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Apr. 15—GRAND FORKS — Every time Kaleb Johnson took a stride walking this fall, he felt pain in his right hip.
When UND's senior goaltender skated, his hip sometimes gave out.
"I couldn't do certain movements in net without aggravating pain," Johnson said.
After practice, he'd return home and lie in bed for two hours waiting for the pain to subside.
He was unable to sleep through the night.
"It was constant torture I was dealing with," Johnson said.
Only his roommates, Jackson Kunz and Dane Montgomery, knew the extent of what Johnson was dealing with. Johnson didn't want anyone else to know. He hoped to play through it.
"That's how I was raised, blue collar," Johnson said. "You keep working through it. That's the mentality I had."
UND's first road trip of the season was to Mankato, Minn., a six-hour bus ride.
"On that bus ride, I was in the worst pain I've ever been in," Johnson said. "I tried to practice when we got there. I went down and I legit thought I tore my entire hip. I was like, 'I can't. This has got to stop.'"
Johnson finally confided to his parents, Jana and Craig, that his hip problem, which started his freshman season, had become unbearable.
His mother urged him to tell UND athletic trainer Mark Poolman. He did.
Poolman made Johnson stop skating and begin searching for answers.
Johnson had several appointments. He had six X-rays and six MRIs to try to figure out what was wrong. A specialist in Iowa pinned down the problem in December and told Johnson his hip was one of the worst he's ever seen.
"He couldn't believe I had done this for a month," Johnson said.
The doctor had more difficult news for Johnson.
"He told me that after surgery, I'll never be able to play goalie again," Johnson said. "He said there's a possibility I'm going to need a new hip later in life, like in my 50s, and he said if I start playing again, I might mess up my hip even worse.
"When he said that, it was one of the toughest things I've ever had to face, hearing that the game I started playing when I was 3 was done just like that."
Johnson told his teammates when he returned to Grand Forks.
"It was really emotional," Johnson said. "I didn't think I would be bawling my eyes out. I didn't want to. I didn't want to make it about me or have people think about me. But when you go through so much with those guys, grinding day in and day out, and you see how much support they give and how much they care, it all came out of me."
Johnson's first surgery was March 28 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., a week after UND's season ended.
His next one is scheduled for April 29 at Mayo.
"The first one wasn't too bad," Johnson said. "The second one is the bad one. That's the one where they have to open up my hip and move my entire pelvis back so I can get the hip back into the socket. They have to take the bone off to get it back into the socket and they're putting three screws in to keep my pelvis and hip in one spot."
Recovery time is six or seven months.
Johnson remained around the team for the entire season. He frequently watched practice from the bench or the stands.
Johnson was recognized on Senior Night in March along with his class.
He dressed as the third goaltender that night, his last time suiting up at UND.
"Every year, you have the older guys tell you to cherish it because it flies by," Johnson said. "I remember after my freshman year, I thought, 'I still have three years.' Now that my career got cut short, I wish I never would have thought like that. I wish I would have kept cherishing moments I had at UND even more."
Johnson was a dominant goaltender at Grand Forks Central, leading the Knights to a pair of state championships.
He played juniors in the North American Hockey League before coming to UND in 2021.
Johnson earned one start at UND during his sophomore season. He didn't play as a junior and suffered the injury as a senior. The surgery will prevent him from using a medical redshirt and coming back.
"I absolutely loved every second I had at UND," Johnson said. "The guys, the arena, the staff. . . everyone is NHL-level and they're just great people. I'm so glad I got to live out my dream at UND for those four years and I wouldn't take it back for anything. Getting to put that crest on every day, knowing I get to go to The Ralph, work out with some of the best players in college hockey — maybe give them a couple chirps here and there and make them laugh — is something I'll cherish the rest of my life."
Johnson plans to take an EMT class this summer at Northland Community and Technical College to prepare to become a firefighter.
He also plans to stay in town and coach goaltenders in Grand Forks.
"I'd like to give back as much as I can," Johnson said.
Johnson said he is grateful to many people.
It starts with his roommates, Kunz and Montgomery.
"They kind of knew my routine," Johnson said. "After practice, they'd see me limping. They knew I'd have to go into my room and lie there. They knew I couldn't sit on the couch, because my hip is getting pinched. They knew what I was dealing with. They respected that I wanted to play. I respect them for not saying much about it.
"They were always there helping me with whatever I needed. I could talk to them if I needed to get things off my chest. It's hard to find guys like that in your life. I can't thank them enough for being there for me during one of the most difficult times of my life. I love those guys."
Johnson also said he became close with Poolman this season.
"Being injured and seeing how much he does behind the scenes, it's pretty amazing," Johnson said. "He's the backbone of our team. He's the guy who is always there."
Finally, Johnson said he's grateful for his parents.
"Helping me through this process has been challenging," Johnson said. "I thank them for being my heroes. Without them, I wouldn't be where I'm at today."
