Montclair Remembers Lars Johansson
Sunday, December 2, 2007
From The Montclair Times:
Considered one of the greatest defensemen in the history of NJ high
school ice hockey, Johansson's kindness and ability to light up a room are the qualities friends will truly remember him
by.
Johansson passed away on Nov. 15 after a five-year battle with brain cancer. He leaves behind
a wife, Michelle, and four children: Jennifer, 12, Cameron, 11, Madison, 8, and Kirsten, 7. His parents, Janet and Lenny,
had to bury their only child much too early. Johansson was 39.
Donations in Lars Johansson’s honor
may be sent to Ann Jennings, 61 Lloyd Road, Montclair, NJ 07042. Please make checks payable to Fidelity Investment-Michelle
Johansson Account. Friends and
family will celebrate Johansson’s
life at The Commonwealth Club on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008. Please e-mail Laura Stockel at lalesdk@comcast.net for more information.
In his younger years, Johansson excelled on the Montclair High ice hockey team and
various club teams throughout North Jersey. A lock-down defenseman, he was named to two All-State teams and The Star-Ledger’s
Team of the Decade for the 1980s for his time as a Mountie.
“Lars is definitely one of the best
defensemen to have played high school ice hockey in New Jersey” says Tom Guidi, who played with him as a freshman during Johansson’s senior season, which spanned 1985 to 1986. “As
a freshmen winger, if I was paired up with him in practice, I would always think, Can I get someone other than him? He was
so fair but also so tough. He had one of the hardest and fastest shots I’ve ever seen.
After MHS,
Johansson played at the University of New Hampshire. It is still rare for an ice hockey player from a New Jersey public high
school to make it to that level of collegiate hockey. In 1986, it was almost unheard of.
Johansson got back
into coaching ice hockey with the Montclair Hockey Club (MHC). He coached for 15 years at all levels, partially due to his
knowledge, but also his affability.
