Referee Joy Johnston (C) speaks with Canada's Caroline Ouellette (L) and the U.S.'s Meghan Duggan (R) during the 2014 Olympic women's hockey final.
photo: International Ice Hockey Federation / Andre Ringuette
British official who handled 2014 Olympic final reflects on career
The “eye of the storm” refers to the calm centre of a hurricane or, metaphorically speaking, a tumultuous period. And that’s the space that Joy Johnston (nee Tottman) had to enter to referee the dramatic 2014 Olympic women’s hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States.
Even as an experienced veteran of three Winter Games at age 31, it wasn’t easy for the British official to stay in the moment under the global spotlight in Sochi. The Canadians trailed 2-0 with under four minutes left in regulation before mounting a wild comeback that saw captain Marie-Philip Poulin score twice, including the overtime winner on a 5-on-3 power play.
“I was having a good tournament, and I felt like I’d have a good shot at being selected [to referee the final],” Johnston recalled. “As soon as I was, I just felt sick with nerves in my stomach! It was such a big game, such an amazing showcase. The game itself was just thrilling. There were a few big decisions I had to make, with going into overtime and having penalties. It was an absolute honour to be part of. It probably sparked the interest of a lot of people in women’s hockey, because it was controversial and exciting.”
The “eye of the storm” refers to the calm centre of a hurricane or, metaphorically speaking, a tumultuous period. And that’s the space that Joy Johnston (nee Tottman) had to enter to referee the dramatic 2014 Olympic women’s hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States.
Even as an experienced veteran of three Winter Games at age 31, it wasn’t easy for the British official to stay in the moment under the global spotlight in Sochi. The Canadians trailed 2-0 with under four minutes left in regulation before mounting a wild comeback that saw captain Marie-Philip Poulin score twice, including the overtime winner on a 5-on-3 power play.
“I was having a good tournament, and I felt like I’d have a good shot at being selected [to referee the final],” Johnston recalled. “As soon as I was, I just felt sick with nerves in my stomach! It was such a big game, such an amazing showcase. The game itself was just thrilling. There were a few big decisions I had to make, with going into overtime and having penalties. It was an absolute honour to be part of. It probably sparked the interest of a lot of people in women’s hockey, because it was controversial and exciting.”
Referee Joy Johnston poses with the Olympic rings at the 2014 Winter Games.
photo: Photo courtesy of Joy Johnston
Johnston, interestingly, was the last referee to officiate an Olympic final solo. At the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Malmo, Sweden, the IIHF switched to the two-referee system, meeting the needs of an increasingly fast-paced sport.
“Trying to find the right time to introduce it was challenging,” Johnston said. “I think it was the right thing to do. It’s had a really positive effect on the game. And I think it’s important that the women’s game has parity with the men’s game at the senior level and that you use the same officiating system.”
Coming from a less-traditional hockey nation in Great Britain, Johnston acknowledges the role that male mentors played in boosting her confidence and credibility at that stage in women’s hockey history. She singles out Konstantin Komissarov, the longtime IIHF officiating manager, and Matt Leaf, USA Hockey’s director of officiating education.
“I always talk about success being a combination of preparation and opportunity, and Konstantin gave me opportunities to officiate at higher levels,” Johnston recalled. “It was a fun relationship I had with him. He was a charismatic character and very traditional in his views, but also super-supportive of female officials! Matt opened up his female officiating camps to international officials to get exposure to the North American game. I got to go across the U.S. circa 2004 or 2005 and that really got me on the IIHF pathway. I owe quite a lot to USA Hockey. The faith that both Konstantin and Matt put in me, saying, ‘Actually, she deserves to work games at a level that’s two or three levels above where her country ranks internationally,’ that was gutsy.”
Johnston, who grew up in Romford, near London, was originally inspired to pursue officiating through her father Dave’s encouraging example. It was a multi-stage process. He gave her some early skating lessons at age eight so she could attend a friend’s birthday party at a local rink. Having shown immediate aptitude, she then pursued hockey over figure skating due to this amusing paternal rationale: “He said to me, ‘Figure skating looks dangerous, because you're not wearing any padding. Why don’t you go for hockey? There’s padding involved and it seems less dangerous.”
She started off as a player in an eight-week, learn-to-play U10 boys’ hockey program. Due to a referee shortage, Dave was invited to officiate multiple games on weekends. As Johnston progressed to the U12 level, she couldn’t just sit around unsupervised while her father was reffing, so it was whistle-and-stripes time for her too when she wasn’t playing. As time went by, they travelled the UK together, gaining valuable officiating experience. Johnston’s passion for rules and regulations just grew.
