Tom Johnson

Thomas Christian "Tomcat" Johnson (February 18, 1928 – November 21, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, he played for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He later served as the assistant general manager and head coach of the Bruins. Johnson was the recipient of the Norris Trophy in 1959. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970.

Johnson was born in Baldur, Manitoba and was of Icelandic descent. He died of heart failure at age 79 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Hockey career In his first year of junior with the Winnipeg Monarchs in 1946-47, Johnson was questioned to be worthy of a spot on the Toronto Maple Leafs' list of sponsored players. However following a match in which he scored the tying and winning goal, he caught the eye of a scout for the Montreal Canadiens, who worked out a cash settlement with the Maple Leafs and placed him on their negotiation list.

The first year Johnson came to Montreal, general manager Frank Selke was unable to gain a transfer from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. He spent a year playing informal Hockey, taking a few classes at McGill University he also was exposed to the Canadiens winning environment at their home games. During the next season, he made his first 2 appearances with the Canadians but spent the majority of his first three pro seasons with their farm team the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior Hockey League along with the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL. During his time in the minors he impressed coaches both with his enthusiasm from the bench and his work ethic on the ice. During this time he also improved his skating, which had always been his one major drawback.

In total, Johnson won the Stanley Cup as a player (1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960) while being selected to the NHL All-Star Game eight times (1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963).

Coaching/later career

After retirement he stayed a member of the Bruins organization winning his 7th Stanley Cup as an assistant general manager in 1970. The following year after former Bruins coach Harry Sinden stepped down, Johnson was named as his replacement during his first year as coach in 1971 he led the team to a first place finish with 121 points. However they were upset in the first round of the playoffs. The next season he led the Bruins to a 54–13-11 record, winning the Stanley Cup for an eighth time in 1972 defeating the Rangers four games to two. Johnson was then promoted back to assistant general manager in the middle of the 1973 season. He remained a member of the Bruins organization for more than 30 years serving a variety of different jobs until retiring for good in 1998.

Career statistics

Coaching statistics

Awards and achievements NHL Second All-Star team Defenseman (1956) NHL first All-Star team Defenseman (1959) Played in the NHL All Star game 8 times in 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1963 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner (1959) Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970 Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1993 Honored Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame Regular season coaching wins percentage leader (0.738, minimum 100 games coached) Stanley Cup champion, 8 times (as a player 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960) (As a executive 1970, As a coach 1972) Coach, 26th National Hockey League All-Star Game