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Mar. 24—BEMIDJI — Mike Johnson thought he had his trip to the state tournament all planned out.
After helping the Bemidji High School girls hockey team get back to St. Paul for the first time since 2007, Johnson, the Lumberjacks' head coach, planned to travel with the team down to Grand Casino Arena.
However, on the day the state seedings were released, and just three days after BHS won its second-ever Section 8AA championship, the Johnsons got an exciting phone call.
One of their four daughters was going into labor in Madison, Wisconsin.
"It was a crazy week," Johnson said. "It starts with meeting your first grandchild and it ends at Grand Casino Arena at the state tournament."
While the due date wasn't for nearly two more weeks, Johnson became a grandpa on Feb. 15. He then coached his final three BHS games Feb. 19-21 before retiring from his position on March 20.
With another grandchild coming this fall, Johnson privately decided before the 2025-26 season that it would be his last.
"My wife said, with 100% certainty, that this would be my last season before it started. Well, I was at about 90%," Johnson said, jokingly. "We'll be married 39 years this June. I'd like to keep being married."
He went on to call coaching "a grind."
"I think most people who have been in coaching or are in families involved with coaching, it takes a lot of work," Johnson continued. "There's so much that goes on behind the scenes. To be honest, my wife and I talked about it the last couple of years, and especially leading into the season, that this would be the last season. It's best for our family."
Johnson spent eight seasons at the helm and posted a record of 88-107-11.
He was behind the bench when Bemidji hosted its first playoff game in 2015. He was behind the bench when Bemidji snapped multi-decade losing streaks against Warroad and Roseau. He was behind the bench when BHS advanced to its first section championship since 2010.
Johnson took over a program in 2018 that had won just nine games in its previous two seasons. Now, it's seen as one of the northern powers in the State of Hockey.
"The program is in a great place right now, and I had that in mind," Johnson said. "I wanted to come in and see if we could turn things around. Hopefully, I played at least a part in that. A lot of it is the assistant coaches, the youth coaches, the kids, the commitment, the parents. It was the classic situation of a program that was struggling, but now we're in a good place. The timing is ideal for someone to come in and take the lead."
Born and raised in Bemidji, Johnson graduated from BHS in 1984. He played collegiately at North Dakota State, where he earned an MBA. He also has a degree in finance from Moorhead State University and a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Johnson stayed in Madison for over two decades as a teacher. He coached girls hockey before he moved back to Bemidji in 2015.
For two years, Johnson watched the BHS girls program sit at the bottom of Section 8AA as a shell of the great teams Bemidji had in the 2000s, which included the first-ever state-qualifying group in 2007.
When former activities director Troy Hendricks
tabbed Johnson as the program's coach in 2018,
Johnson, who had success coaching his daughters at the high school level in Madison, was skeptical of his chances of getting the Jacks to do a 180-degree turn.
"Troy Hendricks was a big person for me," Johnson said. "He has so much wisdom and positive energy. In those first few years, I was talking to him a lot. He kept reminding me that changing a culture takes a long time. He told me to stay the course and believe."
After four straight seasons below .500, Bemidji had its first winning campaign in 2022-23 under Johnson, going 13-9-4. The Lumberjacks hosted a first-round playoff game, then advanced to the Section 8AA semifinals for the first time since 2015 the following year.
Johnson and BHS overcame back-to-back section semifinal exits this past season, reaching the section championship for the first time since 2010. The Jacks
beat Moorhead 4-3 at the Bemidji Community Arena
to punch their tickets to state, ending a 19-year drought.
"It was always the dream and the goal," Johnson said of making it to the state tournament. "I still remember way back in the day watching it, seeing the St. Louis County Federal Savings commercials. They don't even exist anymore, but I still remember that jingle, watching the state tournament on TV. It just felt like such a big deal to get down there, and it really was. We never got to experience that as players."
Before graduating in 1984, Johnson was part of two Bemidji teams that had runner-up finishes with state-tournament bids on the line. While it took him 42 years and becoming a coach to do it, Johnson finally got his trip to state in February.
"The
way we were treated at state,
it was incredible," Johnson said. "You could just see it on their faces. Everything was top-notch. ... We have a great chance of going back next year, and I'll keep saying 'we.'
"I know we'll lose Megan Berg and Taylor Bjerke — two outstanding players — but when you look at the players we have coming back who are going to take those next steps, players like Bergen Bakke, I know the kind of positive-energy, high-character kids that they are, we should absolutely go back next year. ... These kids could pretty much coach themselves."
Johnson made it known to current activities director Kristen McRae that he's around to offer a helping hand when needed, especially when it comes to administrative responsibilities that could come as a challenge for a new coach.
In the meantime, he's going to enjoy being a grandfather of one before it becomes two.
"I told people this, but it didn't matter if we made it to state or lost in the first round of the playoffs," Johnson said. "That wasn't going to be a determining factor for me coaching. But in retrospect, there isn't a better way for me to go out."
