NHL Forward Prays Before Every Game as He Plays ‘For God’

Published: February 6, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson declared that no matter the circumstances, he always prays before games.

“Praying before games, like, you know, whether it’s morning, afternoon or, like, in the locker room or right before the game or whatever,” Johnson shared on the “Access the Walk” podcast. “Like, you know, ‘Your will be done.’ And for me to just, you know, play hard and like those things.”

The hockey player holds one verse close before he takes the ice.

“Like, I mean, Joshua 1:9 is one I like: ‘Be strong and courageous’ out there. And ultimately, not play to like people please, or play for money or this or that, but like, you know, play for God and for my teammates and my coaches. I think we’re called to love each other. So I should be loving my teammates, coaches, whatever. So just try to invite Him in,” he said.

Last year, Johnson spoke with Sports Spectrum about how he had to work hard to remember that his identity is not in hockey.

“I think that’s obviously something I’ve gotten better at with the Lord, but at the same time it’s something I still struggle with,” Johnson admitted. “I still think I, at times, idolize hockey over the Lord and can get too caught up in the ups and downs of it. So it’s definitely something I’m going to continue to work on, and God’s going to help me change in that.”

“At the same time, you read the Scriptures, and you pray, and your anxiety or anything like that goes away. After a good game, you don’t want to get too high or too prideful because we’re really nothing compared to God,” he said. “So I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me — sometimes I can ride the wave and get a bit too high on myself, where I’ve just got to stay humble.”

Johnson signed his first NHL contract on April 8, 2022, as the fifth pick in 2021 NHL Draft. He then suffered an injured shoulder and missed the next year. However, in the 2023-2024 season, he “had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 42 games of the 2023-24 season,” the NHL reported.

Johnson really began to shine in his third full NHL season. He secured “18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in a 17-game stretch from Jan. 20 to March 10, 2025, to exceed his NHL career highs in goals and points in just 49 games while helping the Columbus Blue Jackets contend for a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”

Johnson’s decision to pray and thank God before his games should remind all of us to invite the Lord into whatever task He’s set before us.

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