Joseph John Johnston (born March 3, 1949) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

coach and former professional player. Johnston played 331 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Johnston was once a coach for the

Douro Dukes The Colborne Cramahe Hawks were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Colborne, Ontario. The Hawks were members of the World United Hockey League. Competing in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League from 2007 until 2014, the Hawks orig ...

of the

Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) is a Canadian developmental junior ice hockey league. The league has primarily had teams in the Greater Toronto Area, Central Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, and Quebec. As of December 2019, the le ...

. Born in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, he played in the 1961

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with his hometown youth team. He played junior hockey for the

Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league. ...

from 1964 to 1967. His play attracted the attention of the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

who selected him eighth in the 1966 Amateur Draft. He made his professional debut with the Rangers'

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

affiliate

Omaha Knights Omaha Knights may refer to: * Omaha Knights (AHA) an ice hockey team that played from (1939–1942) in the American Hockey Association and from (1945–1951) in the United States Hockey League * Omaha Knights (IHL) an ice hockey team that played ...

but was traded to the

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 ...

in a trade for

Dave Balon David Alexander Balon (August 2, 1938 – May 29, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Balon played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1959 and 1973 before multiple sclerosis led to his retirement. Playing ...

. Johnston started his NHL career with the Minnesota North Stars in

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, but spent most of his time in the minors until 1971–72, when he became a front-line player for the

California Golden Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967–68 NHL season, 1967 to 1975–76 NHL season, 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oa ...

. His high-water mark came during the 1972–73 season through 1973–74 season, when for a Golden Seals team savaged by defections to the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

he rose to the forefront, leading the team in goals both seasons with 27 and 28 respectively and being named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 1973, 1974 and 1975. As virtually the Seals' only star, he was named team captain in the fall of 1973. However, his production in the 1974–75 season was half that of the year before, and he was traded to the

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in June 1975. In August of that year, Johnston was injured in a car crash. The injuries caused him to miss the Chicago training camp and the first 12 games of the season. His scoring touch deserted completely, managing only five assists in 32 games, and he finished the season in the minor leagues, retiring thereafter at the age of 27. He finished his NHL career with 85 goals and 106 assists for 191 points in 331 games, adding 320 penalty minutes. He returned to Peterborough and took up coaching while working as a contractor. His brother Jim also played professional ice hockey, playing several seasons in the International Hockey League.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Joey 1949 births California Golden Seals players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey forwards Chicago Blackhawks players Living people Minnesota North Stars players New York Rangers draft picks Oakland Seals players Ice hockey people from Peterborough, Ontario