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UW’s Johnson eager to lead U.S. women

MADISON — Mark Johnson’s memorable hockey moments are numerous:

Playing 669 games in 11 seasons in the National Hockey League . . . leading the University of Wisconsin to the NCAA men’s hockey championship as a freshman in 1977 . . . guiding the UW women’s hockey program to two NCAA titles and a runner-up finish in six seasons and another No. 1 ranking this season.

Yet Johnson’s most memorable achievement came on, in his opinion, the sport’s grandest stage, when he was the leading scorer on the United States team that stunned the Soviet Union en route to the gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The memories of that remarkable team, coached by Herb Brooks, were with Johnson on Tuesday as he was introduced as the coach of the U.S. women’s team for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

“To me, when you look at hockey and you look at the different platforms we coach and we play on, there isn’t a bigger one,” Johnson, 51, said during a teleconference from UW. “The Olympics is the biggest.

”I’ve played in playoff games in the NHL. I’ve had opportunities to win championships here at Wisconsin. But to me the biggest platform is the Olympics. I experienced that 29 years ago.

“So to get an opportunity to coach energetic, very skilled, world-class players up in Vancouver is going to be a special journey.”

That journey will take Johnson away from top-ranked UW (22-1-3) after the conclusion of this season.

The U.S. team is to train in Blaine, Minn., and Johnson plans to live in Minneapolis.

UW assistants Dan Koch and Tracey Cornell are to be designated co-head coaches during his absence.

The U.S. won the first women’s gold medal at the 1998 Winter Games but has won the silver medal in both 2002 and ’06.