Don Johnson | |
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| Born | March 25, 1930 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | May 12, 2012 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | St. Mary's College |
| Occupation(s) | Bank manager, accountant, civil servant, journalist |
| Known for | Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association president |
| Awards | Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame (1982) |
| Honours | Don Johnson Memorial Cup |
Donald Stewart Johnson (March 25, 1930 – May 12, 2012) was a Canadian sports executive. He was elected president of the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association (NAHA) in 1966, sought to expand minor ice hockey in Newfoundland and negotiated for the NAHA to become a member of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). He was elected president of the CAHA in 1975, resolved internal disagreement over the jurisdiction of junior ice hockey, avoided the withdrawal of the Western Canada Hockey League and sought a new professional-amateur agreement with the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association. He was part of negotiations to end the Canada men's national ice hockey team hiatus from the Ice Hockey World Championships and the Olympic Games, in exchange for International Ice Hockey Federation approval of the 1976 Canada Cup. He established a long-term sponsorship to improve the National Coaching Certification Program, twice visited China with a Canadian amateur team for instructional tours and arranged an exchange for Chinese players and coaches to attend training camps in Canada. He was chairman of the 1978 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as the CAHA past-president, and was posthumously credited by Hockey Canada for playing an important role in Canada's return to international competitions and improving Canada's hockey reputation.
Johnson was a member of the Royal St. John's Regatta committee for 18 years, which included a term as president and obtaining permission to use the Royal prefix. He served as a director of the Sports Federation of Canada and the National Sport Recreation Centre. He was also chairman of the Interprovincial Sports and Recreation Council, a member of the Canada Games council and sat on the board of governors for Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. He was the assistant deputy Newfoundland Minister of Sport during the late 1970s, was an executive member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Amateur Sports Federation, served as treasurer of Softball Newfoundland and the Newfoundland Amateur Sports Federation, and was president of the St. John's Senior Softball League. His other sporting interests included sitting on the board of directors for the St. John's Maple Leafs, a director of the Youth Bowling Council of Canada, and a delegate to the Canadian Amateur Swimming Association. Johnson was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame, the Newfoundland Hockey Hall of Fame, the Royal St. John's Regatta Hall of Fame, the Newfoundland and Labrador Volunteer Hall of Fame, and was made the namesake of the Don Johnson Memorial Cup.