Eddie Johnston Edward Joseph " Eddie " Johnston ( born November 24 , 1935 in Montreal , Quebec ) is a former player and coach in the National Hockey League . Playing career . Johnston grew up in an anglophone neighborhood in Montreal and was often called " E . J . " , a nickname that is still often used today . He became interested in ice hockey as a youth and became a goaltender . He began his hockey career as a teenager in 1953 playing for the hometown Montreal Junior Royals of the Quebec Junior Hockey League . After a six year minor pro league career , principally as the property of the Montreal Canadiens , Johnston was claimed by the Boston Bruins . They called him up in the 1962 – 63 NHL season . In his second season , he became notable for being the last NHL goaltender to play every minute of every game during the regular season . However , the Bruins were a mediocre team in his first five seasons , finishing out of the playoffs every year and generally in last place . This changed after expansion in 1967 , when after acquiring Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito , the resurgent Bruins became a powerhouse that went on to win Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972 . Capably backing up lead goaltender Gerry Cheevers , Johnston played well enough to be named as a backup to Team Canada for the Summit Series in 1972 , although he played only in exhibition matches . The following season , after defections to the new World Hockey Association left Johnston as the number one goaltender for the Bruins once more , He did not play nearly so well , and was traded after the season to the Toronto Maple Leafs . Toronto in its turn dealt Johnston to the St . Louis Blues , for whom he would be a credible backup for three seasons . His final season , 1978 , he played poorly in twelve games for St . Louis before being sold to the Chicago Black Hawks , for whom he played in four matches to end his long goaltending career . Johnston played in 591 NHL games , compiling a record of 236 wins , 256 losses and 87 ties ( many of his losses came during his early years ) . He had 32 shutouts , with a goals against average of 3 . 24 . At the time of his retirement , he was ninth all time in games played by a goaltender , sixteenth all time in goaltending wins and sixth in losses . Coach / GM roles . Johnston went into coaching the next year , leading the expansion New Brunswick Hawks - Chicago ' s new American Hockey League farm team - to a 41 – 29 – 10 record for second place in its division . He was promoted to be head coach of the Black Hawks during the 1979 – 80 NHL season , compiling a 34 – 27 – 19 record . The following year , he became head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins , holding that position until 1983 after having been appointed general manager of the Pens . He held the GM post at Pittsburgh for five years . Johnston oversaw Pittsburgh ' s 1984 NHL Entry Draft picks in which the Pens picked Mario Lemieux . After Johnston left the Penguins for the first time in 1988 , he served as the general manager of the Hartford Whalers from 1989 until he was released in 1992 . He was once again hired as head coach of the Penguins in 1993 and guided the Pens until 1997 , when he was asked to step down after the Penguins failed to win a third Stanley Cup under his guidance . He spent the next nine years as the Assistant General Manager of the Pens before being named Senior Adviser for Hockey Operations in July 2006 , his 23rd year with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization . EJ left the coaching reins as the Penguins ' all - time leader in coaching wins ( 232 ) , losses ( 224 ) , and games coached ( 516 ) . He was however passed as the Penguins all - time wins leader by Dan Bylsma in 2014 .