Mike Johnston is back.
The man who guided the Portland Winterhawks from the bottom of the Western Hockey League to a WHL title was re-introduced on Wednesday morning as the club’s head coach and general manager.
Johnston rejoins the Winterhawks after serving as head coach of the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins. He was fired from that job 28 games into this season, his second with the Penguins.
Johnston, 59, returns to replace Jamie Kompon who was dismissed after the Winterhawks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this season. Kompon served as the coach and general manager for two seasons.
The Winterhawks reached out to Johnston after Kompon was fired, but Johnston said he wanted to wait at least a month to consider his future. Ultimately, Johnston said he wanted to be a head coach and when the Winterhawks approached him again he decided Portland was the best place to do it.
“We’re all the same in sports as athletes and coaches, the challenge is what gets you excited,” Johnston said.
For owner Bill Gallacher, Johnston’s return is a big victory – one he expects to quickly turn the Winterhawks into championship contenders again. Johnston’s success developing players for the NHL – 16 of the 25 former Winterhawks currently in the NHL played for Johnston in Portland – is significant for recruiting future talent.
“The easiest route to the NHL (for junior players) is through Portland, in my opinion, with Mike Johnston here,” Gallacher said.
Gallacher would not discuss contract details but said Johnston has made a very serious commitment to the Winterhawks.
In addition to being head coach and general manager, Johnston will be a vice president and work with president Doug Piper on budgeting and other administrative projects.
“This came about very recently, very quickly. But on my wish list he would have been right at the top,” Gallacher said. “I love Mike Johnston. He was with me when we took over this organization. Part of the success we’ve had, even after he left, is because of Mike and the things he instilled in everybody.”
Piper said Johnston was always at the top of the list of candidates, but that several other NHL people expressed interest in the opening.
“We didn’t think there would be anybody as impactful as Mike on the program itself. Plus we didn’t think there was anybody who would be as impactful with the fan base, the ticket holders and the community at large,” Piper said.
Johnston left an impressive legacy when he departed for Pittsburgh.
Serving as the Winterhawks general manager and head coach from November of 2008 though the 2014 season, Johnston guided Portland to four consecutive Western Conference championships and the 2013 league title (though Travis Green was the man behind the bench in 2013 as Johnston served a WHL suspension when the league sanctioned Portland for providing improper benefits to players).
Johnston’s 231-114-10-10 record in his first six seasons ranks second to Ken Hodge on the franchise’s all-time wins list and his .660 winning percentage is best among Winterhawks coaches with six or more seasons behind the bench.
For associate head coach Kyle Gustafson, reuniting with Johnston is an exciting opportunity. He cited Johnson’s ability to get the most out of players and to communicate his vision to everyone in the organization as two of his strengths.
“Mike’s done such a great job here in the past. He’s a great mentor. He has amazing presence in the community,” Gustafson said.
Johnson was 58-37-15 as coach of the Penguins. Pittsburgh lost to the New York Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season and were 15-10-3 to start this season when Johnston was fired and replaced by Mike Sullivan. The Penguins advanced this week to the Eastern Conference finals.
For Johnston, this restart is much different than having to learn the people and the league from scratch in 21008. He said he likes the Winterhawks 50-player list. Priorities will be recruiting some of those prospects and preparing for the import draft – an area of great success during Johnston’s first tenure.
Standing in the media room at the Moda Center on Wednesday, Johnston said it was nice to see many familiar faces.
“It feels very comfortable because you know the people in the city, you know the people with the organization, so it feels very comfortable,” Johnston said. “But at the same time, like any other new job, you’re kind of nervous or anxious because you know there’s a lot of work to be done. It’s not like there’s a ready-made group of 18-, 19-year-olds here that we can just step into. We’ve got to do some work.”
