One of the most unique characters in team history, Eddie Johnston enjoyed two memorable stints with the Penguins – first between 1980-88, when his tenure as the team’s general manager laid the groundwork for eventual back-to-back titles in 1991 and ’92; and later as head coach from 1993-97.
Johnston will forever be known in hockey history for manipulating his roster before and into the 1983-84 season to ensure the Penguins would finish below the New Jersey Devils to claim the top choice in the ’84 Draft – Mario Lemieux. That foresight kept the Penguins in Pittsburgh. However, Johnston’s time as GM saw the Penguins acquire more than just Lemieux. Johnston orchestrated the seismic trade with Edmonton in 1987 that delivered Paul Coffey; and his September ’83 trade with Los Angeles delivered then-little-known college forward Kevin Stevens for Anders Hakansson.
Lemieux wasn’t the only first-round pick that Johnston hit on, as his others included Bob Errey, Doug Bodger (later traded for Tom Barrasso), Craig Simpson (traded for Coffey), Zarley Zalapski (traded for Ron Francis) and Chris Joseph (traded for Coffey).
The third-winningest head coach (232 wins) and second-longest tenured (516 games) head coach in club history, Johnston enjoyed great regular-season success from 1993-97. During that span, the Penguins ranked second in the NHL with 153 wins, third in points, first in goals for and first in power-play percentage. The ’95-96 Penguins advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, and might have advanced further had Ron Francis not broke his foot. That ’95 96 team is the second-highest goal-scoring team in Penguins history. Overall, the Penguins made the playoffs in five of Johnston’s six full seasons. He and Dan Bylsma remain the only Penguins coaches to win multiple division titles.
When discussing the success and championships of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is easy to focus on players such as Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin.
However, those franchise-altering players and five Stanley Cups would not have been possible without the framework and guidance from Eddie Johnston.
“EJ” is part of the 2025 Penguins Hall of Fame Class along with Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens and Scotty Bowman. They were inducted on Oct. 25 vs. Columbus.