Nov. 27, 1991
In early October, Wisconsin hockey Coach Jeff Sauer flew to Colorado Springs to see Bob Johnson for what he suspected would be the last time.
It was a difficult trip for Sauer, who, through a friendship that spanned 30 years knew the legendary "Badger Bob" as well as anyone in the world.
Approaching the hospital, where Johnson was suffering from brain tumors, Sauer was searching for the right words to comfort his longtime mentor. "I was there to make him feel good, but he ended up making me feel good," Sauer said. "That's the kind of guy he was."
Positive, upbeat, the consummate optimist -- those were the words used most often around campus to describe the former Badger coach, who died Tuesday at the age of 60.
"Bob Johnson will be remembered not only for bringing Wisconsin hockey into the national spotlight, but also for the positive, optimistic attitude he brought to the game and to the lives of the student-athletes he coached," said UW Chancellor Donna Shalala.
Much like Ernie Banks, who brought the phrase, "Let's play two," into baseball lore, Johnson created a slogan for his sport: "It's a great day for hockey."
"That's how he lived his life," Sauer said. "He'd wake up in the morning and feel positive."
"This is a pretty negative business. You look at mistakes and you try to correct them. Bob was one of those coaches who came in with a positive attitude very day. I think that carried over to his teams and the people around him."
Taking over the fledgling UW hockey program in 1966, Johnson was responsible for moving it from the antiquated Hartmeyer Ice Arena, where the Badgers were drawing fewer than 1,500 spectators a game, to the Dane County Coliseum, where they soon began a stretch of 22 seasons of leading the NCAA in attendance at 8,000-plus.
Sauer, who played for Johnson and served as an assistant under him at Colorado College, succeeded him at Wisconsin in 1982 when Johnson left to coach the NHL's Calgary Flames. Since then, Sauer has carried on the legacy with two national titles.
"He's responsible for where we're at," Sauer said. "He's responsible for what this program has done. I was just very fortunate to be the next guy in line to take it over, but he's the one who got it started."
"Hopefully the coaches after me will continue that tradition."
The tradition of Wisconsin hockey, one of the nation's best program, has
lived on through
Johnson, Sauer said.
"There's no question," he said. "He went to the pros, and he was still called 'Badger Bob.' That says everything."
Sauer met Johnson 30 years ago, when Johnson was a high school coach in his native Minneapolis and Sauer was a player for a rival St. Paul school. "He was a hated enemy at that time," Sauer said.
The men became close when Sauer accepted a scholarship to C9lorado College and Johnson became the coach in Sauer's sophomore season. When Johnson left for Wisconsin, he took Sauer along as an assistant. The two parted when Sauer left to become head coach at CC.
In his memory, the UW hockey team will wear patches bearing Johnson's initials for the rest of the season. A moment of silence will also be observed before both home games against Denver this weekend.
"That tradition he established at Wisconsin set the standard that Jeff has carried forward in maintaining the Wisconsin hockey program as on of the best in the country," said UW Athletic Director Pat Richter.
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