Former Axeman named Peguins' head coach

PITTSBURGH, PA - The Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League have appointed former hockey Axeman Mike Johnston as the new head coach of the team after firing former coach Dan Bylsma in early June.

Johnston was named Bylsma's replacement after five seasons in junior hockey as head coach and general manager of the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks.

Johnson played for the Acadia Axemen from 1975 to 1978 before turning to coaching at age 23, where he began his coaching career at Camrose College in Alberta and then was an assistant coach at the University of Calgary. In 1989 he took over as head coach at the University of New Brunswick, which lasted until 1994.

In 1994 he became general manager and associate coach of the Canadian national men's hockey team and four years later he became the head coach of the National Team for one season. Mike then spent six seasons as an assistant coach and eventually as an associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks. After that he was an associate coach of the Los Angeles Kings. In 2008 he started his last position in Portland.

Johnston leaves Portland with a 217-80 record and four straight post-season appearances. The Winterhawks improved by 48 points in Johnston's first season and made the playoffs for the first time in four years.

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