Top 5 Avalanche Defensemen Moments from 2014-15

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Erik Johnson Named All Star

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson is an integral player for the team. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the brevity of his season — only 47 games — defenseman Erik Johnson was having a career year. In those games he scored 12 goals, a career high for him. He had a total 23 points — his career-best was 39, which he achieved twice.

What’s impressive about those numbers is that Erik Johnson earned them while the rest of the team was struggling so hard. Starting at the end of December, the Colorado Avalanche started to turn their season around. However, Johnson would only play three weeks of that before knee surgery took him out for the remainder of the year.

Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy was unrestrained in his praise for Johnson. He had already been calling EJ the team’s best player — not defenseman, best player. As the All Star voting drew close, Roy suggested quite strongly that Erik Johnson should represent the Avalanche.

That’s exactly what happened. In early January the NHL announced EJ had been selected for the All Star team. This was especially an honor because defensemen spots on the All Star roster are limited, meaning Johnson had to beat out many skilled defensemen across the league.

That same knee surgery kept Johnson from joining the festivities. Nonetheless, Johnson was deeply honored, and he turned the thanks around right away:

"“It’s a reflection of a lot of great teammates that I have and great coaches who helped me get to where I’m at right now.”"

So, Avs Nation, last day of August here, and let’s call this the last day of off-season coverage as well. From here on out, we’ll look forward to the upcoming season.

That said, our blue line is much maligned. Yet Avalanche defensemen had some great moments during the 2014-15 season. What was your favorite?

Next: EJ's Season in Iron Maiden Songs

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