Tom Johnson (ice hockey)

For other people with the same name, see Thomas Johnson (disambiguation).

Thomas Christian "Tomcat" Johnson (February 18, 1928 – November 21, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, he played for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He later served as the assistant manager of the Bruins and the Bruins' coach. Johnson was the recipient of the Norris Trophy in 1959. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970.

Tom Johnson
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1970
Johnson in 1972
Born	(1928-02-18)February 18, 1928 Baldur, Manitoba, Canada
Died	November 21, 2007(2007-11-21) (aged 79) Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	NHL Montreal Canadiens Boston Bruins AHL Buffalo Bisons
Playing career	1947–1965

Johnson died of heart failure at age 79 in Falmouth, Massachusetts. He was born in Baldur, Manitoba and was of Icelandic descent.^[1]

Hockey career

Johnson won the Stanley Cup as a player with Montreal in 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960. After his playing career, Johnson was named on the Cup a seventh and an eighth time. His seventh time came as assistant general manager in 1970 and his eighth as the Bruins' coach in 1972. Johnson was a member of the Bruins organization for more than 30 years.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1946–47	Winnipeg Monarchs	MJHL		14	10	4	14	12		7	3	1	4	19
1947–48	Montreal Royals	QSHL		16	0	4	4	10		—	—	—	—	—
1947–48	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1948–49	Buffalo Bisons	AHL		68	4	18	22	70		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	Buffalo Bisons	AHL		58	7	19	26	52		5	0	0	0	20
1949–50	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		—	—	—	—	—		1	0	0	0	0
1950–51	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	2	8	10	128		11	0	0	0	6
1951–52	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		68	0	7	7	76		11	1	0	1	2
1952–53	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	3	8	11	63		12	2	3	5	8
1953–54	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	7	11	18	85		11	1	2	3	30
1954–55	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	6	19	25	74		12	2	0	2	22
1955–56	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		64	3	10	13	75		10	0	2	2	8
1956–57	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	4	11	15	59		10	0	2	2	13
1957–58	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		66	3	18	21	75		2	0	0	0	0
1958–59	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	10	29	39	76		11	2	3	5	8
1959–60	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		64	4	25	29	59		8	0	1	1	4
1960–61	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	1	15	16	54		6	0	1	1	8
1961–62	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	1	17	18	45		6	0	1	1	0
1962–63	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		43	3	5	8	28		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Boston Bruins	NHL		70	4	21	25	33		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Boston Bruins	NHL		51	0	9	9	30		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				979	51	213	264	960		111	8	15	23	109

Coaching statistics

				Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League		Games	Wins	Losses	Ties		Games	Wins	Losses	Result
1970–71	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	57	14	7		7	3	4	Lost in quarter-finals
1971–72	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	54	13	11		15	12	3	Won Stanley Cup
1972–73	Boston Bruins	NHL		52	31	16	5		—	—	—	Promoted to Assistant GM midseason
NHL totals				208	142	43	23		22	15	7

^[2]

Awards and achievements

• NHL Second All-Star team Defenseman (1956)
• NHL first All-Star team Defenseman (1959)
• James Norris Memorial Trophy winner (1959)
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970
• Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1993
• Honored Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• Regular season coaching wins percentage leader (0.738, minimum 100 games coached)
• Coach, 26th National Hockey League All-Star Game