Penguins Johnston Shows Character

Few jobs in professional sports come with more pressure—and less security—than coaching in the National Hockey League. Indeed, the average tenure of an NHL head coach is 2.4 years, according to a 2014 study published by Peter Tanner on FiveThirtyEight.

Coaching our Penguins? Given the expectations that throb like an extended hangover in the wake of the ’09 Cup, the pressure to succeed must be suffocating. Falter, even a little, and talk shows and blogs literally explode with critique.

Michel Therrien? Got us to the Finals in ’08. Too gruff, too conservative. Wouldn’t activate the defense. Dan Bylsma? Won 252 games in five-plus seasons, a Stanley Cup and a Jack Adams. Couldn’t make in-game adjustments.

Into the maelstrom stepped Mike Johnston. It was only a matter of time before fans began carping about him, too. Too professorial. Looks confused behind the bench. Makes stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin play both ends of the ice. Heck, he wasn’t even our first choice to succeed Bylsma.

You have to feel for Johnston, who left behind a powerhouse program with the Portland Winterhawks that he’d built from scratch to test the uncertain coaching waters of the Steel City. At times, he must’ve felt like Captain Bligh on The Bounty. Especially on the heels of last season’s nightmarish collapse.

Things went from bad to worse this fall when the Penguins stumbled to an ugly 0-3 start. Despite a revamped lineup that included sniper Phil Kessel, the team couldn’t buy a goal. Or a win.

Fingers were pointed squarely at Johnston. When the club jetted to Nashville on October 23 following a dismal 4-1 home loss to Dallas, his fate seemed all but sealed. Rumors swirled that the 57-year-old native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia soon would be replaced.

Talk about having one foot on the end of the gang plank and the other dangling in mid-air over a shark-infested sea.

People crumble under such pressure.

Johnston responded. With the vultures circling overhead the embattled skipper took charge and righted the ship. He moved boldly and decisively, shifting Kessel to Malkin’s wing. He continued to reinforce his puck-retrieval system while demanding defensive-zone coverage and accountability from everyone—including the stars. From his perch behind the bench he exuded a zeal and sense of command that became infectious. The team began to win.

Two weeks later? Comparatively speaking, the Pens are sitting pretty. They’re 9-5. Good for third place in the tough Metropolitan Division. They won six in a row (and nine of ten) until the tank ran dry against a youthful and rested Calgary squad during the final game of a grueling swing through western Canada.

Does this mean MJ’s the man to lead the Penguins to the Promised Land?

There’s a not-so-small matter of sagging superstars Crosby and Kris Letang to contend with. Ditto an underachieving power play. So the jury’s still out.

This we know. Johnston can rally the troops.