Fansided

Every current NHL franchise’s most beloved head coach

By Griffin Youngs

(Original Caption) Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman with the Stanley Cup on day of Red Wings celebratory parade in Detroit. (Photo by © Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman with the Stanley Cup on day of Red Wings celebratory parade in Detroit. (Photo by © Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – 1991: Head coach Bob Johnson (1931-1991) of the Pittsburgh Penguins yells at the referee from the bench during an NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers circa 1991 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – 1991: Head coach Bob Johnson (1931-1991) of the Pittsburgh Penguins yells at the referee from the bench during an NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers circa 1991 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Penguins: Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson is the only man who could coach one season with a team and come out as the most beloved coach in franchise history, especially with a team with a history as successful as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Johnson was hired by Pittsburgh in 1990 after the Penguins failed to qualify for the playoff the previous season and in seven of the last eight years. Badger Bob squashed all of those demons within one season, and took the Penguins to winning the eastern conference and qualifying for the playoffs.

After failing to make the playoffs so many times before, critics wondered if these Penguins had what it took to go all the way. The Penguins took down the Devils in five games, beat the Capitals in five games, and advanced to the Stanley Cup finals with a win over the Bruins. In the Finals, the penguins met the North Stars and beat them in six games, claiming their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Johnson became the second American-born coach to win the Stanley Cup and the first in 53 years.

In a tragic turn of events, Johnson was diagnosed with brain cancer after suffering an aneurysm only a few months after the Stanley Cup and tragically passed away in November of the same year at 60 years old.

He was well-respected by players around the league and captured the hearts of Penguins fans in remarkable time with his optimism, and created a catchphrase still used commonly in Pittsburgh today, “It’s a great day for hockey!”

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