Roenick: Johannson can't be replaced

Jim Johannson is an irreplaceable piece of American hockey and a big reason the country has become an international superpower, according to two-time Olympian and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame forward Jeremy Roenick.
Roenick joined other former and current NHL players and executives in mourning the loss of Johannson, who died Sunday. He was 53.

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"There was never a day when Jimmy was in a bad mood or he wasn't there to help you ... never," Roenick told NHL.com. "His whole life was devoted to making USA Hockey the best it could be, in everything. It's crazy how unfair life is sometimes. They're going to replace him, but he's a big piece of American hockey that can't be replaced.
"You can't replace the magnitude of what he put into it and how he felt about it. He's one of the most important pieces of USA Hockey, bar none."
Roenick pointed to the success Johannson helped the United States enjoy while serving as general manager the past nine years at the World Junior Championship; the U.S. won three gold medals (2010, 2013, 2017), and three bronze (2011, 2016, 2018). He was also on the management team in 2004 when the Americans won gold in Finland.
"USA Hockey is a superpower in hockey now, and a lot of that has to do with his dedication and putting together the programs that developed these kids and developed us in working with the coaches, the referees, and in dealing with the parents," Roenick said. "It's amazing how much dedication he had to making sure that kids not only just developed in the game and got better, but loved it.
"He made kids love the game and when you love the game you work harder at it, and when you work harder at it you get better at it, and that's why we're a superpower."

Roenick said there wasn't just one thing he'll remember most about Johannson; it was everything he stood for in creating an atmosphere in which everyone wanted to be involved.
"He treated everyone the same, and at a time where every organization has its share of prima donnas, superstars, rookies, amateurs and kids, it never really mattered and that's not easy to do," he said. "The American Development Model (ADM) helped create young superstars. You see what we've done at the World Juniors the past seven years; our junior teams are killing it."
The ADM, which Johannson helped launch in 2009, highlighted the importance of using smaller ice surfaces in the advancement of youth hockey players.
"The ADM wasn't traditional learning-to-play hockey because it wasn't on a full sheet of ice," Roenick said. "We put the kids on a quarter-sheet of ice and told them to do this and that, and it has worked."