Mark Johnson (hockey player)
Encyclopedia
Mark "Magic" Johnson is a current ice hockey
coach and former United States ice hockey player who appeared in 669 NHL
regular season games between 1980 and 1990 after playing for the Gold medal winning 1980 US Olympic Hockey team. Johnson's son, Patrick Johnson, currently plays for the men's hockey team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
ice hockey team for three years under his father, legendary coach Bob Johnson. As a teenager he went to James Madison Memorial High School
and was on the hockey team.
In 1977, during his first year at the university, he helped the Badgers
win the NCAA
national championship. He was the first Badger ever to win WCHA
Rookie of the year. He went on to become the school's second all-time scorer. Johnson was also a two time All-America
n. His brother, Peter
, would also play at the university.
Johnson made his international debut with the United States national team as an 18-year-old in 1976, when he played in 11 training games for the 1976 US Olympic ice hockey team coached by his father. He would represent the United States in 13 international tournaments (including the 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments as well as the 1981
, 1984
and 1987 Canada Cup
). He is most famous for being a star player on the US Olympic Hockey
team at the 1980 Lake Placid
winter games. Playing for the United States Of America against the Soviet Union
, Johnson scored two of the four goals in the Team USA 4-3 victory. He scored in the first period of the game, which directly led to the Soviet coach taking out his goalie Vladislav Tretiak
, a questionable move because Tretiak was considered the best goalie in the world at the time. He also scored in the third period to tie the game at 3–3. The team would then go on to defeat Finland to capture the gold medal.
Johnson went on to play professional hockey in the NHL
for the Pittsburgh Penguins
, Minnesota North Stars
, Hartford Whalers
, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils
. His NHL accomplishments include playing in the 1984 NHL All Star game as the Whalers representative as well as serving as the Whalers team captain in 1983–85. He also played two seasons with Milan Saima SG in Italy
and a final season in Austria
before retiring from the game in 1992. He briefly came out of retirement to play two games for Team USA in the 1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
qualifying tournament at the age of 41, where he helped Team USA retain its position in the World Championships' Pool A.
In 2010, Johnson led the USA Women's Hockey team to win a silver medal in the Vancouver games.
team, a position he has held since 2002. The team won its first NCAA national championship on March 26, 2006. They repeated as national champions in 2007, 2009 and 2011. Prior to coaching the women's team, Johnson was an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Badgers
Men's hockey team from 1996 until 2002.
He served as an assistant coach for the men's team in 2000 and 2002. On July 6, 2006, he was named head coach of the American women's team as part of a general reorganization of the program, leading the women's hockey team to a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics.
TV movie Miracle on Ice.
Eric Peter-Kaiser portrayed him in the 2004
Disney film Miracle
. Peter-Kaiser was playing college hockey for SUNY Potsdam
when he got the part.
United States National Team Coach
He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
in 2003.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
coach and former United States ice hockey player who appeared in 669 NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
regular season games between 1980 and 1990 after playing for the Gold medal winning 1980 US Olympic Hockey team. Johnson's son, Patrick Johnson, currently plays for the men's hockey team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Amateur career
Johnson played for the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
ice hockey team for three years under his father, legendary coach Bob Johnson. As a teenager he went to James Madison Memorial High School
James Madison Memorial High School
James Madison Memorial High School is a public school located at 201 South Gammon Road, Madison, Wisconsin, 53717, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District...
and was on the hockey team.
In 1977, during his first year at the university, he helped the Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
win the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
national championship. He was the first Badger ever to win WCHA
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
Rookie of the year. He went on to become the school's second all-time scorer. Johnson was also a two time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n. His brother, Peter
Peter Johnson (ice hockey coach)
Peter Johnson is an American ice hockey coach and scout.-Biography:Johnson is the son of Hall of Fame coach Bob Johnson and brother of Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey coach Mark Johnson. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he played on the men's ice hockey team and was a...
, would also play at the university.
International and professional career
(as coach)Johnson made his international debut with the United States national team as an 18-year-old in 1976, when he played in 11 training games for the 1976 US Olympic ice hockey team coached by his father. He would represent the United States in 13 international tournaments (including the 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments as well as the 1981
1981 Canada Cup
The 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet...
, 1984
1984 Canada Cup
The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil...
and 1987 Canada Cup
1987 Canada Cup
The 1987 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament held from August 28 to September 15, 1987. The finals took place in Montreal on September 11 and Hamilton, Ontario, on September 13 and September 15, and were won by Team Canada....
