Colorado Avalanche: 3 Habitual Line Steppers on the Team

The Colorado Avalanche have three players whom Charlie Murphy would have called habitual line steppers. Find out who they are.

The Colorado Avalanche, just like any hockey team, is made up of different characters. Naturally, a key component of making a team successful is chemistry. However, there’s no set formula for how to make chemistry work.

While hockey players in general have a reputation for being nice family guys off the ice — humility is emphasized in the sport — their characters may change in the dressing room. And their behavior definitely changes on the ice. What most of these men would never dream of doing in life — like slamming their body into someone else’s — is part of their on-ice job.

Enter the habitual line steppers. Because both on and off the ice, there’s a line you don’t cross. The three players on this list at least tap dance around that line — earning what the late comedian Charlie Murphy dubbed habitual line steppers.

There’s are plenty of terms for hockey players who spend the majority of their careers over the line — goon comes to mind, as does it synonym, enforcer. The three players on this list aren’t goons — they’re just men who have stepped over the line often enough to be considered habitual.

Let’s look at the three Colorado Avalanche players who could be considered mildly habitual line steppers.

Nikita Zadorov

2017-18 Penalty Minutes: 103 minutes, plus 32 minutes in the playoffs
Career Penalty Minutes: 243 minutes (222 games)
NHL Fights: 8 fights
DoPS Suspensions: 0

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov is definitely one of those players who dances around that line. Thus far, he’s managed to avoid being suspended by the Department of Player Safety. However, he did get suspended twice when he was still with the Buffalo Sabres.

Both times Zadorov was suspended by the Rangers was during the 2014-15 season, when he was just 19 years old. The first time came in January 2015 when he got stuck in the Dominican Republic while vacationing over the All Star Break. He didn’t report to the team on time. Buffalo suspended him for a game.

The second time came in February when the then-teenager slept through his alarm clock and was late for a team seting. The Sabres held him out for a game.

With the Colorado Avalanche, Nikita Zadorov has been known as a big hitter — when first joining the team, he stated that he likes to hit. This is my personal favorite hit, or series of hits:

I cackle every time I see it.

Concerning fights, seven of his eight NHL fights have occurred with the Colorado Avalanche. Three alone came this season — which helps account for his high penalty minutes total.

Here’s Zadorov scuffling with veteran fighter Dion Phaneuf:

Well, he held his own. Hopefully he gets better at fighting.

Erik Johnson

2017-18 Penalty Minutes: 58 minutes
Career Penalty Minutes: 418 (637 games played)
NHL Fights: 11
DoPS Suspensions: 2

Defenseman Erik Johnson has avoided team-related suspensions thus far. DoPS-related suspensions… not so much. In fact, he’s been suspended twice.

The first time came in February 2014. Johnson, aiming for Islanders’ center Frans Nielsen’s stick, instead got the Dane’s hand. He broke a small bone in Nielsen’s hand, which earned him a two-game suspension:

The second suspension came just last year. Johnson cross-checks Tampa Bay Lightning skater Vladislav Namestnikov while still in the faceoff circle, and somehow that’s considered boarding:

He got two games for that as well.

Additionally, he’s gotten ejected from games– at least twice in two games I happened to be attending. The second one angered me the most. It came in the home opener against the Minnesota Wild during the 2014-15 season. Johnson labels forward Erik Haula with a clean hit, but he goes down like he’s been creamed. Meanwhile, Johnson’s gigantic body hits the boards and makes a commotion.

I’m glad Erik Haula didn’t win the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Anyway, Johnson has been involved in 11 fights in his career. Early on, he… wasn’t great at fighting. He had a tendency to… get pulled down. The most famous example came when he was still a St. Louis player. Stars captain Jamie Benn punched him directly in the face.

Related, I hate Jamie Benn.

Johnson has gotten a lot better. This year, he put a total beat-down on Coyotes tough-guy Zac Rinaldo after the latter sucker-punched tiny Sam Girard:

It was a beautiful thing to see. I just love how Johnson shakes Rinaldo like a terrier with a rat while bending him over the boards.

Cabbie Presents: Habitual Line Steppers

The inspiration for this post came from a video segment I stumbled across called “Cabbie Presents: Cross the Line.” In the segment, the host, Cabbie, asks certain NHLers to rate how often they cross the line to determine if they are habitual line steppers:

As you can see, Cabbie doesn’t interview any Colorado Avalanche players. However, I’m going to guess which Avs players would be guilty of crossing the lines he proposes:

Interrupting a teammate’s sleep: Erik Johnson (He’s infamously the team prankster.)

Commenting on a teammate’s on-ice performance while still on the ice: Erik Johnson, Nikita Zadorov for the Russians

Commenting on a teammate’s off-ice “performance”: All three

Cheap shots to the family jewels: Gabriel Landeskog

I didn’t even have to guess at this one — he’s already done it:

He was “losing his balance” — sure.

Also Sven Andrighetto:

Hartman’s resultant tantrum is still funny.

Commenting on an opponent’s breath or hygiene: All three, but especially Gabriel Landeskog

Here he is telling Nate Prosser to “go back on waivers”:

So, yes, I’m sure he’d have no problem calling him stinky, too.

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• Colorado Avalanche rookie face-off tournament roster

Overtly flirting with a teammate’s mom: Gabriel Landeskog (He’s a charmer — the above clips notwithstanding.)

Conducting a deep dive on a teammate’s wife or girlfriend: Nikita Zadorov (Because his model-wife is so beautiful — she’d probably do it with him.)

Sliding into a teammate’s wife’s or girlfriend’s DMs: None (Team-wide, I might expect that from Semyon Varlamov)

Allowing Cabbie to send out a tweet in his name: Nikita Zadorov (He could claim it was a language issue or just plain laugh it off)

Questioning the word “habitual”: Erik Johnson (What can I say — he’s a smart ass.)

The opposite of a habitual line stepper: Tyson Jost

He’s just a cherub. Whenever he gets into a scrum with an+ opponent, clearly the other player is at fault. Our little Josty is a saint.

Like any team, the Colorado Avalanche has habitual line steppers, players who will cross the line when it’s necessary to help the team. Sincerely, that’s a lost art.