel aren’t intimidators but regularly rank among Canucks’ best in annual fitness testing.

JOHN CARLSON

Fuels 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame with exemplary diet. No wonder he topped 26 minutes per game in playoffs.

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN

There’s no denying Big Buff’s strength. He might be the NHL’s hardest hitter.

Next Up: The Jackets return home on Saturday to battle the Seattle Kraken at 7 p.m.

Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.