“Trying to find the right time to introduce it was challenging,” Johnston said. “I think it was the right thing to do. It’s had a really positive effect on the game. And I think it’s important that the women’s game has parity with the men’s game at the senior level and that you use the same officiating system.”
Coming from a less-traditional hockey nation in Great Britain, Johnston acknowledges the role that male mentors played in boosting her confidence and credibility at that stage in women’s hockey history. She singles out Konstantin Komissarov, the longtime IIHF officiating manager, and Matt Leaf, USA Hockey’s director of officiating education.
“I always talk about success being a combination of preparation and opportunity, and Konstantin gave me opportunities to officiate at higher levels,” Johnston recalled. “It was a fun relationship I had with him. He was a charismatic character and very traditional in his views, but also super-supportive of female officials! Matt opened up his female officiating camps to international officials to get exposure to the North American game. I got to go across the U.S. circa 2004 or 2005 and that really got me on the IIHF pathway. I owe quite a lot to USA Hockey. The faith that both Konstantin and Matt put in me, saying, ‘Actually, she deserves to work games at a level that’s two or three levels above where her country ranks internationally,’ that was gutsy.”
Johnston, who grew up in Romford, near London, was originally inspired to pursue officiating through her father Dave’s encouraging example. It was a multi-stage process. He gave her some early skating lessons at age eight so she could attend a friend’s birthday party at a local rink. Having shown immediate aptitude, she then pursued hockey over figure skating due to this amusing paternal rationale: “He said to me, ‘Figure skating looks dangerous, because you're not wearing any padding. Why don’t you go for hockey? There’s padding involved and it seems less dangerous.”
She started off as a player in an eight-week, learn-to-play U10 boys’ hockey program. Due to a referee shortage, Dave was invited to officiate multiple games on weekends. As Johnston progressed to the U12 level, she couldn’t just sit around unsupervised while her father was reffing, so it was whistle-and-stripes time for her too when she wasn’t playing. As time went by, they travelled the UK together, gaining valuable officiating experience. Johnston’s passion for rules and regulations just grew.
British referee Dave Tottman (L) mentored his daughter Joy (R) in her formative years as an official.
photo: Photo courtesy of Joy Johnston
“He was my mentor, my biggest supporter and biggest critic,” Johnston recalled. “Later, he would sometimes serve as my linesperson. That was an interesting dynamic. You know, he’s my dad, but actually, I’m first on the ice.”
Looking back, Johnston acknowledges she had few British female sports idols, apart from Olympic running stars like Paula Radcliffe and Sally Gunnell. Male referees like Dave Cloutman and Matt Thompson would step up as new allies in the old British Ice Hockey Superleague, taking her on as a linesperson as she built her resume.
Doing her Honours B.A. in philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University from 2001 to 2004, Johnston was too busy with refereeing to play hockey much anymore. Nonetheless, her skating made her a useful ringer for the Oxford women’s team in a grudge match against Cambridge.
She was certainly fast-tracked as an IIHF official. Ice Hockey UK applied for a referee’s licence on her behalf, even though most of her experience was as a linesperson. After successfully debuting at the 2004 Division II Women’s Worlds in Sterzing, Italy, Johnston would find herself refereeing at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
She got a real baptism of fire when she was picked to officiate the U.S.-Sweden semi-final. The Swedes staged the biggest upset in Olympic women’s hockey history with a 3-2 victory as Pernilla Winberg and Maria Rooth scored in the shootout and goalie Kim Martin stood on her head.
At one point, Johnston made a quick decision that weighed on her as heavily as the early helmet cams that referees wore in Turin. She awarded U.S. star Angela Ruggiero a second crack at her shootout attempt after Martin moved out before Ruggiero had touched the puck. Ruggiero missed an open net and it proved moot. However, veteran NHL official Don van Massenhoven approached Johnston after the game and complimented her on the moxie it took to make that call.
She then oversaw the U.S.’s 4-0 bronze-medal win over Finland. According to Johnston, Leaf told her: “Interestingly, the U.S. had no issue at all with you refereeing their game the next day. That’s a credit to the way you handled the semi-final.”
Looking back, Johnston acknowledges she had few British female sports idols, apart from Olympic running stars like Paula Radcliffe and Sally Gunnell. Male referees like Dave Cloutman and Matt Thompson would step up as new allies in the old British Ice Hockey Superleague, taking her on as a linesperson as she built her resume.
