Mark Einar Johnson (born September 22, 1957) is an American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

coach for the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's ice hockey team. He is a former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) player who appeared in 669 NHL regular season games between 1980 and 1990. He also played for the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic team.

Amateur career

As a teenager, Johnson attended James Madison Memorial High School, where he was on the hockey team. He then played for the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

ice hockey team for three years under his father, legendary coach Bob Johnson. In 1977, during his first year at the university, he helped the

Badgers Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...

win the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

national championship. He was the first Badger to win the WCHA Rookie of the year. He went on to become the school's leading goal scorer and second all-time scorer. Johnson was also a two time

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. His younger brother,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, also played at the university.

International and professional career

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 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team coached by his father. He represented the United States in 13 international tournaments (including the 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990

Ice Hockey World Championship The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...

tournaments and the

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1987 Canada Cup The 1987 Labatt 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, on September 13 and September 15, and were won by Team ...

). He was a star player on the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic Hockey team at the 1980 Lake Placid winter games. Playing for the United States against the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, Johnson scored two of the four goals in the

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

4–3 victory. His first goal, scored with one second left in the game's first period, led to the Soviet coach taking out his goalie,

Vladislav Tretiak Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM ( rus, links=no, Владислав Александрович Третьяк, p=trʲɪˈtʲjak; born 25 April 1952) is a Russian former goaltender for the Soviet Union national ice hockey team. Considere ...

, who was considered the best goalie in the world at the time; years later, when Johnson asked Soviet defenseman

Slava Fetisov Viacheslav Alexandrovich "Slava" Fetisov (Russian: Вячеслав Александрович Фетисов, ''Vjačeslav Aleksandrovič Fetisov''; born 20 April 1958) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for HC CS ...

, now an NHL teammate, about the decision, he was simply told, "Coach crazy". He also scored in the third period to tie the game at 3–3. The team then defeated Finland to capture the gold medal, with Johnson assisting on the game-winning goal and scoring the insurance goal with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Johnson was named team MVP. Johnson went on to play professional hockey in the NHL for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

, and

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kan ...

. He played in the 1984 NHL All Star game as the Whalers representative and served as the Whalers' captain in 1983–85. He also played two seasons with

Milan Saima SG Hockey Club Milano (better known as Hockey Club Milano Saima after its sponsor) was an ice hockey team in Milan, Italy. History The club was founded in 1985 and initially played in the Serie B. They made their debut in the Serie A during the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and a final season in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

before retiring in 1992. He briefly came out of retirement to play two games for Team USA in the

1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 1998 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 62nd such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing 40 countries participated in several levels of competition. The competition also served as qua ...

qualifying tournament at the age of 41, where he helped Team USA retain its position in the World Championships' Pool A. In 2010, thirty years after winning the Olympic gold medal as a player, Johnson coached the

United States women's national ice hockey team The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey. The U.S. has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey teams in international play, having medaled in every major tournament. In 1998, the women's Olympic ...

, which won a silver medal in the Vancouver games. On February 9, 2019, the University of Wisconsin retired #10 during a pre-game presentation at the Kohl Center. Johnson was the first player to have his number retired.

Coaching career

Johnson is the head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's ice hockey 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, 2011, 2019 and 2021. Prior to coaching the women's team, Johnson was an assistant coach for the

Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey The Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The team plays at the Kohl Center and is coached by Tony Granato. The Badgers ice hockey tea ...

team from 1996 until 2002. Johnson has won the following awards and championships as head coach: * 6× National Champion (2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2018–19, 2020–21) * 8× WCHA Regular Season Champion (2005–06, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20) * 8× WCHA Tournament Champion (2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018-19) * 4×

AHCA Coach of the Year The AHCA Coach of the Year is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I women's college ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association The American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members c ...

(2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) He served as an assistant coach for the American national men's hockey team in 2000 and 2002. On July 6, 2006, he was named

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

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 )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

. Johnson coached the

Madison Monsters The Madison Monsters were a minor professional ice hockey team in the United Hockey League (UHL) based in Madison, Wisconsin, with home games in the Dane County Memorial Coliseum. The city of Madison was granted the franchise before the 1995� ...

minor league hockey team during their inaugural 1995–96 season. *Johnson spent the 2009–10 season coaching the US Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team, finishing with a silver medal at XXI Winter Games. NCAA National Title Game Appearances # 2006 - Wisconsin 3 vs. Minnesota 0 # 2007 - Wisconsin 4 vs. Minnesota-Duluth 1 # 2008 - Wisconsin 0 vs. Minnesota-Duluth 4 # 2009 - Wisconsin 5 vs. Mercyhurst 0 # 2011 - Wisconsin 4 vs. Boston University 1 # 2012 - Wisconsin 2 vs. Minnesota 4 # 2017 - Wisconsin 0 vs. Clarkson 3 #2019 - Wisconsin 2 vs. Minnesota 0 #2021 - Wisconsin 2 vs. Northeastern 1 OT

In popular culture

Michael Cummings played Johnson in the

TV movie ''

Miracle on Ice The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tournam ...

''. Johnson's son, Patrick Johnson, played for the men's hockey team at the

. He coaches his daughter, Mikayla, who plays for the women's hockey team at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. His other son, Chris Johnson, played for the men's hockey team at Augsburg College, and now serves as an assistant coach on the Augsburg men's hockey team. His other daughter, Megan, also plays hockey for the women's team at Augsburg College. Eric Peter-Kaiser portrayed him in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film ''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

''. Peter-Kaiser was playing college hockey for

SUNY Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam or, colloquially, Potsdam) is a public college in Potsdam, New York. It is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1816, it is among t ...

when he got the part.

Awards and achievements

* 2011

Lester Patrick Trophy The 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, c ...

for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. * Johnson was inducted into the

Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame The 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 ...

in 2001 and the

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...

in 2004. * He completed his B.A. degree in kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin in 1994.http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/johnson_mark00.html. * Played in NHL All-Star Game (1984) * WCHA Freshman of the Year (1977) * 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 in 2003.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Mark Johnson's hockeydraftcentral.com profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Mark 1957 births 1980 US Olympic ice hockey team AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American expatriate ice hockey players in Austria American expatriate ice hockey players in Italy American men's ice hockey centers Birmingham Bulls draft picks Hartford Whalers captains Hartford Whalers players Ice hockey players from Minneapolis Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics IIHF Hall of Fame inductees Lester Patrick Trophy recipients Living people Medalists at the 1980 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics HC Milano players Minnesota North Stars players National Hockey League All-Stars New Jersey Devils players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in ice hockey Olympic silver medalists for the United States in ice hockey Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Pittsburgh Penguins players St. Louis Blues players United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players EK Zell am See players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions Sports coaches from Minneapolis