Jim Johannson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | March 10, 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 21, 2018 (aged 53) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Ice hockey executive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Ken Johannson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Family | John Johannson (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Lester Patrick Trophy (2018) Paul Loicq Award (2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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James Johannson (March 10, 1964 – January 21, 2018) was an American ice hockey player, coach and executive. He played for the United States national junior team at the World Juniors in 1983 and 1984, then played for the United States national team at the Winter Olympics in 1988 and 1992, the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1992, and was captain of the silver medal-winning team at the 1990 Goodwill Games. He played 374 games in the International Hockey League (IHL) after being selected by the Hartford Whalers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He won the Turner Cup as the IHL playoffs champion with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1988, then again with the Indianapolis Ice in 1990. He played 264 consecutive games spanning three seasons by 1991, and received the Ironman Award from the IHL in recognition of his durability. As an amateur, he played for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey program and won the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship in 1983. Johannson was twice named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic team, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in sport management.
After retiring as a player, Johannson was head coach and general manager of the Twin Cities Vulcans in the United States Hockey League, and led them to the Junior A National Championship in the 1999–2000 season. He worked in several executive positions for USA Hockey from 2000 to 2018, co-operated with the United States Olympic Committee, and oversaw all men's and women's national hockey teams. During his tenure with USA Hockey, national teams won a combined total of 64 medals in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competitions. He helped acquire Compuware Arena to become the home rink for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, and was general manager of the men's national team at the 2018 Winter Olympics until his death three weeks before the games began. He was posthumously given the Lester Patrick Trophy in recognition of growing hockey in the United States, received the Paul Loicq Award from the IIHF for contributions to international ice hockey, and inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. He was son of Ken Johannson who also served as general manager of the United States national team, and was the younger brother of professional hockey player John Johannson.