Doing her Honours B.A. in philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University from 2001 to 2004, Johnston was too busy with refereeing to play hockey much anymore. Nonetheless, her skating made her a useful ringer for the Oxford women’s team in a grudge match against Cambridge.
She was certainly fast-tracked as an IIHF official. Ice Hockey UK applied for a referee’s licence on her behalf, even though most of her experience was as a linesperson. After successfully debuting at the 2004 Division II Women’s Worlds in Sterzing, Italy, Johnston would find herself refereeing at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
She got a real baptism of fire when she was picked to officiate the U.S.-Sweden semi-final. The Swedes staged the biggest upset in Olympic women’s hockey history with a 3-2 victory as Pernilla Winberg and Maria Rooth scored in the shootout and goalie Kim Martin stood on her head.
At one point, Johnston made a quick decision that weighed on her as heavily as the early helmet cams that referees wore in Turin. She awarded U.S. star Angela Ruggiero a second crack at her shootout attempt after Martin moved out before Ruggiero had touched the puck. Ruggiero missed an open net and it proved moot. However, veteran NHL official Don van Massenhoven approached Johnston after the game and complimented her on the moxie it took to make that call.
She then oversaw the U.S.’s 4-0 bronze-medal win over Finland. According to Johnston, Leaf told her: “Interestingly, the U.S. had no issue at all with you refereeing their game the next day. That’s a credit to the way you handled the semi-final.”
Joy Johnston (R) worked as a referee supervisor at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, Korea alongside now-IIHF Sport Director Kim Pedersen (L).
photo: Photo courtesy of Joy Johnston
She continued to earn high-profile assignments, such as Canada’s 5-1 gold-medal victory over the Americans at the 2007 Women’s Worlds in Winnipeg. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Feeling the pressure of high expectations, she was less confident and focused than she wanted when the 2010 Vancouver Olympics rolled around.
“I had a great experience being in the home of hockey, but I didn’t perform as well as I could have,” Johnston admitted. “I definitely left Vancouver feeling unsure about whether I wanted to carry on refereeing.”
Heart-to-heart conversations with her father motivated her to keep going. Johnston recalled: “He told me, ‘You just need to rebuild your confidence. Give it another Olympic cycle.’ He hadn’t been able to come to Vancouver, but said he’d come if I made it to Sochi.”
Sadly, her career’s darkest phase was at hand. Her father passed away in August 2011. Soldiering on, Johnston returned to the ice in September, but she struggled.
“I was an emotional wreck,” Johnston said candidly. “I was handing out misconduct penalties liberally. Fitness-wise, I wasn’t training very well. And then I took a slap shot to the head that ripped my ear in half. I was stretchered off, and a plastic surgeon had to fix it. With three months off to heal, I probably ate my own body weight in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream every night!”
Her prospects of making the 2014 Olympics looked dim. But British officials rallied behind her. Those very same male officials who helped her get a chance at higher levels earlier in her career – Cloutman and Thompson – supported her to give her the confidence and belief she could succeed. Thanks to them, she was able to dig deep and re-focus.
She got a new personal trainer and worked out at 5 am daily before heading to her job in sport governance, first with the Sport + Recreation Alliance and later with UK Sport. She also made a weekly three-hour drive to Nottingham with her husband for power skating lessons at 11 pm on Friday and midnight on Saturday – the only available times.
“When I went to the Olympic selection camp in Lake Placid, I missed my husband’s best friend’s wedding in order to be there,” Johnston recalled. “I’ll always be grateful to Matt and Liz for understanding and supporting me in going to the camp over their wedding.” To this day, she remains thankful to all her friends and family who supported her when she missed weddings, birthdays, christenings and family gatherings in pursuit of her dream.
“The [Lake Placid] officiating coaches asked me if I would be upset if I wasn’t selected in view of my desire in memory of my dad and his words to me to give it another go,” she added. “And I said: ‘No, I’ve done my absolute best now and that’s all he could expect of me.’ I think not having him gave me extra focus after the initial grief and struggles, but the people who helped me along the way probably won’t know the impact they had.”
After the climactic 2014 Olympic final, Johnston would pursue many intriguing new career opportunities. From serving as the Abu Dhabi Sports Club’s director of officiating to embracing her current role as a senior operations and governance manager with the Premier League Charitable Fund, she has truly seen sports from all sides.
