Ice Hockey Hall Of Fame.

College hockey champions earn nomination

united states ice hockey hall of fame

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Mike Ilitch Detroit, Michigan July 20, 1929

A Detroit, Michigan native, for Mike Ilitch, the sport of hockey has been an integral part of his life for more than three decades.

Through his involvement in his Little Caesars Pizza business that Ilitch built from the ground up, as well as amateur and professional sports, he has learned what it takes to create a winning team. Ilitch's commitment to amateur hockey is legendary, as he has sponsored amateur teams since 1968. His Little Caesars AAA Hockey program is one of the most recognized and respected organizations in amateur hockey, and in the past 37 years, more than 200,000 youngsters have participated in the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League and the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey Club. These teams have a proud tradition of success, having captured numerous tournament titles, state championships and national championships. While winning is important, the major goal has always been to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared for future careers on or off the ice. Currently, 27 alumni of the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club are playing or have played in the National Hockey League including current Detroit Red Wing, Derian Hatcher. Additionally, more than 240 other former Little Caesars players have established careers in collegiate hockey or other hockey leagues.

Ilitch and his wife, Marian, purchased the Detroit Red Wings franchise from the Norris family in 1982 during one of the NHL Original Six franchise's lowest periods of success on the ice and in the stands. Under Ilitch's direction, the Red Wings have developed into one of professional sports' premier franchises, winning ten Division Championships, four Western Conference Championships, four Presidents' Trophies and three Stanley Cup titles. The Red Wings have a current streak of 367 consecutive sellouts at Joe Louis Arena and were recently voted the No. 1 franchise in the NHL and No. 8 in all of professional sports by ESPN Magazine. That same issue honored Mike as the No. 1 owner in all of professional sports.

Ilitch has received Presidential Citations from the Clinton, Bush and Reagan administrations. He has been honored as the recipient of the 1991 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States and inducted to both the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2003 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Ilitch and his wife, Marian, reside in the Detroit area and have 7 children and 18 grandchildren.

Mark Johnson Minneapolis, Minnesota September 22, 1957

Mark Johnson, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, played collegiate hockey at the University of Wisconsin and led the Badgers to the 1977 national championship during his freshman campaign. As a forward and the first Badger to ever win WCHA Rookie of the Year honors, he went on to become the school's second all-time leading scorer with 256 points on a school-record 125 goals and 131 assists in just three seasons. Johnson was the 1978-79 WCHA MVP and a two-time first team All-WCHA pick and a two-time All-American.

Johnson has represented USA Hockey as a player in 13 international tournaments, including the U.S. National Team at the 1998 IIHF (A-Pool) World Championship Qualification Tournament in Austria. Most notably, he led the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team's gold medal-winning effort with 11 points, including two goals in the "Miracle-On-Ice" against the Soviet Union and an assist on the game-winning goal against Finland in the final contest.

After his Olympic experience, Johnson embarked on a successful 11-year NHL career. He began his pro tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1980-82), before moving onto the Minnesota North Stars (1982). He also enjoyed stints with the Hartford Whalers (1982-85), St. Louis Blues (1985) and New Jersey Devils (1985-90). Over his 669 career NHL contests, the forward collected 203 goals, 305 assists and 508 points, highlighted by his 87-point season as captain of Hartford in 1983-84. Johnson also tied an NHL All-Star Game record with three assists that season.

From 1996-2002, Johnson was an assistant coach with the University of Wisconsin's Men's Hockey Team. During that time, he helped the team to a WCHA regular-season title during the 1999-2000 season, as well as a WCHA Final Five championship in the 1997-98 campaign. Johnson took over the head coaching reins of the University of Wisconsin Women's Hockey Team in 2002 and was named the 2003 WCHA Co-Coach of the Year.

Johnson is a 1999 inductee into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, a 2003 inductee into the State of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame and is also a charter member of Wisconsin's National W Club Hall of Fame. In 2003, he was inducted as a member of the 1980 Gold Medal Olympic Team into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Additionally, Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds named Johnson as its 2004 Vince Lombardi "Award of Excellence" honoree. Johnson resides in Verona, Wisconsin, with his wife Leslie and his five children: Douglas, Christopher, Patrick, Mikayla and Megan.

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