Bruins VP Retires

Boston Bruins vice president Tom Johnson, a Hall of Famer who won six Stanley Cups as a player and one as a coach, retired on Tuesday after 52 years in the NHL the last 36 in Boston.

Johnson joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1947, and in 1959 was voted the league's top defenseman. He joined the Bruins in 1963 and played two years for Boston. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970.

After two years as an assistant to Bruins president Weston Adams Jr. and two more as an assistant to general manager Milt Schmidt, Johnson succeeded Harry Sinden as Boston coach in 1970.

His teams won two conference titles and the 1972 Stanley Cup Boston's last while posting a .738 winning percentage that remains the best in franchise history. He returned to the front office as an assistant general manager in 1973 and has been a vice president the past 10 years.

"Tom has meant a lot to the Bruins organization," Sinden said. "His hockey knowledge, ability to judge talent, good humor and friendship have been an invaluable resource to me and every member of the Bruins organization over the years."

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