Former Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson has become a fan-favourite during NHL games as a broadcaster. I really enjoy his commentary for not only his hockey knowledge but also for the humor he brings to the network.
He even has fun while out to dinner with friends and teammates, as you can see here.
Johnson makes an appearance on podcasts here and there, and he recently took part in one for Empty Netters with the Power Play Brothers. Johnson talked about several different things, including what it was like to be traded as a former first-overall draft pick.
“I remember I was walking off the plane and someone was like, hey, did Mike just tell you to go talk to Doug? I was like, yeah. Then Jay McClellan said, yeah, me too.
“We went over there together. Doug wasn't on the trip. He was back in St. Louis. He met us and told us in person, which I give him a lot of credit for, for meeting us there at 12:30 at night and telling us we got traded.
”Yeah, so we, we got traded and funny story, my girlfriend at the time, she was at the house in St. Louis. I didn't want to tell her that I got traded until I got home.
But one of the girlfriends on the team beat me to the punch and called her. I was like, oh my God, I'm so sorry, blah, blah, blah. And my girlfriend was still asleep. She's like, ‘what happened? Did the plane crash?’”
Johnson was traded from the St. Louis Blues along with Jay McClement and a conditional first-round pick, in exchange for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk and a conditional second-round pick from the Avalanche.
That story is absolutely insane. Experiencing something like that has got to feel the same as if you were on a roller coaster. You’re kind of there, but also out-of-body in a way. When something like that is happening, it is hard to figure out what is real and what isn’t!
At the end of the day, Johnson stated multiple times that being traded to the Colorado Avalanche was the best thing that ever happened to him. That is a huge compliment to the team. It also helps immensely that he won a Stanley Cup in 2022 with the Avalanche. After three seasons and 203 games, Johnson was on the move to the Mile High City in 2010-11. He played 22 games for the Avs during that season.
Being traded, if you’re not expecting it, probably puts a major pit in your stomach. But, you know, things will work out in their own way and that is exactly what happened for Johnson. He ended up being able to play alongside Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote, and Milan Hejduk, who were both near the end of their careers, and eventually got to share the ice with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
I’m thankful that EJ got to put on the bergundy and blue for 14 of his 17 seasons in the NHL. I’m especially thankful that we get to hear and watch him on tv during some hockey games.
Most importantly, however, I am thankful that nothing bad came out of that phone call that his girlfriend at the time received about his pending team change.
Johnson is forever a Colorado Avalanche and a Stanley Cup Champion.
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