Johannson was once a Flames prospect
He was known throughout the hockey world as J.J.
During Jim Johannson’s twoseason stint with the Calgary Flames’ farm club in Salt Lake City in the late 1980s, there was an extra initial.
“As you know, nicknames are such an important part of the hockey culture,” said former NHL bruiser Stu Grimson, reminiscing about his days as Johannson’s minor-league teammate with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League. “Jimmy never had a middle name, so I dubbed him ‘Just Jim Johannson.’ It was J.J.J., or J to the power of three. It was ‘Just Jim Johannson’ whenever I got a chance to refer to him that way.
“He thought that was hilarious. He was a really fun-loving guy. We had loads and loads of great memories together.”
Some of the most influential people in the hockey world gathered Thursday in Colorado Springs, Colo., to pay their respects to Johannson, a longtime executive for USA Hockey, who died at the age of 53 on Sunday.
Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke, who expressed Sunday on Twitter that he was “heartbroken” by the passing of his friend, was among those in attendance at the memorial service.
Johannson will be best remembered for his contributions to USA Hockey’s national programs — first as a forward, later an executive — but had Calgary connections, too.
He skated at the Saddledome during the 1988 Olympics, wearing the Stars & Stripes alongside the likes of Mike Richter, Brian Leetch and Craig Janney. After the tournament, a 24-year-old Johannson signed a professional contract with the Flames and reported to Salt Lake, where he helped the Golden Eagles win the IHL’s Turner Cup.
He was second on the team in playoff production with eight goals and 23 points in 19 games that spring.
“He really made an impact,” said Paul Baxter, head coach of the farm club in Salt Lake for two seasons before becoming an assistant on the bench staff in Calgary. “He was a real leader in a lot of respects. Very astute. Really understood the game well. He had a very good hockey IQ, a very good feel for the game. Good hands. And he was very well-respected and well-liked by his teammates and coaches.”
Johannson recorded 59 goals, 66 assists and 207 penalty minutes in 132 games in Salt Lake but never scored a call-up to Calgary.
He spent five more seasons in the minors before becoming a coach and eventually an executive.
“Jimmy was a great guy, and what I remember is he was a guy who just bled USA Hockey,” said former Eagles defenceman Ken Sabourin, who earned a Stanley Cup ring with the 1989 Flames — he made only one playoff appearance, so his name isn’t engraved on the historic hardware — and is now an analyst on Washington Capitals radio broadcasts. “He was a very intelligent guy who knew the game and loved the game. And I think his love was with USA Hockey, I really do. I just had that feeling at the time. You just kind of knew that would be his calling.” Indeed, it was. Johannson would return to Salt Lake as a member of the management staff for Team USA at the 2002 Winter Games, his first of five opportunities to help shape the American roster for the marquee event. He was general manager for the 2018 Olympics but passed away before puck-drop in Pyeongchang.
During Johannson’s 18-year tenure at USA Hockey, the Americans captured 64 medals in major international competition — 34 gold, 19 silver and 11 bronze.
“He was a great guy, a great teammate,” recalled Theo Fleury, who made a pit-stop in Salt Lake on his ascent to NHL stardom. “And post-playing career, he did amazing things for USA Hockey. Look at all the players that he’s developed that have gone on to amazing careers in the NHL. He probably was the catalyst that really closed the gap between Canada and the U.S. When we were playing, the U.S., they were a good team but we should have beaten them every time. Now, it’s like 50-50 and I think a lot of that has to do with his leadership and the programs he put in place.”
Former teammates in the Flames’ minor-league system will now cherish their memories of “Just Jim Johannson.”
“My lasting impressions were always what a fun-loving guy he was, what a genuine guy he was and what an easy guy to be around he was,” said Grimson, one of the NHL’s toughest customers for more than a decade and now a corporate counsel. “He was really caring, really humble and just had this infectious, gregarious personality.
“I was just devastated to hear the news.”