Continue reading...
When UND's senior goaltender skated, his hip sometimes gave out.
"I couldn't do certain movements in net without aggravating pain," Johnson said.
After practice, he'd return home and lie in bed for two hours waiting for the pain to subside.
He was unable to sleep through the night.
"It was constant torture I was dealing with," Johnson said.
Only his roommates, Jackson Kunz and Dane Montgomery, knew the extent of what Johnson was dealing with. Johnson didn't want anyone else to know. He hoped to play through it.
"That's how I was raised, blue collar," Johnson said. "You keep working through it. That's the mentality I had."
UND's first road trip of the season was to Mankato, Minn., a six-hour bus ride.
"On that bus ride, I was in the worst pain I've ever been in," Johnson said. "I tried to practice when we got there. I went down and I legit thought I tore my entire hip. I was like, 'I can't. This has got to stop.'"
Johnson finally confided to his parents, Jana and Craig, that his hip problem, which started his freshman season, had become unbearable.
His mother urged him to tell UND athletic trainer Mark Poolman. He did.
Poolman made Johnson stop skating and begin searching for answers.
Johnson had several appointments. He had six X-rays and six MRIs to try to figure out what was wrong. A specialist in Iowa pinned down the problem in December and told Johnson his hip was one of the worst he's ever seen.
"He couldn't believe I had done this for a month," Johnson said.
The doctor had more difficult news for Johnson.
"He told me that after surgery, I'll never be able to play goalie again," Johnson said. "He said there's a possibility I'm going to need a new hip later in life, like in my 50s, and he said if I start playing again, I might mess up my hip even worse.
"When he said that, it was one of the toughest things I've ever had to face, hearing that the game I started playing when I was 3 was done just like that."
Johnson told his teammates when he returned to Grand Forks.
"It was really emotional," Johnson said. "I didn't think I would be bawling my eyes out. I didn't want to. I didn't want to make it about me or have people think about me. But when you go through so much with those guys, grinding day in and day out, and you see how much support they give and how much they care, it all came out of me."
Johnson's first surgery was March 28 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., a week after UND's season ended.
His next one is scheduled for April 29 at Mayo.
"The first one wasn't too bad," Johnson said. "The second one is the bad one. That's the one where they have to open up my hip and move my entire pelvis back so I can get the hip back into the socket. They have to take the bone off to get it back into the socket and they're putting three screws in to keep my pelvis and hip in one spot."
Recovery time is six or seven months.
Johnson remained around the team for the entire season. He frequently watched practice from the bench or the stands.
Johnson was recognized on Senior Night in March along with his class.
He dressed as the third goaltender that night, his last time suiting up at UND.
"Every year, you have the older guys tell you to cherish it because it flies by," Johnson said. "I remember after my freshman year, I thought, 'I still have three years.' Now that my career got cut short, I wish I never would have thought like that. I wish I would have kept cherishing moments I had at UND even more."
Johnson was a dominant goaltender at Grand Forks Central, leading the Knights to a pair of state championships.
He played juniors in the North American Hockey League before coming to UND in 2021.
Johnson earned one start at UND during his sophomore season. He didn't play as a junior and suffered the injury as a senior. The surgery will prevent him from using a medical redshirt and coming back.
"I absolutely loved every second I had at UND," Johnson said. "The guys, the arena, the staff. . . everyone is NHL-level and they're just great people. I'm so glad I got to live out my dream at UND for those four years and I wouldn't take it back for anything. Getting to put that crest on every day, knowing I get to go to The Ralph, work out with some of the best players in college hockey — maybe give them a couple chirps here and there and make them laugh — is something I'll cherish the rest of my life."
Johnson plans to take an EMT class this summer at Northland Community and Technical College to prepare to become a firefighter.
He also plans to stay in town and coach goaltenders in Grand Forks.
"I'd like to give back as much as I can," Johnson said.
Johnson said he is grateful to many people.
It starts with his roommates, Kunz and Montgomery.
"They kind of knew my routine," Johnson said. "After practice, they'd see me limping. They knew I'd have to go into my room and lie there. They knew I couldn't sit on the couch, because my hip is getting pinched. They knew what I was dealing with. They respected that I wanted to play. I respect them for not saying much about it.
"They were always there helping me with whatever I needed. I could talk to them if I needed to get things off my chest. It's hard to find guys like that in your life. I can't thank them enough for being there for me during one of the most difficult times of my life. I love those guys."
Johnson also said he became close with Poolman this season.
"Being injured and seeing how much he does behind the scenes, it's pretty amazing," Johnson said. "He's the backbone of our team. He's the guy who is always there."
Finally, Johnson said he's grateful for his parents.
"Helping me through this process has been challenging," Johnson said. "I thank them for being my heroes. Without them, I wouldn't be where I'm at today."
Continue reading...
