The National Hockey League and USA Hockey are honoring a pair of Wisconsin coaches for their service to the national hockey team and the sport in general.
Current Badger women's hockey coach Mark Johnson and former men's hockey coach Jeff Sauer were announced Tuesday as two of the four winners of the 2011 Lester Patrick Trophy. The award is named for the former player and coach who helped develop the sport, and according to USA Hockey it honors ""outstanding service to hockey in the United States.""
Johnson coached Team USA's Olympic women's hockey team at the 2010 Vancouver games and has been involved with the national team as a coach for years. He is best known, though, for his time with USA Hockey as a player–when he was the top scorer on the 1980 Olympic team and had a pair of goals in the ""Miracle on Ice.""
Sauer coached the Wisconsin men's hockey team from 1983-2002, leading the Badgers to a pair of national titles in 1983 and 1990.
More recently, he has worked to spread hockey within disabled communities as a coach with the USA Deaf Olympic Team. Sauer was also named head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team in July.
