Show notes
In this inaugural episode of the Neutral Zone Podcast, we talk with Mike Johnston, the Head Coach, Vice President and General Manager of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. Learn about Mike's rise in the coaching world from Canadian College hockey to Hockey Canada in the Olympics and all the way up to the NHL. Having coached some of the greatest players to ever to hit the ice, including Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, find out what he looks for when scouting junior players to Portland. EPISODE BREAKDOWN:0:00: Introduction0:42: Mike's Playing CareerCOACHING:2:50: CIS: Camrose Lutheran College (Univ Alberta-Augustana Campus)4:55: CIS: University of New Brunswick7:08: Hockey Canada & '98 Olympics12:09: NHL: Vancouver Canucks Ast Coach18:06: Shift to the CHL's Western Hockey League (WHL)SCOUTING19:11: WHL: Portland Winterhawks28:10: NHL: Pittsburgh, LAK & VancouverCOACHING29:04: Back to Portland (WHL)40:33: Coaching Sidney Crosby & Wayne Gretzky45:39: Coaching Junior Players48:26: NFL Pittsburgh Steelers Meeting Sit-Ins & Video Review51:10: Impact of the Seattle Kraken52:51: Portland Winterhawks Drafting American-Born Players & Team Culture Let us know what you think on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_Neutral_ZoneSound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com NEUTRAL ZONE SCOUTING:MENS: https://www.neutralzone.net/mens/WOMENS: https://www.neutralzone.net/womens/
