No. 32 — Mark Johnson, Men’s & Women’s Hockey
When you’re the son of the legendary “Hockey Bob,” pressure to be great can be immense. However, his son Mark has done as good a job of any son to make it beyond a shadow like that.
Mark Johnson has built his own legacy at the University of Wisconsin and taken a path of his own to greatness. There may not be a single player or coach on this list with a better combined resume or a stranger path to getting on this list.
As a Badger, Johnson was simply one of the best at finding the net in UW history. He set the all-time
Not only is Johnson a historically great figure at the University of Wisconsin, but his legacy in the world of hockey is legendary. He was a member of the 1980 USA Hockey team that completed the “Miracle on Ice” and went on to beat Finland for the Gold Medal.
Johnson wasn’t just part of that team, he was a leader on and off the ice. He led the team in scoring during the 1980 Olympics.
Beyond those accomplishments, Johnson had an 11-year NHL career of his own (1979-1990) in which he played 669 games. Following that time Johnson began to get in to the coaching ranks and eventually became the head coach of the Badgers women’s hockey team.
As a coach of that squad, the Badgers have won multiple WCHA titles and have won four national championships (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011). While the program was successful before his tenure, Johnson has taken the women’s program to a whole different level of success.
Not many players or coaches can say they’ve accomplished what Mark Johnson has. It could be argued that if there is such a thing as a “face” of Badger hockey (both men’s and women’s hockey), Mark Johnson is it.
Full 50 Greatest Badgers List:
No. 50 – Randy Jablonic
No. 49 – Alex Rigsby
No. 48 — Michael Lihrman
No. 47 — Howard “Cub” Buck
No. 46 — Don Davey
No. 45 — Pat O’Dea
No. 44 — Curtis Joseph
No. 43 — Dean Anderson
No. 42 — Ivy Martin
No. 41 — Ron Vander Kelen
No. 40 — Carly Piper
No. 39 — J.J. Watt
No. 38 — Joe Pavelski
No. 37 — Barb Franke
No. 36 — Dick Cable
No. 35 — Sam Dekker
No. 34 — Jolene Anderson
No. 33 — Paul Gruber
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