At age 40, Johnson returned to the Minneapolis Millers as a player-coach for the 1938–39 season. He quickly became the American Hockey Association's most popular star as large crowds attended games he participated in, and was named an AHA all-star in 1939. He served in the dual role for two years before resigning in 1940. Johnson then coached for a time in California, before returning east to coach the Washington Lions of the American Hockey League. He also served as an official in the Eastern Hockey League. During one game in 1944 in which he was working as a linesman, Johnson forgot he was no longer playing and threw a bodycheck on a player. When asked after the game about the incident, he stated it was "instinct" that led him to throw the hit.