Continue reading...
After helping the Bemidji High School girls hockey team get back to St. Paul for the first time since 2007, Johnson, the Lumberjacks' head coach, planned to travel with the team down to Grand Casino Arena.
However, on the day the state seedings were released, and just three days after BHS won its second-ever Section 8AA championship, the Johnsons got an exciting phone call.
One of their four daughters was going into labor in Madison, Wisconsin.
"It was a crazy week," Johnson said. "It starts with meeting your first grandchild and it ends at Grand Casino Arena at the state tournament."
While the due date wasn't for nearly two more weeks, Johnson became a grandpa on Feb. 15. He then coached his final three BHS games Feb. 19-21 before retiring from his position on March 20.
With another grandchild coming this fall, Johnson privately decided before the 2025-26 season that it would be his last.
"My wife said, with 100% certainty, that this would be my last season before it started. Well, I was at about 90%," Johnson said, jokingly. "We'll be married 39 years this June. I'd like to keep being married."
He went on to call coaching "a grind."
"I think most people who have been in coaching or are in families involved with coaching, it takes a lot of work," Johnson continued. "There's so much that goes on behind the scenes. To be honest, my wife and I talked about it the last couple of years, and especially leading into the season, that this would be the last season. It's best for our family."
Johnson spent eight seasons at the helm and posted a record of 88-107-11.
He was behind the bench when Bemidji hosted its first playoff game in 2015. He was behind the bench when Bemidji snapped multi-decade losing streaks against Warroad and Roseau. He was behind the bench when BHS advanced to its first section championship since 2010.
Johnson took over a program in 2018 that had won just nine games in its previous two seasons. Now, it's seen as one of the northern powers in the State of Hockey.
"The program is in a great place right now, and I had that in mind," Johnson said. "I wanted to come in and see if we could turn things around. Hopefully, I played at least a part in that. A lot of it is the assistant coaches, the youth coaches, the kids, the commitment, the parents. It was the classic situation of a program that was struggling, but now we're in a good place. The timing is ideal for someone to come in and take the lead."
Born and raised in Bemidji, Johnson graduated from BHS in 1984. He played collegiately at North Dakota State, where he earned an MBA. He also has a degree in finance from Moorhead State University and a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Johnson stayed in Madison for over two decades as a teacher. He coached girls hockey before he moved back to Bemidji in 2015.
For two years, Johnson watched the BHS girls program sit at the bottom of Section 8AA as a shell of the great teams Bemidji had in the 2000s, which included the first-ever state-qualifying group in 2007.
When former activities director Troy Hendricks
tabbed Johnson as the program's coach in 2018,
Johnson, who had success coaching his daughters at the high school level in Madison, was skeptical of his chances of getting the Jacks to do a 180-degree turn.
"Troy Hendricks was a big person for me," Johnson said. "He has so much wisdom and positive energy. In those first few years, I was talking to him a lot. He kept reminding me that changing a culture takes a long time. He told me to stay the course and believe."
After four straight seasons below .500, Bemidji had its first winning campaign in 2022-23 under Johnson, going 13-9-4. The Lumberjacks hosted a first-round playoff game, then advanced to the Section 8AA semifinals for the first time since 2015 the following year.
Johnson and BHS overcame back-to-back section semifinal exits this past season, reaching the section championship for the first time since 2010. The Jacks
beat Moorhead 4-3 at the Bemidji Community Arena
to punch their tickets to state, ending a 19-year drought.
"It was always the dream and the goal," Johnson said of making it to the state tournament. "I still remember way back in the day watching it, seeing the St. Louis County Federal Savings commercials. They don't even exist anymore, but I still remember that jingle, watching the state tournament on TV. It just felt like such a big deal to get down there, and it really was. We never got to experience that as players."
Before graduating in 1984, Johnson was part of two Bemidji teams that had runner-up finishes with state-tournament bids on the line. While it took him 42 years and becoming a coach to do it, Johnson finally got his trip to state in February.
"The
way we were treated at state,
it was incredible," Johnson said. "You could just see it on their faces. Everything was top-notch. ... We have a great chance of going back next year, and I'll keep saying 'we.'
"I know we'll lose Megan Berg and Taylor Bjerke — two outstanding players — but when you look at the players we have coming back who are going to take those next steps, players like Bergen Bakke, I know the kind of positive-energy, high-character kids that they are, we should absolutely go back next year. ... These kids could pretty much coach themselves."
Johnson made it known to current activities director Kristen McRae that he's around to offer a helping hand when needed, especially when it comes to administrative responsibilities that could come as a challenge for a new coach.
In the meantime, he's going to enjoy being a grandfather of one before it becomes two.
"I told people this, but it didn't matter if we made it to state or lost in the first round of the playoffs," Johnson said. "That wasn't going to be a determining factor for me coaching. But in retrospect, there isn't a better way for me to go out."
Continue reading...