). He is most famous for being a star player on the US Olympic Hockey
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
team at the 1980 Lake Placid
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
winter games. Playing for the United States Of America against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Johnson scored two of the four goals in the Team USA 4-3 victory. He scored in the first period of the game, which directly led to the Soviet coach taking out his goalie Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...
, a questionable move because Tretiak was considered the best goalie in the world at the time. He also scored in the third period to tie the game at 3–3. The team would then go on to defeat Finland to capture the gold medal.
Johnson went on to play professional hockey in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
, Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. His NHL accomplishments include playing in the 1984 NHL All Star game as the Whalers representative as well as serving as the Whalers team captain in 1983–85. He also played two seasons with Milan Saima SG in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and a final season in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
before retiring from the game in 1992. He briefly came out of retirement to play two games for Team USA in the 1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
-World Championship Group C :Played March 22-28 in Budapest, Székesfehérvár and Dunaújváros.- Group 1 :- Group 2 :- Final Round 25-28 Place :Hungary was promoted to Group B.- Consolation Round 29-32 Place :...
qualifying tournament at the age of 41, where he helped Team USA retain its position in the World Championships' Pool A.
In 2010, Johnson led the USA Women's Hockey team to win a silver medal in the Vancouver games.
Coaching career
Johnson is currently the head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's ice hockeyWisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey
The Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey team is the hockey team that represents the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.-History:On October 8, 1999, the Bulldogs played the Wisconsin Badgers in the first ever Women's WCHA conference game at the Kohl Center in Madison, WI...
team, a position he has held since 2002. The team won its first NCAA national championship on March 26, 2006. They repeated as national champions in 2007, 2009 and 2011. Prior to coaching the women's team, Johnson was an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
Men's hockey team from 1996 until 2002.
He served as an assistant coach for the men's team in 2000 and 2002. On July 6, 2006, he was named head coach of the American women's team as part of a general reorganization of the program, leading the women's hockey team to a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics.
In popular culture
Michael Cummings played Johnson in the 19811981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
TV movie Miracle on Ice.
Eric Peter-Kaiser portrayed him in the 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
Disney film Miracle
Miracle (film)
Miracle is a 2004 American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice...
. Peter-Kaiser was playing college hockey for SUNY Potsdam
State University of New York at Potsdam
The State University of New York at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, or, colloquially, Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. Founded in 1816, it is among the 50 oldest colleges in the United States...
when he got the part.
Honors and awards
- 2011 Lester Patrick TrophyLester Patrick TrophyThe Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL...
for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.
- Johnson was inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of FameWisconsin Hockey Hall of FameThe Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame which is located in Eagle River, Wisconsin, was founded in 1975 and is housed in the Eagle River Sports Arena. The hall was established to honor outstanding individuals responsible for the development, growth and success of amateur ice hockey in the State of...
in 2001 and the United States Hockey Hall of FameUnited States Hockey Hall of FameThe United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
in 2004.
- He completed his B.A. degree in kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin in 1994.
Awards and achievements
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1984)
- WCHAWestern Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
Freshman of the Year (1977) - WCHA First All-Star Team (1978, 1979)
- NCAA West First All-American Team (1978, 1979)
- WCHA Most Valuable Player (1979)
United States National Team Coach
- 2000 Men’s World Championship (Assistant)
- 2002 Men’s World Championship (Assistant)
- 2006 Women’s Four Nations Cup (Head)
- 2007 Women’s World Championship (Head)
- 2007 Women’s Under-22 Select Team (Head)
- 2008 Women’s Under-18 Select Team (Head)
- 2010 Women's Olympic Team (Head)
He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame is a promenade in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dedicated to honoring distinguished members of Wisconsin's sports history. New members are honored at a biennial banquet.-History:...
in 2003.
Career statistics
Regular Season
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM
1979-80 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 17 3 5 8 4
1980-81 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 73 10 23 33 50
1981-82 Pittsburgh/Minnesota NHL 56 12 13 25 40
1982-83 Hartford Whalers NHL 73 31 38 69 28
1983-84 Hartford Whalers NHL 79 35 52 87 27
1984-85 Hartford/St. Louis NHL 66 23 34 57 23
1985-86 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 21 41 62 16
1986-87 New Jersey Devils NHL 68 25 26 51 22
1987-88 New Jersey Devils NHL 54 14 19 33 14
1988-89 New Jersey Devils NHL 40 13 25 38 24
1989-90 New Jersey Devils NHL 63 16 29 45 12
NHL Totals 669 203 305 508 260