Mike Johnston (ice hockey)

Mike Johnston (born February 19, 1957) is a Canadian ice hockey coach who currently serves as head coach, vice president and general manager of the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. Johnston led the Winterhawks to four consecutive WHL Finals appearances, including a championship in 2013.

Not to be confused with Mike Johnson (ice hockey).

Mike Johnston
Born (1957-02-19) February 19, 1957
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Previous team(s)Portland Winterhawks
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
UNB Varsity Reds
Calgary Dinos
Augustana University College
Years as a coach1982–present
Years as an NHL coach2014–2015

After six historic seasons in Portland, Johnston was hired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent one plus season as the bench boss of the Penguins before returning to Portland in an elevated role.

During Johnston's nine years in Portland, he helped 28 Winterhawks get drafted into the NHL, including eight players being selected in the first round. Before his tenure with Portland, he worked for Team Canada and spent nearly a decade as an assistant and associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks (1999–2006) and the Los Angeles Kings (2006–2008). [1] Currently he is a "Hockey Player Development" instructor for the online sports-career training school Sports Management Worldwide, founded and run by Dr. Lynn Lashbrook.[1]

Johnston is also the uncle of the professional hockey players, Ryan Johnston and Rebecca Johnston.

Coaching career

Johnston initially started coaching at the College and University level in Canada. He coached college hockey in Alberta for five seasons[2] before becoming the head coach of the University of New Brunswick from 1989 – 1994, winning two McAdam Division titles, and finishing with three first-place finishes and an overall record of 77–44–6.[3] He was named the 3M Coach of the Year in 1994 and won the Telegraph Journal Coach of the Year Award in 1993.

Internationally, Johnston worked for Team Canada for five seasons from 1994 to 1999 serving in the capacity of general manager and associate coach and finally head coach for the 1998–1999 season,[4] and was an assistant coach at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. In addition to the championships at the senior level, Johnston won three gold medals as head coach for Canada at the Spengler Cup Tournament and two World Junior Championships as an assistant coach in 1994 and 1995.[4]

In 1994 he became general manager and associate coach of the Canadian national men's hockey team. In 1998 he became the head coach for one season. He then spent six seasons as, at first, an assistant coach and then as an associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks. During Johnston's time in Vancouver, the Canucks made four straight trips to the postseason and won the Northwest Division in 2003–2004. After that, he was an associate coach of the Los Angeles Kings.[5]

Western Hockey League

Johnston was the coach and general manager of the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL from 2008 to 2014, where he amassed a record of 231–114–10–10, landing him second on the Winterhawks' all-time wins list.[6]

In his second season with the Hawks in 2009–10, Johnston guided the team to a 48-point improvement from the prior season, a franchise record, and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs. The Winterhawks topped the 100-point barrier in 2010–11 with 103 points, a U.S. Division title and then their first of four straight trips to the WHL championship series.[7]

After 102 points in 2011–12, they advanced to the WHL championship and the first of their three straight WHL Finals series against the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 2012–13 the Winterhawks had their greatest season in team history, with franchise records of 57 wins and 117 points, and a league record 29 road wins, as they won the third WHL championship in franchise history and advanced to the final of the 2013 Memorial Cup. In 2013–14 the Winterhawks set another franchise record under Johnston, with a 21-game winning streak as they amassed 113 points and their fourth consecutive trip to the championship series.[7] Johnston returned to the Winterhawks for the 2016–17 season as head coach, general manager and vice president of the team. In his first year back with the Winterhawks, Portland amassed 40 wins for the sixth straight season under Johnston.[8]

Suspension

After an investigation by the Canadian Hockey League, Johnston was suspended by the Western Hockey League for the duration of the 2012–13 WHL season, after it was revealed he offered improper player benefits and committed various recruitment violations over a four-year period. Some of the noted improper benefits Johnston offered to Winterhawk players included paying for their families to come to Portland multiple times during the season by subsidizing travel costs to the city, financing private summer training programs and providing cellular telephones to the team captains. As a result of the violations, Johnston was forced to hand over his general manager and head coaching positions to assistant coach Travis Green, who would guide the club to the Ed Chynoweth Cup. As a punishment for violating league rules, the team was forced to forfeit the first five rounds of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, along with their first round draft picks until 2017. The investigation into Johnston's conduct came months after the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires were fined for improper player benefits and recruitment violations. Johnston's suspension was lifted at the end of the season.[9]

Pittsburgh Penguins

Johnston was hired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 25, 2014. During the 2014–15 season, the Penguins stormed out of the gate to a 22–6–4 record, but as injuries started to mount, Pittsburgh began to struggle and finished the season eighth in the Eastern Conference.[10] The Penguins would be eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers.

