Mike Johnston feels like he is back where he belongs.
Shea McClellin Patriots Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Its just a statement on who he is. "(Coaching) is in your blood when the pre-season starts until it finishes at the end of the year," he said. "Its just kind of that own ownership, being able to coach, being able to compete, and you miss that when youre away from it, for sure, and its a good feeling to be back." Heading into Saturdays home game against the Kamloops Blazers, he has guided the defending WHL champions to a 3-3-1 record. Johnston was suspended last November after a league investigation determined the Winterhawks provided improper, undisclosed benefits that included free flights for players and parents. The team, which was also fined $200,000 and lost several draft picks, and league disputed the allegations publicly but Johnston ultimately accepted his punishment. He didnt get mad. He got busy, even though he was prohibited from going into the teams office or having any contact with players. "I tried to focus on what I could do rather than what I couldnt do, and I could still evaluate older players or our team for the future, and I could evaluate players who were on our list and determine if they were ready to fit into our program or were a ways away," he said from Portland in a recent phone interview. "I couldnt watch our team, but I could watch the other Western league teams." Johnston watched games online and also ventured to numerous rinks to scout Winterhawk hopefuls playing at lower levels. He also attended major coaching clinics in Burnaby, B.C., where he was a speaker and attended sessions to get insight on his profession. "Any time youre not coaching, like summer hockey, I always try and see if theres some way I can improve and try and study what other teams are doing, what other coaches are doing, take a look at our team, the organization, to see if theres any way to get an edge, to improve in what youre doing from that perspective," he said. Johnston, a Dartmouth, N.S., native who is in his early 50s, has been trying to get an edge on the bench since he stopped playing university hockey and got into coaching while in his 20s. He joined the Winterhawks after serving in the NHL for almost a decade as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. He has also won several medals with Canadian junior and senior-age national teams and served as an assistant with Canadas 1998 Oympic team in Nagano. His resume includes Canadian college coaching experience with the Camrose Kodiaks, a tenure with the University of New Brunswick and a stint as an assistant at the University of Calgary, where he obtained a masters degree in coaching science. He also co-authored the book, "Simply The Best -- Insights and Strategies From Great Hockey Coaches." After joining the Winterhawks early in the 2008-09 season, he guided the team to the playoffs for the first time in four years and built them into the powerhouse that won the WHL title last season. Former assistant Travis Green filled in as head coach before taking a job as head coach of the Canucks new AHL affiliate in Utica, N.Y. Although he was exiled from the club, Johnston took considerable satisfaction from the accomplishment. "Every year, we were making strides, we were taking steps and then last year we were able to break through," he said. "I was extremely proud of the coaching staff, the players and the whole team on how we handled the steps that wed been through the last four to five years -- how they progressed, how they developed and how they finally pushed over that hurdle to win a WHL championship." Now Johnston is setting his sights on a possible repeat and another berth in the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament with the bulk of the roster that prevailed last season. The Winterhawks lost seven players to graduation and promotion to the pro ranks. Defenceman Seth Jones, the fourth overall pick in this years NHL draft, has moved on to the Nashville Predators, while winger Ty Rattie, a St. Louis Blues prospect who placed third in the WHLs scoring race with 48 goals and 62 assists, is now playing for Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon is also in the AHL, toiling for Calgarys affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C. Portland still has 15 holdovers from the championship club. Among the returnees are Brendan Leipsic, who had 49 goals and 120 points last season. "Its going to be challenging, its going to be difficult," Johnston said of the effort to repeat. "But it wasnt easy to do what we did the last couple years. There are a lot of good teams in the league. Its a well-coached league, a well-run league and every season there are five or six teams that are playing at a level where anybody could win it. "This year it looks like its even more wide open than that. But weve got a good nucleus back, weve got a good core group and I believe that well have a chance to play (for a title). Well be right there." And so will Johnston. He declined to discuss his suspension in detail, and a team spokesman noted the organization is moving on from it. Johnston also declined to indicate whether the Winterhawks have reviewed or changed their recruiting procedures in wake of the suspension. But the club is treading carefully now that Johnston has been reinstated. "Were making sure that everything we do is in conjunction with what is being allowed by the league," said Johnston. "So we are making sure that (with) any grey area, any questions we have, we are checking with the league office first to make sure were in accordance with exactly how everything should be done." That way, Johnston, a self-described career coach, can focus on guiding his charges without fear of sanctions and a hiatus that, despite his efforts to keep busy, still caused obvious discomfort. "This is what I do, what I love to do," he said. "It means a lot to be back coaching."
