Detroit Red Wings
Every Team Wishes They Had Someone Like Red Wings Albert
Johansson a steady, trustworthy Detroit defender
At the tender age of 24, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson is far too young to have seen the famous Albert ad. In fact, unless you were a child of the 1980s, you’ve probably never seen it, either.
Luckily, YouTube is here to save the day.
At a time in the mid-1980s, no hockey-themed ad was more popular than Canadian Tire’s portrayal of fictional hockey legend Albert.
In the iconic spot, Albert goes from being unwanted on the ice – you know, kind of like Albert Johansson’s lot in life when Derek Lalonde was coaching the Red Wings. Johansson was a healthy scratch for 17 of 34 games under Lalonde’s tutelage.
In the commercial, Albert grows to become a hockey star, leaving a rival coach to lament, “I sure wish we had someone like Albert.”
You can bet that as they’ve been watching rookie Johansson’s evolution into a stalwart NHL blueliner under new Red Wings coach Todd McLellan, there are a number of NHL coaches who are thinking along those lines.
Johansson Trustworthy Red Wings Defender
Now, no one is trying to suggest that Johansson is on par with the Sidney Crosbys and Connor McDavids of the game. Still, he’s a steady, reliable, trustworthy top-four NHL defenseman.
“He knows who he is,” McLellan explained. “He plays to his game every night. You get the same thing over and over and over again.”
That might not be worthy of all-star selection, but the fact of the matter is every NHL coach craves finding that type of defender to slot into their lineup on a nightly basis.
"OJ, OJ, OJ, ALBERT JOHANSSON" 🗣️🚨
Karlstadsonen gör sitt andra mål i NHL när Detroit tar ledningen mot Vegas 🔴🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/qNXT5Xuq1G
— Viaplay Hockey (@ViaplayHockeySE) March 16, 2025
In Sunday’s 3-0 shutout of the Vegas Golden Knights, Johansson netted a highlight-reel goal. Perhaps more significantly, he saw 21:11 of ice time. That was third among Detroit defensemen. Johansson blocked three shots and was plus-two.
“His game was outstanding,” McLellan said. “There were so many little things that he did when we didn’t have the puck in our end, breaking up plays, good read and react type situations where there was something dangerous about to happen and he was there to kill the play.
“Obviously, his goal was a very nice goal, poised goal. So those are all good things.”
It was five games into McLellan’s tenure before an injury to veteran Jeff Petry cracked the door of opportunity open for Johansson. He charged through that door and hasn’t taken a step back.
“His overall play, I don’t think there’s anybody in the hockey world that would walk into the arena and go, ‘that guy’s a rookie,'” McLellan said. “So just his poise, his growth, his confidence, competitiveness. Those are all the things that are really hard to measure.
“They’re not stat sheet stuff, they’re intangibles. I think they have made him a really good player for us. And we have a ton of confidence in him because of those things.”
It might not cause the Little Caesars Arena faithful to break into chants of “Albert, Albert.” However, you can rest assured every Red Wings fan is happy to have Albert on their team.
