The tragic passing of Adam Johnson has been a major topic in the hockey world lately, with the improvement of player safety becoming a hot-button issue, but what has potentially been overlooked is just how loved Johnson was among the NHL and the hockey world.
Given he grew up in Minnesota, a hot-bed for hockey in North America, he had plenty of connections, and it's definitely been tough on everyone, even those that have had to play through the pain.
There's no doubt that this has been tough on a lot of people, but for Pionk, who grew up close to Johnson, he's shown incredible toughness to continue his NHL run while dealing with the tragedy.
Along with Pionk, the Jets will reportedly charter a flight for several Jets players to be at Johnson's celebration of life, and again, we hope that everyone there can celebrate the life of Johnson, and find comfort in his loved ones.