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Dion Lewis Patriots Jersey . Ware, a world championship bronze medallist this past summer on three-metre, posted victories on 10m tower with 325.90 points on Saturday, and on the three-metre with 345.DETROIT -- The Nashville Predators scored only two goals on Tuesday night. But it was enough for a win because the slumping Detroit Red Wings couldnt get a puck past rookie Marek Mazanec. Mazanec made 27 saves to earn his first shutout, helping Nashville extend the Wings skid to seven games with a 2-0 victory. "Hes catching up to the level," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "Hes confident after seeing some of the best players in the world. When you start facing those guys on a regular basis, youre going to feel a little bit more confident if you have success." Shea Weber and Gabriel Bourque scored for Nashville, which has won two straight after losing four in a row. "Weve got to keep an even keel," Trotz said. The Red Wings are saying the same thing. Detroits home slide reached eight games (0-6-2), the franchises longest stretch without a win at Joe Louis Arena since Jan. 12-30 1991, according to STATS. "Its just a frustrating time for us right now," Jimmy Howard said after making 23 saves for the Red Wings. "It just doesnt seem like anythings going our way out there." Home -- or away. The Red Wings have gone seven games without a win overall (0-5-2) for the first time since the last seven games of the 2001-02 regular season, according to STATS. That team went on to hoist the Stanley Cup. This one, though, appears to have a lot of heavy lifting ahead of it to contend for a championship. "When youve lost that many in a row, it gets in your head," Trotz said. "They havent really lost that many games." In regulation, thats a fact. Detroit entered the game with an Eastern Conference-low five losses in regulation, but has lost all four of its shootouts and seven of eight games decided in overtime. "Theres no excuses -- whatsoever," Red Wings defenceman Niklas Kronwall said. "Our job is to win games and we havent been winning. Sure, weve been taking points here andd there, but its about getting two points and we have to get back to that as soon as possible.
Malcolm Butler Patriots Jersey. " Weber gave the Predators a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal with 4.8 seconds left in the second period. The Red Wings failed to clear the puck out of their end and Weber took advantage. Weber kept the puck in Detroits end along the boards, passed it to David Legwand, who set him up perfectly for a slap shot just inside the blue line in the middle of the ice. "That was a huge goal," Trotz said. "Were in Detroit and theyve got guys like (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg, theyre dangerous." Bourque gave Nashville a two-goal lead at 7:13 of the third period, scoring on a rebound that caromed off the boards behind Howard. The Red Wings lost their previous three games in shootouts and the two before those setbacks in overtime, but didnt come close to pushing the Predators past regulation. "They didnt have a lot of good opportunities," Mazanec said. "Our defence played great." Detroits defence lost a key player early in the game. Red Wings rookie Danny DeKeyser injured his left shoulder after getting checked into the boards on his second shift and didnt return. DeKeyser entered the game with two goals and ranked among rookie leaders with seven assists. "Hes definitely not playing this week," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. NOTES: Former Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios was honoured before the game for being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. ... NHL and Red Wings executives announced before the game that the 2014 Winter Classic is sold out. The Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs are expected play in front of 107,000-plus people on New Years Day at Michigan Stadium. In the same football stadium, Michigan and Michigan State set a hockey attendance mark of 104,173 in 2010. ... Legwand has three goals and 11 points in his past nine games, giving him a team-high 18 points this season.
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