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JOHN ALLEN
USA Hockey

USA Hockey loses its greatest ambassador with Jim Johannson's death

Kevin Allen
USA TODAY
Jim Johannson speaking during a news conference in Plymouth, Mich. Johannson, the general manager of the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team, has died just a couple weeks before the start of the Pyeongchang Games, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018. He was 53.

Before the 2015 NHL draft, USA Hockey’s Jim Johannson predicted Zach Werenski would have as big an impact on an NHL team as the top players in the draft.

He was the first person to mention Auston Matthews’ name to me, months before the hockey world knew he was on his way to stardom. In 2012, Johannson told me about Phil Housley’s impressive potential as a coach. It was several months before Housley coached the USA to the gold medal at the World Junior Championships and five years before the Buffalo Sabres hired him.

“He had his finger on the pulse of everything that was going on in the hockey world,” USA Hockey’s executive director Pat Kelleher said.

Jim Johannson:Former player, USA Hockey executive dead at 53-years-old

USA Hockey was left with a gaping hole in its organization when Johannson, 53, died in his sleep Saturday night. The cause of death is still undetermined.

“Jim Johannson was USA Hockey to most of the world,” Kelleher said. “All the hockey federations in the world turned to Jimmy. The hole he left is so wide that it is hard to come to grips with.”

Johannson’s title was assistant executive director of hockey operations, but his duties were overseeing the USA’s national teams. He was general manager of the U.S. men’s Olympic team that will compete next month in Korea.

“This Olympic team was going to be a testament to Jimmy because no one knew the depth our player pool better than he did,” Kelleher said. “When we knew the pool wasn’t going to be NHL players, he was the first to say ‘We are going to have 25 unique stories of guys and these guys are damn good hockey players.’ ”

Those who knew Johannson will miss his personality as much as his expertise. He knew everyone in the sport. He knew American hockey history. And it seemed as if he had a story, memory or thought about every player he ever played with or against or had seen play.

Although he never made the NHL, Johannson played on U.S. teams with many of America’s greatest stars. No one was better at talking about Brian Leetch’s dominance or Chris Chelios’ warrior attitude or how much impact physical players such as Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk had on USA Hockey.

It is hard to imagine anyone cared more about American hockey than Johannson.

“Billy Guerin called me this morning when I was on an airplane and I didn’t believe him,” Tkachuk said. “This is devastating for everybody.”

“He could do almost anything for a team,” said Tkachuk, who played with Johannson on the 1992 Olympic team. “He had skill, but he was a responsible guy who you could put on the ice in the last minute of a game. He was a player you relied on.”

Johannson and Tkachuk roomed together on the Olympic tour.

“I remember once Jimmy got so angry at us when we playing at Salt Lake,” Tkachuk said. “(U.S. forward) Lane McDonald got hit hard and Jimmy lost it in the locker room. He said we should never let that happen to one of our top players, to someone who has done as much as Lane McDonald had. I was a young player and that had an impact. It helped me mold my game to be a stick-up-for-your-teammate kind of guy. That was 1991 and I still remember what Jimmy said.”

Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher called Johannson “a remarkable hockey ambassador.”

“Jim was a monumental force within USA Hockey,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “He was totally committed to growing the game in this country and devoted his life to it with great success.  The hockey world lost a giant.  And, selfishly, I lost a good friend who shared a passion for the game and a zest for life.  I will miss him immensely.  My sincerest condolences go out to his family, his wife Abby and his young daughter, Ellie.”

Today, players in the Wisconsin-Notre Dame college game are wearing "JJ" stickers on their helmets to honor Johannson, who played at Wisconsin.

Johannson has been with USA Hockey for 17 years, and American success in international tournaments has improved considerably under his command. American teams have won 64 medals under his watch, including 34 gold medals. In recent years, the USA has matched Canada’s success in the World Junior Championships. The Americans have won six medals in the last nine years, including three gold.

“He’s built it to where it is today,” Tkachuk said. “He works tirelessly to make sure every world junior team has a chance to win a gold medal. Everywhere I went I ran into him. He’s everywhere.  He was a player and then he became an architect of U.S. teams. He talked to everyone. USA Hockey lost Mr. USA Hockey.”

Johannson’s role with USA Hockey came naturally to him. Johannson was a two-time Olympian, playing in 1988 and 1992. His father Ken was a former U.S. national team player and manager of U.S. national teams.

“He knew where players were from and what programs they came out of,” Kelleher said. “He had such a feel for American players. The fact that our teams are continually on the podium and expected to win goal medals -- that’s a testament to Jim’s work. He believed in our players.”

Not long ago, I was involved in a discussion about why Johannson had not received the Lester Patrick Award for service to American hockey. The consensus was he was still a relatively young man, still in the prime of his career, and there was still plenty of time to honor him.

He leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter.

“I don’t want to think about that,” Tkachuk said. “I talked to my wife today about being with Jimmy and him showing us pictures of his daughter and the glow he had on his face. It’s sad his daughter is not going to see what a leader her dad was, except through stories. USA Hockey lost its foundation today.”

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