Australia Proved Lucky for Mike Johnston’s Hockey Coaching Career

One of the famed coaches, Mike Johnston, has a great story about Australia. Mike’s then coach suggested he seek out other opportunities during his playing days. Although Mike wanted to go to Austria or Switzerland, destiny planned something else. Later on, Mike spent around 10 years in Australia as a coach.

Not only coaching, Johnston also had a successful playing career in Australia. Now the 66-year-old former NHL player is the manager of Portland of the Western Hockey League. That’s how a successful coaching career began in Australia.

A miscommunication led to everything

Mike’s story revolves around a miscommunication. He looked for a team in Austria and somehow landed in Australia. While speaking to nhl.com, Mike said-

“The lady came back on the phone, and she said, ‘OK, here’s the address,'” Johnston said. “And it was Australia.

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“And I said, ‘Australia? I wanted Austria.’ And she said, ‘Well, I’ve got Australia. You can take it. Maybe send a note to them.’ Then she gave me Austria too.

“I sent a note to some of the Australian teams just on a whim.”

All these led to Mike’s career as a coach in Australia. He went onto become the coach of Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-2015 and 2015-2016). After that, he had a stint as an assistant coach with Vancouver Canucks (1999-2004) and Los Angeles Kings (2005-2008). Australia always had a rich history of quality NHL Players. Johnston also liked his stay in Australia as well. He said-

“Australia is a fabulous country,” Johnston said. “It’s just so unique and different from any other place you could go to. And I know it’s a long way and it’s huge travel, but I would think it’s a lifetime experience going down there.

“And for the Australian fans, to see hockey played at the highest level, I think it’s great for the game. I really do.

“I always thought it would catch on in Australia.”

Mike Johnston – A living legend and a world class coach

Mike Johnston is a living legend and a fantastic coach. His understanding of the game has helped him in his coaching days. Johnston’s contribution in making NHL a prime sport in Australia is huge.

People played hockey in the early 1900s but NHL became popular with the effort of few people. Mike had the vision and the plan to make NHL popular in Australia. Hopefully, he continues to do the wonderful job and keeps on producing wonderful players.

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