Erik Johnson Appreciation Thread

[El Travo]

With him officially signing with another team for this upcoming season, I felt it appropriate for us to have a thread dedicated to The Condor. I'll miss seeing that guy on our team. He was a great stabilizing force on the back end for many years during the darkest era. His dedication to the team paid off in the biggest way with him being able to lift the Stanley Cup with us.

Thank you, Condor.

 

[sethro109]

Really gonna miss EJ. Always loved the way he played even after he lost a step. I'm sure there's a 1 day contract to retire an Av in his future.

 

[Reparlana]

He wanted to be here when we were at rock bottom and he got his cup. He had a great tenure hear. While his contract sucked the last two years he deserved that cup.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

He deserved a great ending and he got one. So happy for him. Thank you very much EJ!!

 

[BrickNHL]

Love this guy and I’m happy he’s going to a team I like so I can cheer for him

 

[Foppa2118]

One of the all time great Avalanche. Right up there in impact to the organization with long tenured guys like Hejduk.

Gave everything for this team night in night out for 13 seasons and left many pieces of himself on the ice along the way. All for the team and for our entertainment.

Stuck with the team through the dark ages when others wanted out. Had many opportunities to quit but never did. Often underappreciated by some, but never by those that knew his contributions.

Was quite good offensively in his prime, including what was on it's way to a 20 goal season, before being shut down to injury as was often the case. Willingly adapted his role to a more defensive defenseman as the team brought in more skill with Girard, Makar, Toews, and Byram, and became a huge leader and mentor for them all and the rest of the team.

Not many have had a run like his for one team through all the ups and downs, eventually paying off with his long cherished goal of a Stanley Cup. What a career.

Wouldn't be surprised if he comes back at the deadline though. At 50% prorated it would just be a $400-500k cap hit. This one year deal in Buffalo who's shown they'll sign guys just to flip them for assets, reminds me a bit of JJ signing in Chicago, which looked like it would set up a deadline deal back to Colorado too.

But if this is it, and EJ has played his last game as an Av, thanks for the memories Condor! Sail off into the sunset with that toothless grin and Cup ring on.

 

[MOGlLNY]

Nice thread, great choice I think having him mentor OP on and off the ice. Seems like a super shy kid and wouldn’t be surprised if Sabres signing EJ is part of trying to get him to come out of his shell.

Obviously overpaid but we can afford it. Looking forward to having him add to the culture and hopefully help out the bottom pairing and PK a bit!

 

[McMetal]

People forget just how good he was back in the day. I feel like recency bias, especially with regards to his cap hit, made people forget what a stud he was when healthy. He stuck with the team through the down years and earned himself a well-deserved Cup ring.

I was already rooting for Buffalo to make the playoffs next year, doubly so now.

 

[Sea Eagles]

Great thought's for a great thread my guy.

EJ was and will always be one of my favorite ever AVS. Stuck with us through thick and thin. Some of the comments he made about Dutchy's mindset was telling to me. His leadership, enthusiasm, class, will be sorely missed.

What a player. But even better...what a man. I wish he'd read threads like these.

 

[Jazzguitar]

I would love him back at the deadline as a 7th-8th D to help distance MacDermid from that spot and honestly just love the guy. Hated the contract at the end but if we have the space I wouldn't mind him back for the playoffs.

 

[redandyellowcametobe]

One of the only threads I made was about EJ. I think it was during the season he was hurt and missed all that time with head and shoulder injuries. I legit felt bad for him that he was probably going to be forced to call it a career or send assets out to be traded. All without a cup after all the years sticking with the Avs.

it really warms my heart he was able to achieve his ultimate goal and he sure as hell partied like it for weeks after. Cheers EJ

 

[CobraAcesS]

Awesome, warrior, hope he has fun wherever he signed.

 

[bromando]

Man the roller coaster this dude took to get to the cup with the Avs. Hurts to see him go but such is life and aging. EJ gave everything to this team and was a huge part of the culture that took over and changed the locker room dynamic from those awful days.

Hope he finds his way to getting back involved with the team in the future in some capacity. Can only root for him.

Cheers to a great career EJ!

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Thanks for the great years EJ. Wish you the best.

