"You can put either one at No. 1 and the other one at No. 2," Johnston said, laughing. "Either way won't upset me."
Johnston, 82, has a unique dual connection to Orr and Lemieux.
"E.J." was a goaltender for Boston from 1962-73, helping the Bruins win Stanley Cups in 1970 and '72. He was Orr's teammate from 1966-73.
"Orr's goal got me a Stanley Cup ring," Johnston said.
Johnston drafted Lemieux while serving as Penguins GM in 1984. Johnston later coached Lemieux with the Penguins, and has been part of the organization since Mario assumed ownership in 1999.
Johnston is succinct when comparing the two: "Orr was the impact player in Boston. He made the franchise. Mario made the franchise in Pittsburgh."
Johnston had a closer look at Orr, playing behind the legendary whirlwind for seven seasons. Orr remains the only defenseman to win the NHL scoring championship, doing so in 1969-70 and 1974-75.
"Orr changed the whole game," Johnston said. "He was like the fourth forward. He changed the pace of the game. If you were ahead, he'd slow the game down. If you were behind, look out, because he'd pick it up. Orr was the only player that could control the pace of the game."
As for Lemieux, Johnston said, "Who always got the big goal? Mario. His impact on the game and on Pittsburgh is special."
Johnston wasn't with the Penguins organization when Lemieux scored even-strength, short-handed, on the power play, on a penalty shot and into an empty net against New Jersey on the final day of 1988. But "E.J." nonetheless marvels at the accomplishment.
"It's almost impossible," Johnston said. "Goalie out, short-handed…every which way that can happen, it happened. But with a guy like Mario, nothing surprises me."
Orr's Stanley Cup-winning goal produced an iconic photograph, with Orr soaring high above the ice after being tripped.
"Eight feet in the air, he was," Johnston remembered.
Boston hadn't won the Stanley Cup since 1941, and hadn't made the playoffs for seven seasons prior to Orr's arrival in 1966. (The Bruins didn't qualify for the post-season in Orr's first year, either.) Johnston thought it fitting that Orr's OT tally capped off the Bruins' triumph in 1970.
"No question about it," Johnston said. "If we get the Cup here, you want to see Sid [Crosby], or Mario when he won it, be the guy to finish it off. Orr was that guy in Boston."
When Lemieux came to the NHL in 1984, Johnston was offered huge return for the No. 1 pick he used to draft Lemieux. Quebec reportedly dangled all three Stastny brothers: Peter, Anton and Marian. Peter Stastny posted 1,239 points in 977 NHL games and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"I had all kinds of offers, but I had made up my mind," Johnston said. "I told [then-Penguins owner Edward J. DeBartolo], "You can let me go if you want to, but I'm not trading him. Players like this come along once in a lifetime.' "
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays at WXDX-FM (105.9).