“I had a great experience being in the home of hockey, but I didn’t perform as well as I could have,” Johnston admitted. “I definitely left Vancouver feeling unsure about whether I wanted to carry on refereeing.”
Heart-to-heart conversations with her father motivated her to keep going. Johnston recalled: “He told me, ‘You just need to rebuild your confidence. Give it another Olympic cycle.’ He hadn’t been able to come to Vancouver, but said he’d come if I made it to Sochi.”
Sadly, her career’s darkest phase was at hand. Her father passed away in August 2011. Soldiering on, Johnston returned to the ice in September, but she struggled.
“I was an emotional wreck,” Johnston said candidly. “I was handing out misconduct penalties liberally. Fitness-wise, I wasn’t training very well. And then I took a slap shot to the head that ripped my ear in half. I was stretchered off, and a plastic surgeon had to fix it. With three months off to heal, I probably ate my own body weight in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream every night!”
Her prospects of making the 2014 Olympics looked dim. But British officials rallied behind her. Those very same male officials who helped her get a chance at higher levels earlier in her career – Cloutman and Thompson – supported her to give her the confidence and belief she could succeed. Thanks to them, she was able to dig deep and re-focus.
She got a new personal trainer and worked out at 5 am daily before heading to her job in sport governance, first with the Sport + Recreation Alliance and later with UK Sport. She also made a weekly three-hour drive to Nottingham with her husband for power skating lessons at 11 pm on Friday and midnight on Saturday – the only available times.
“When I went to the Olympic selection camp in Lake Placid, I missed my husband’s best friend’s wedding in order to be there,” Johnston recalled. “I’ll always be grateful to Matt and Liz for understanding and supporting me in going to the camp over their wedding.” To this day, she remains thankful to all her friends and family who supported her when she missed weddings, birthdays, christenings and family gatherings in pursuit of her dream.
“The [Lake Placid] officiating coaches asked me if I would be upset if I wasn’t selected in view of my desire in memory of my dad and his words to me to give it another go,” she added. “And I said: ‘No, I’ve done my absolute best now and that’s all he could expect of me.’ I think not having him gave me extra focus after the initial grief and struggles, but the people who helped me along the way probably won’t know the impact they had.”
After the climactic 2014 Olympic final, Johnston would pursue many intriguing new career opportunities. From serving as the Abu Dhabi Sports Club’s director of officiating to embracing her current role as a senior operations and governance manager with the Premier League Charitable Fund, she has truly seen sports from all sides.
Joy Johnston (centre row, seventh from left) has brought her skills and experience to many international officiating camps, including this 2022 camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
photo: Photo courtesy of Joy Johnston
Up until recently, she also maintained a foothold in the international hockey world as Ice Hockey UK’s referee-in-chief and an IIHF officiating coach and instructor. Having stepped away from her UK hockey roles a few years ago, she’s decided now is the right time to step away from her IIHF roles as well.
“I’ve been honored to have those opportunities, to be committed and passionate and give back to the sport that’s given me so much,” Johnston said. “That said, because my involvement has lessened, I feel like my ongoing understanding of the game isn’t perhaps at the same level as it was a few years ago. On top of that, I’ve been doing it a long time, and there’s the matter of work-life balance. It’s probably time now to go to these weddings and birthday parties and give my husband and family more time.”
Whether it’s indulging her passion for HIIT bootcamps with her newfound ultra-fit friends or “refereeing” the antics of her two Boston terriers, Lola and Lexie, Johnston is looking forward to some more leisure and moments of Zen in this new chapter of her life.
Yet she’ll always cherish her Olympic memories – while looking forward to seeing how the next generation of officials handles its duties at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
“I’ve been honored to have those opportunities, to be committed and passionate and give back to the sport that’s given me so much,” Johnston said. “That said, because my involvement has lessened, I feel like my ongoing understanding of the game isn’t perhaps at the same level as it was a few years ago. On top of that, I’ve been doing it a long time, and there’s the matter of work-life balance. It’s probably time now to go to these weddings and birthday parties and give my husband and family more time.”
Whether it’s indulging her passion for HIIT bootcamps with her newfound ultra-fit friends or “refereeing” the antics of her two Boston terriers, Lola and Lexie, Johnston is looking forward to some more leisure and moments of Zen in this new chapter of her life.
Yet she’ll always cherish her Olympic memories – while looking forward to seeing how the next generation of officials handles its duties at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy.