Don Johnson (sports executive)


Donald Stewart Johnson was a civil servant and sports executive known for his dedication to the sport of hockey. The Atlantic Canada Junior B Hockey Championship has been named the Don Johnson Cup in his honour.

Career

Johnson was born March 25, 1930 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was educated at St. Mary's College and Saint Mary's University. He began his career with the Bank of Nova Scotia at Middleton, Nova Scotia in 1949. In 1959 he was transferred to St. John's where he became active in community affairs and sports. In 1973 he was appointed assistant deputy minister in Newfoundland's provincial Department of Rehabilitation and Recreation.
Johnson's first involvement in the sport of hockey was as a member of St. Pat's hockey team in 1959. He eventually became the secretary of the St. John's Senior Hockey League and later its president. Johnson then became president of the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association and then in 1976 president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.
Johnson also served on the board of directors for the Newfoundland Tuberculosis and Respiratory Association and the Association for the Help of Retarded Children. In 1980 he was made a life member of the CAHA and in 1982 was inducted into the Newfoundland Sports Hall of Fame. He also was a sports columnist for the Evening Telegram.
Johnson died May 12, 2012, after a brief hospital stay at age 82.