Desjardins enjoys chance to coach against Johnston

Saturday’s meeting between the Vancouver and Pittsburgh Penguins was more than just another game to Willie Desjardins.
The game offered Desjardins a chance to coach against his “real good friend” Mike Johnston after they both took several decades to become NHL head coaches. Desjardins and Johnston, both 57 and rookie NHL bench bosses, initially coached together in the mid-to-late 1980s at the University of Calgary under the guidance of George Kingston. From there, they wound their way to the NHL.
“He’s super-competitive and, for both of us, it was a long time to coach at this level,” said Desjardins. “So whenever we get a chance to coach at this level, I think it’s significant.”
Desjardins began his coaching career at the U of C while completing a master’s degree in social work. He then moved on to the Seibu Bears in Japan, briefly coached the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL as a mid-season replacement, and served as an assistant with the Canadian men’s national team under Johnston before moving to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Serving as both general manager and coach over the years, Desjardins guided the Tigers to a pair of WHL titles as well as a Memorial Cup final berth before moving to the Dallas Stars organization, where he spent two seasons as an assistant with the NHL club and two more as head coach of their Texas farm club. After guiding Texas to the AHL championship last season, and earning coach of the year honours in the process, he took on his first NHL head coaching position with the Canucks.
Johnston, a Dartmouth, N.S., native, initially served as a head coach at the Augustana University College in Alberta and then worked with Desjardins as a U of C assistant while completing a master’s in coaching science. After leaving the U of C, Johnston took the helm at the University of New Brunswick, served as general manager and coach with the Canadian men’s national team, and then held assistant and associate positions with the Canucks and Los Angeles Kings before becoming GM and coach of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks – a team he built into a powerhouse.
Along the way, both Desjardins and Johnston also coached Canadian squads in a number of junior and senior world championships. Ironically, Johnston received his first head coaching job last summer when Desjardins rejected an offer from the Penguins and joined the Canucks instead.
So did Desjardins put in a good word for Johnston with the Pens?
“No, he did everything on his own,” said Desjardins with a chuckle. “He’s good and he’s real capable.”

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Kane shows he's able to play in the NHL

Evander Kane is as good as gone from the Vancouver Giants.
The 18-year-old winger, drafted fourth overall by Atlanta in last summer's NHL draft, has three points in his first five games with the Thrashers. If the Vancouver native plays 10 games in the NHL, the first year of his entry-level NHL contract will kick in, making it unlikely that he will return to major junior hockey.
If he only plays nine games, he can go back to junior without having salary cap implications. Because of his age, he is ineligible to play in the minors.
But Kane ranks among Atlanta's leaders in scoring, shots and ice time, so it appears that his days in the WHL are over.
Centre James Wright, 19, who played with Kane on Vancouver's top line last season, has also stuck with Tampa, at least for the time being. He has been much less productive with the Lightning, but the Saskatoon native's chances of returning to the WHL also appear unlikely.
"I consider those guys NHL players now," Giants general manager Scott Bonner told the Vancouver Province. "I am moving forward as if they have moved on.
"It's never easy, but you learn to deal with it. Early graduation, as well as injuries, are two of the uncontrollable parts to managing in the WHL."
The next question: Will Atlanta will free up Kane to play for Canada again at the world junior championships?