 

[John Mandalorian]

If you ever look into other team subforums (others too but especially Toronto). You see other fanbases discussing the Avs almost exclusively for hitting on high draft picks. That's not untrue but that's not all of it.

One of the things this Avs team has over others (besides superior talent) is the struggle. They were constantly doing re-sets due to certainl players leaving. The constant set backs of losing Stastny, O'Reilly, and then finally that last black cloud season with Duchene. It took a lot of quality of character to come together and push that rock up that hill after all of that. EJ was a big part of the final reset and finally pushing that rock up the hill.

Not everyone has a Landeskog or an EJ that help make these things possible. And these contributions are/were profound.

 

[Sea Eagles]

Remember the trade? Here was how it went:

AVS got: Erik Johnson, Jay McClement & a conditional 1st round draft pick
BLUES GOT: Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk and a conditional 2nd round draft pick

 

[crue7]

Can’t respect this man enough. From the bottom with the team, to the top of hockey’s mountain. His perseverance and leadership will be missed. Guy cut through the cancer years with such pride and dedication.

He was an amazing leader in the room. Farewell great Condor!

 

[zxcvnm]

You know he’s going to be a TDL acquisition this year. He learned that from his brother Jack.

 

[The Moops]

Love the Condor. Sad to see him go. Glad he got his bag

 

[Avs9296]

Miss you EJ. Thanks for everything!

 

[LieutenantDangle]

The avs trading for EJ, and Landeskog getting drafted were the moves that got me back into watching hockey. I could count on two hands the number of Avalanche games I've missed since EJ joined the team. What a ride its been as a fan. He will sorely be missed in the burgundy and blue.

 

[MarkT]

I'm going to miss him. From the early days when he was a beast playing beside guys like Jan Hejda or Francois Beauchemin to becoming carbon copies of those guys in his later days. I'll miss his increasingly rare end-to-end rushes, and his ability to absolutely eliminate guys in the corner. But what I'll miss most is his leadership and character. I never once heard him complain when he was moved down to first the 2nd pair and then the 3rd pair. He always had thoughtful answers for the media, and didn't shy away from things like the Duchene situation like most would have.

I'm very happy he went to a place like Buffalo where they could really use his leadership and character to mentor the young guys. Like others, I hope we either re-acquire him at the deadline, or he finds a role with the team after retirement. He should be a lifelong Avalanche - he's earned that.

 

[shadow1]

I still vividly remember reading the Erik Johnson trade headline on TSN.ca in 2011. A younger version of myself had stayed up until 4 am playing video games, and for some reason my exhausted brain thought the Avalanche had acquired goaltender Brent Johnson (yeah, it was that long ago).

After checking the Dater blog on the Denver Post website for details, I was shocked and excited. Johnson was pretty rough when he first got to Colorado though, but over the next couple seasons his defensive game really developed. He was never the star he was projected to be when being drafted 1st overall, but he was a legitimate top pairing defensive defenseman for a long time.

And that was a really big deal on this team. After Rob Blake left, the Avs went through a stretch of trying to piecemeal their defense together with mid-pairing guys. That didn't change much after EJ joined the club, either. During his prime years, Johnson was the headliner of a medicore-to-poor defensive core, on a mediocre-to-poor Colorado team (depending on the year).

I thought EJ took a step back in 2019, likely a result of so many significant injuries over the years. Of course, the cruel irony was that the organization had finally turned the corner. The wheels completely came off by 2021, at which point Johnson was an afterthought on the defense. I was even calling for him to be bought out after he missed all but 4 games that season.

Fortunately they didn't, because while he was just a depth piece in the 2022 regular season, he stepped up big time in the playoffs. He was rock solid as Bowen Byram's partner, forced into a top-4 role after Sam Girard went down to injury. I'm so glad Johnson got his Cup with the Avalanche, something that would've been inconceivable only five years earlier. He went to hell and back with this franchise, which was a mismanaged joke of an organization for large chunks of his tenure.

Good luck to EJ in Buffalo!

 

[famicommander]

His jersey belongs in the rafters someday and I will fight anyone and everyone who says otherwise.

 

[amigo]

Great guy, leader and when club sink he stayed and belived in team. It was so great to see him lift the cup, thanks for memories EJ we will miss you.