Mark Johnson (ice hockey)

Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson
Born	September 22, 1957 (age 69); Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach
Years active	1976–1992 (player), 1995–present (coach)
Known for	Member of 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic team; head coach of University of Wisconsin–Madison women's hockey program

Mark Einar Johnson (born September 22, 1957) is a prominent American ice hockey coach currently at the helm of the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's hockey program. As a former NHL athlete, Johnson participated in 669 regular season contests between 1980 and 1990. He played a pivotal role on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, famously known as the "Miracle on Ice," leading the squad with 11 points en route to a gold medal. Under his leadership as Wisconsin's head coach, the team has captured eight NCAA National Championships, the most titles achieved by any Division I hockey program across both men's and women's levels.

Johnson’s impact on the sport has been honored through his inductions into several halls of fame: the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999, the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. Additionally, he received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 2011 for his exceptional contributions to American hockey.

Amateur career

Johnson began his hockey journey at James Madison Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin before advancing to play three seasons for the University of Wisconsin–Madison men's ice hockey team under the guidance of his father, coach Bob Johnson. In 1977, he played an instrumental role in leading the Badgers to a national title and became the first player from Wisconsin to be named WCHA Rookie of the Year. Throughout his collegiate career, Johnson established himself as the school's top goal scorer and ranked second all-time in total points while earning two All-America distinctions. His brother, Peter, was also a member of the university’s hockey team.

International and professional career

At just 18 years old in 1976, Johnson made his international debut with the U.S. national team, participating in eleven exhibition games as part of the Olympic squad coached by his father. Over his international tenure, he competed in thirteen major tournaments representing the United States, including several Ice Hockey World Championships and Canada Cup competitions. He was a central figure on the legendary "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid in 1980.

During the iconic contest against the Soviet Union, Johnson contributed two goals out of Team USA’s four total, including an early first-period tally that prompted Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak’s replacement and a vital third-period equalizing goal. The U.S. team ultimately secured gold by defeating Finland, with Johnson assisting on the decisive goal and adding an insurance score himself. His performance earned him MVP honors for the team.

In his professional career within the NHL, Johnson suited up for multiple franchises: the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils. He was selected for the 1984 NHL All Star game representing Hartford and served as captain of the Whalers from 1983 through 1985. Beyond North America, he played with Milan Saima SG in Italy and completed his playing days with one season in Austria before retiring in 1992. Remarkably, at age 41, he briefly returned to compete for Team USA during qualifiers for maintaining Pool A status at the 1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.

In coaching roles, Johnson led the United States women's national ice hockey team to a silver medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.

On February 9, 2019, during a ceremony at the Kohl Center, the University of Wisconsin honored him by retiring his #10 jersey—making him the first player from Badgers hockey to receive this distinction.

Personal life

Johnson completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin in 1994. His son, Patrick, was a member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison men's hockey squad. Johnson also coached his daughter, Mikayla, who competed on the university’s women's hockey team between 2013 and 2017. Another son, Chris, played for Augsburg College's men's hockey team and currently serves as an assistant coach there. His daughter Meghan represented Augsburg's women's hockey team from 2015 through 2019.

In popular culture, Michael Cummings took on the role of Johnson in the 1981 television movie Miracle on Ice, whereas Eric Peter-Kaiser portrayed him in Disney’s 2004 feature film Miracle.

Regular season and playoffs

1984–85 St. Louis Blues NHL 17 4 6 10 2 3 0 1 1 0 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" 1985–86 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 21 41 62 16 — — — — — |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" 1986–87 New Jersey Devils NHL 68 25 26 51 22 — — — — — |- 1987–88 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL 54 14 19 33 14 18 10 8 18 4 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" 1988–89 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL 40 13 25 38 24 — — — — — |- 1989–90 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL 63 16 29 45 12 2 0 0 0 0 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" 1990–91 Serie A (ice hockey) season Milan Saima SG ITA 36 32 45 77 15 10 7 16 23 6 |- 1991–92 Serie A (ice hockey) season Milan Saima SG ITA 2 1 3 4 0 — — — — — |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" 1991–92 Alpenliga season Zell am See EK Alpenliga 18 13 28 41 8 — — — — — |- 1991–92 Austrian Hockey League season Zell am See EK AUT 15 10 21 31 6 — — — — — }

International

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1975–76	Madison Memorial High	HS-WI	30	65	56	121	—	—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	United States	Intl	11	5	6	11	0	—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	43	36	44	80	16	—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	42	48	38	86	24	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	40	41	49	90	34	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	United States	Intl	53	33	48	81	25	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	17	3	5	8	4	5	2	2	4	0
1980–81	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	73	10	23	33	50	5	2	1	3	6
1981–82	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	46	10	11	21	30	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	10	2	2	4	10	4	2	0	2	0
1982–83	Hartford Whalers	NHL	73	31	38	69	28	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Hartford Whalers	NHL	79	35	52	87	27	—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Hartford Whalers	NHL	49	19	28	47	21	—	—	—	—	—

Year	Team	Tournament	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978	United States	WC	10	0	2	2	0
1979	United States	WC	2	0	0	0	0
1980	United States	OG	7	5	6	11	6
1981	United States	WC	5	0	2	2	2
1981	United States	CC	6	1	3	4	2
1982	United States	WC	7	1	1	2	6
1984	United States	CC	6	2	3	5	0
1985	United States	WC	10	4	1	5	6
1986	United States	WC	10	5	3	8	10
1987	United States	WC	10	3	6	9	8
1987	United States	CC	5	0	1	1	0
1990	United States	WC	9	2	3	5	2
Career international totals			87	23	31	54	42

Awards and achievements

Collegiate

WCHA Freshman of the Year (1977)
All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association First Team selections in both 1978 and 1979
Named to the American Hockey Coaches Association West All-American team for the years 1978 and 1979
Recipient of the WCHA Most Valuable Player award in 1979

Professional (NHL)

Selected to participate in the NHL All-Star Game in the year 1984

Additional Honors

Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in the year 1999
Honored by induction into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001
Enshrined in the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in the year 2003
Entered into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004
Awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy in recognition of exceptional contributions to hockey in the United States in 2011

Coaching career

Since 2002, Johnson has held the position of head coach for the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's ice hockey program. During his tenure, his teams have captured NCAA national titles in the years 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2023, and most recently, in 2025. Prior to this appointment, he served as an assistant coach for Wisconsin's men's ice hockey squad from 1996 through to 2002.

In addition to collegiate coaching, Johnson was an assistant coach for the U.S. men's national hockey team during both the year 2000 and again in 2002. On July 6, 2006, he was named head coach of the United States women's national team and successfully guided them to a silver medal finish at the Olympic Games held in 2010.

Johnson also took on coaching responsibilities for the Madison Monsters minor league hockey team during their inaugural season in 1995–96.

Tracey DeKeyser acted as interim head coach for the 2009–10 season of the Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey team while Johnson was away coaching the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team to a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

External links