About the Authors

Ryan Walter is an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. He played more than 1,000 games over 15 seasons with the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, and Vancouver Canucks. He served as vice president of the National Hockey League Players Association, was honored as the NHL Man of the Year in 1992, and played in the NHL allstar game in 1993. Walter has also served as captain of team Canada in the World Junior tournament and played for team Canada in four World Championships. He has worked as a consultant for several NHL teams and a television analyst for NHL broadcasts. Walter lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Mike Johnston is the head coach and general manager of the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League. Previous to this appointment, Johnston spent 9 years as an associate coach in the NHL with Vancouver and Los Angeles. In five of the six seasons he coached with the Vancouver Canucks, they finished with over 90 points, and on two occasions they surpassed the 100point mark. In 2004 the Canucks won the Northwest Division

Championship. Internationally, Johnston has won seven medals while coaching Canada in World Championship events. He won back to back gold medals as an assistant coach with the World Junior Team in 1994 and 1995. At the men’s World Championships he has won a gold medal in 1997 and 2007 while capturing a bronze medal in 1995 and a silver medal in 1996 and 2008. Johnston was also on the coaching staff for the Canadian team at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. This was the first time in history that NHL players participated in the Olympic games. Johnston holds a master’s degree in Coaching Science and presently lives in Portland, Oregon.