Poile, Laviolette Mourn Loss of USA Hockey's Jim Johannson

The hockey world is mourning the loss of USA Hockey's Jim Johannson, who passed away unexpectedly early Sunday morning. He was 53.
A native of Rochester, Minnesota, Johannson was the assistant executive director of USA Hockey and the general manager of the 2018 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team.
Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile and Head Coach Peter Laviolette - with both men having worked with Johannson at multiple Olympic and IIHF World Championship appearances - were among those shocked and saddened by the news.

"This is] such a devastating loss for all of us," said Laviolette, who was also a teammate of Johannson's while playing for Team USA at the 1988 Winter Olympics. "I think about all of the great things that Jim has done and how he has helped and touched so many lives. Today I lost a roommate, a teammate, a colleague and a great friend. [This is
, Johannson's thoughts on serving as general manager of the 2018 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team:
"I've had a lot of fun at USA Hockey but one of the most fun days I've had was calling 15 or 16 guys early one morning from my house to tell them they were on the 2018 Olympic team. And the second time was telling the last few guys that they made the team. It meant so much to me that I got to call those guys and tell them that they were going to represent us. I know how much it meant to those players at this point in their careers. I know they will represent us well."