On November 26th, 1991, Johnson succumbed to brain cancer, which he had been diagnosed with shortly after Pittsburgh won the 1991 Stanley Cup. The 1990-91 campaign was "Badger's" only season with the Pens.
Johnson was a coach that player's loved to play for. He was always upbeat and optimistic about things. There was never a bad day at the rink and he could find the good in anything. You may have heard his famous quote, "It's a great day for hockey" being uttered in an arena or during a hockey broadcast. He was a winner in every sense and was forever immortalized in the Hockey Hall of Fame, posthumously, in 1992.
"Badger Bob" was a guy that you could not help but like. He had a warm, friendly personality and his love for the game of hockey rubbed off on everyone he came across. I remember watching the 1990-91 Penguins Stanley Cup VHS and seeing Johnson in the massage room with a Pens player. With a cheery look on his face, he tells the players aside from getting a massage to relax, to go watch a John Wayne western movie. His exuberance was contagious and probably a good reason why the 1990-91 Penguins had so much success.