By Tom Annelin / HockeyThunderBay.com
WHILE actually born in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, it would be along the northern shores of Lake Superior that Bill (Red) Johansen would set the stage to make his mark in the game.
Emigrating to the Lakehead at an early age, Johansen took up hockey in his youth and began an extended on-ice tenure in the early winter of 1945.
It started as a 17-year-old forward with the Fort William Hurricane-Rangers in the five-team Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League.
While only winning once in an eight-game slate, he did lead his club in scoring.
His one goal and five assists tied him for 18th in TBJHL numbers in a league that featured future NHLers Rudy Migay; Steve Black; Ray Ceresino; Steve Hrymnak; Calum (Baldy) MacKay; Danny Lewicki and Benny Woit, all competing.
Going on to be dubbed with the last name of Johnson for much of his time in hockey, he helped the Hurricane-Rangers finish second in league action a year later, while sharing fourth overall in offensive production on seven tallies, and as many assists.
A semifinal setback at the hands of the Port Arthur West End Bruins saw their season come to a close in a narrow best-of-three series that went the distance.
Heading to the 1947-48 season, Johansen once again paced his squad offensively with 14 markers and five helpers in nine match-ups.
After a semifinal defeat to the Fort William Columbus Club, his year would continue as a pick-up of the TBJHL-champion West End Bruins.
Opening up on the Memorial Cup trail, Johansen collected a goal and a pair of assists, dressing in five of the six contests played, as the Bruins crowned the Winnipeg Monarchs 4-2 in a best-of-seven.
Next in the Abbott Cup western final versus the Lethbridge Native Sons, he saved his best for last as he tallied twice and helped set-up another marker as Port Arthur levelled Lethbridge 11-1 in a seventh and deciding game, that was held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
The Bruins had trailed the series 2-0 and 3-1 before roaring back to win, outscoring their opponents 22-5 in the last three outings.
Advancing to the Memorial Cup final against the eastern title holders, the Barrie Flyers, Port Arthur was not initially favoured to come away victorious, in the affair contested at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Even with Johansen felled with a Game 1 knee injury that would keep him out of the line-up for the remainder of the series, Barrie proved to be no match for the West End Bruins, who went on to down the Flyers in four straight to capture the Memorial Cup and garner championship laurels of the Dominion.
With his time in junior now behind him, Johansen would continue on by playing senior hockey for the vaunted Toronto Marlboros, over the course of the next three seasons.
Contributing solidly for the ‘Dukes’, as they were often labelled, he helped his side win the OHA title with series triumphs over the Owen Sound Mercurys and the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen.
Moving on, Toronto downed the North Bay Black Hawks and the Sydney Millionaires, before falling four games to two versus the Ottawa Senators in the east Canadian final.
Ottawa went on to clip the Regina Capitals in five games to win the Allan Cup.
Back for more in 1949-50, there was further success for the Marlboros as they took it one step further.
Leading the club in assists and finishing second in scoring, Johansen helped his side go on and win the Allan Cup after dropping the Dutchmen for OHA supremacy, then reeling off triumphs over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds; Cornwall Calumets and the Sherbrooke Saints to win the east.
The Marlboros then tamed the Calgary Stampeders in five contests for Canadian senior hockey supremacy.
He would also skate in his one and only NHL game, dressing in a 3-3 tie against the Boston Bruins on November 26, 1949.
Johansen was held pointless in the affair, while fellow Lakehead standout Dave Creighton dished out an assist on the tying tally for the Bruins.
Finishing up a three-year stint with the Marlboros, Johansen proved to be a vital offensive contributor for the Dukes that featured pair of OHA titles and winning the Allan Cup in 1950.
In all, he collected a combined 178 points in 148 appearances with Toronto at centre, which included 70 markers.
Next up saw him sign on with the Ottawa Senators of the Quebec Hockey League, that featured such distinguished franchises as the Quebec Aces and Montreal Royals.
Still putting up solid numbers, Johansen’s efforts could not help the Sens get over the hump in his three and a half years there.
Ottawa did get to the 1954 QHL final, but were trumped by the Aces before the club folded midway through the following season.
Another 176 points in 244 times played eventually saw his playing rights traded from Toronto the American Hockey League’s Providence Reds.
Proving his penchant of aiding in his team’s accomplishments, Johansen helped Providence claim a pair of regular season titles as well as winning the 1956 AHL Calder Cup championship.
Moving to the west coast in the fall of 1957, joined the Vancouver Canucks of the then Western Hockey League.
As he did in earlier stops, Johansen won yet again as the Canucks finished first in the standings before eventually branding the Stampeders of Calgary in the Lester Patrick President’s Cup final.
He went on to play six seasons in the WHL with such other clubs as the Winnipeg Warriors; Victoria Cougars and Spokane Comets, skating alongside other local stalwarts such as Max Mekilok; Connie Madigan; Jim Moro and Don McLeod.
A finals appearance with Spokane in 1962, saw the Comets clipped by the Edmonton Flyers, who were coached by local legend Bud Poile and saw his brother Don Poile pile-up 14 points in the playoffs, enroute to the title.
Johansen had scored once and assisted on the game-winner as Spokane edged out the Portland Buckaroos 3-2 in a semifinal finale that went the full seven contests.
Finishing up his days as a professional, Johansen played in the old Eastern Hockey League, where he suited up for the Charlotte Checkers and New York Rovers, and ended up as their player-coach.
Returning to his home in the Lakehead, Johansen was a member of the Fort William Beavers senior side prior to hanging up the blades.
Of note, he and Mekilok were both added by the Port Arthur Bearcats in the spring of 1969 in their quest for the Allan Cup, after they had bounced the Beavers in the Thunder Bay final.
The duo proved to be the top two marksmen for the Bearcats that saw Mekilok rack-up 22 points in 10 appearances while Johansen supplied 16 in as many games, despite being 40 years of age.
Powered by the Fort William tandem, Port Arthur sunk the Warroad Lakers in a three-game sweep, topped the Regina Capitals in four match-ups before falling 3-1 in a best-of-five western final for the Patton Cup, against Calgary.
Showing the skill-set ran in the family, his son Trevor went on to a successful career of his own before injuries cut it short.
Playing defence, the younger Johansen won a Memorial Cup with the junior Marlboros in 1975; was tabbed a first team OHA all-star in 1977, the same year he was drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL Draft; before playing 286 games with the Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Kings.
Boasting being a significant contributor, with multiple championships won along the way, ‘Red’ Johansen showed his worth in the game with 849 points, including 330 goals, in 1,107 overall appearances.
While skating in nearly 25 seasons of on-ice action over the course of his lengthy career, the transplanted kid from Norway went on to make the local hockey brethren of his adopted hometown proud.