In his second season with Pittsburgh, the Penguins started the 2015–16 season 15–10–3, and Johnston was fired on December 12, 2015. In a team statement announcing the firing, general manager Jim Rutherford stated that he felt the team was "underachieving".[11]

Johnston's combined record with the Penguins was 58–37–15.[12]

Personal life

Johnston played hockey for Brandon University in Manitoba and Acadia University in Nova Scotia, and holds a master's degree in Coaching Science from Acadia University. He and his wife Myrna have two children, Gabby and Adam. Adam is a scout for the Portland Winterhawks.

Awards and achievements

Books

Johnston has authored three books with former NHL player Ryan Walter: Simply the Best: Insights and Strategies from the Great Hockey Coaches, Simply the Best: Players on Performance, and Hockey Plays and Strategies.[14]

WHL coaching record
TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLOTLPtsFinishResult
POR2008–09 7219485435th in U.S. DivisionDid not qualify
POR2009–10 7244253914th in U.S. DivisionLost in round 2
POR2010–11 72501931031st in U.S. DivisionLost in finals
POR2011–12 72491941022nd in U.S. DivisionLost in finals
POR2012–13 25204141(replaced mid-season)
POR2013–14 72541351131st in U.S. DivisionLost in finals
POR2016–17 7240284844th in U.S. DivisionLost in round 2
POR2017–18 7244226942nd in U.S. DivisionLost in round 2
POR2018–19 6840226863rd in U.S. DivisionLost in round 1
Total59736020037757.634 winning %

NHL coaching record
TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLOTLPtsFinishResult
PIT2014–15 82432712984th in MetropolitanLost in first round (NYR)
PIT2015–16 281510333(fired)—
Total110583715131

International coaching record
TeamYearPositionResult
Spengler Cup1992 Head coachGold medal
IIHF World U20 Championship1994 Assistant coachGold medal
IIHF World U20 Championship1995 Assistant coachGold medal
Ice Hockey World Championships1995 Assistant coachBronze medal
Ice Hockey World Championships1996 Assistant coachSilver medal
Ice Hockey World Championships1997 Assistant coachGold medal
Spengler Cup1997 Assistant coachGold medal
Spengler Cup1997 Head coachGold medal
Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics1998 Assistant coach4th place
Ice Hockey World Championships1998 Associate Coach
Ice Hockey World Championships1999 Associate Coach4th place
Ice Hockey World Championships2007 Associate CoachGold medal
Ice Hockey World Championships2008 Associate CoachSilver medal
IIHF World U18 Championship2009 Head coach4th place

University head coaching record
TeamYearRegular season
WLOTLResult
ACAC1982–83 12123rd place
ACAC1983–84 15103rd place
ACAC1984–85 14113rd place
ACAC1985–86 14923rd place
ACAC1986–87 141014th place National Championship
University of New Brunswick1989–1990 10823rd place
University of New Brunswick1990–91 121133rd place
University of New Brunswick1991–92 18711st place Division finalist
University of New Brunswick1992–93 18711st place MacAdam Division Champions AUAA Conference Finalist
University of New Brunswick1993–94 18621st place MacAdam Division Champions AUAA Conference Finalist

References
  1. "Mike Johnston | SMWW Mentor | Blaine, Washington". www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  2. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=29039
  3. "19130_pre season guide5_r1" (PDF). Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  4. "Mike Johnston Named Head Coach of Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team for 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship; Spott and Lavigne Named Assistant Coaches". www.hockeycanada.ca.
  5. "Mike Johnston profile at HockeyDB.com". HockeyDB.com. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  6. "Mike Johnston By The Numbers". Portland Winterhawks. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  7. "Mike Johnston Returns As Vice President, General Manager & Head Coach – Portland Winterhawks". winterhawks.com.
  8. http://www.hockeydb.com/stte/portland-winterhawks-7537.html
  9. "Winterhawks punished for violations". foxsports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  10. "Penguins fire coach Mike Johnston, name Mike Sullivan replacement".
  11. Gretz, Adam (December 12, 2015). "Penguins fire coach Mike Johnston, name Mike Sullivan replacement". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  12. Hall, Jordan (December 12, 2015). "Penguins fire coach Mike Johnston; Mike Sullivan takes over | NBC Sports Philadelphia". Nbcsports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  13. "Elite Prospects – Mike Johnston Team Staff Profile". www.eliteprospects.com.
  14. "IceTime – Game 23 vs. Boston Bruins 1/7/15".
Preceded by
Dan Bylsma		 Head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins
2014–2015		 Succeeded by
Mike Sullivan
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