Alumni Association

Jim Johnson: A Coach for Coaches

Scoring Points for Coaching

During his UMD and NHL hockey careers, Jim Johnson '85 had some excellent coaches. As his own role changed from player to coach, he looked for successful strategies. “My passion is coaching and teaching. I say to be a good coach, you need to be a great teacher,” Johnson states. Johnson, along with three partners, has developed flexcoach.com. It’s an e-learning system that offers cutting edge coaching educational programs for youth sports coaches.

Johnson’s own experience is impressive. As a defenseman for the UMD Bulldogs, Johnson was named “Rookie of the Year” in 1981. He holds the record for most games played at UMD -- 174 games. While Johnson always knew that a hockey career was a possibility, it wasn’t his goal. “My education was what drove me to being a hockey player,” Johnson remembered. However, as fate would have it, Johnson graduated with a UMD communication degree a semester early. That allowed him to go to Prague and play in the World Championships.

Johnson has the greatest respect for his UMD coaches. “The direction that they gave us as players was unprecedented at the time in college hockey, the on-ice training, the off-ice training, and the education of teaching us how to play the game.” Johnson’s Bulldog teammates who also turned pro include Brett Hull, Tom Kurvers, Norm Maciver, Guy Gosselin, Bob Mason, and Bill Watson.

After UMD, Johnson played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, and the Phoenix Coyotes. He and his wife, Jody (Jackson) ‘85, who he met at UMD, now live in the Phoenix area.

Johnson worked in a variety of coaching capacities, with young people as well as with pros. Most recently he was the development coach with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Johnson is well known as a good coach but he wants to make every coach out there the best they can be. That’s why he teamed up with three partners and took a unique approach to coaching -- on-line coaching for coaches. They launched flexcoach.com, a website that instructs coaches in important fundamental skills.

The website contains 25 skill sets for hockey. Within the 25 skill sets, there are numerous drills for each. “All the drills are animated so even youth coaches who don’t know much about the game can be taught to utilize the ice surface, learning exactly where the players start and where they should end up in the drill in an organized manner,” Johnson said.

The program is versatile. Coaches can email practice plans to their players. A Learning Center allows coaches to brush up on tactics, rules, and strategies and the site offers a USA Hockey recertification program. Some of the most successful players and coaches in the NHL have contributed to the program’s lessons. The hockey portion of flexcoach.com has been joined by baseball drills. Flexcoach is planning to add skill development for soccer, football, basketball, and lacrosse.

Johnson knows that not every kid who plays a sport is going to end up as a professional athlete. But he does know that participating in sports helps develop confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. “Learning to work hard and being able to take that mindset to whatever they choose to do in life is a wonderful accomplishment,” Johnson said. And, quite possibly, some will become great coaches.