Bob Johnson (ice hockey, born 1931)
An eternally optimistic coach whose 'It's a great day for hockey!' mantra propelled a university program and an NHL franchise to their first championships.
1931–1991 (age 60)·American ice hockey coach·Birthday: March 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Johnson's coaching philosophy was distilled into a single, sunny phrase: 'It's a great day for hockey!' That enthusiasm was the engine behind a transformative career. At the University of Wisconsin, where he earned the nickname 'Badger Bob,' he built a collegiate powerhouse from scratch, leading the Badgers to three national titles and creating a pipeline of talent. His international coaching stints, including leading the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, showcased his tactical mind. Johnson's move to the NHL with the Calgary Flames proved his methods worked at the highest level, but it was with the Pittsburgh Penguins that he reached the summit. In his first year behind the bench, he guided a team led by a young Mario Lemieux to the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 1991. His career was cut short by brain cancer later that year, but his legacy was cemented both in trophies and in the joyful approach to the game he instilled in countless players.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
Key Achievements
- Coached the University of Wisconsin Badgers to three NCAA national championships (1973, 1977, 1981).
- Led the Pittsburgh Penguins to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in the 1990-91 season.
- Coached the United States men's national team at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992, the year after his death.
- His 367 wins at the University of Wisconsin stood as a program record for decades.
Did You Know?
The University of Wisconsin's hockey arena, the Kohl Center, features a statue of Johnson outside its entrance.
He was posthumously awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.
His son, Mark Johnson, was a star on the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' U.S. Olympic team and later became the women's hockey coach at Wisconsin.
The phrase 'It's a great day for hockey!' is engraved on his Hall of Fame plaque.
““It's a great day for hockey!””
