Erik Johnson’s Best Moments

On Wednesday, Erik Johnson announced his retirement after an incredible career that included him being drafted No. 1 overall, playing 1,000 games, winning a Stanley Cup and taking home a silver medal at the Olympics. Here are some of the top moments from his fantastic career.

2022 Stanley Cup Championship

After 12 seasons in Colorado, Johnson became a Stanley Cup champion. After the final buzzer of Game Six sounded, Johnson was tackled by Nathan MacKinnon for an on-ice hug as two of the players on the 2016-17 Avs team that finished with a league-worst 48 points celebrated that they reached the mountain top.

First Goal as an Av

In Johnson’s second game with the Avs, he scored his first goal with the club against the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2006, the St. Louis Blues. At 14:54 of the third period, Johnson gave the Avs a 3-2 lead in a game they’d win 5-4.

EJ’s Emotional Return to Colorado

For the first time since wearing an Avalanche uniform, Johnson entered Ball Arena as a visitor. On December 13, 2023, Johnson, a member of the Buffalo Sabres, was given a video tribute and a lengthy standing ovation from the home crowd. During pregame warmups, Johnson was greeted on the glass by Gabriel Landeskog and his kids, who made a sign for him, welcoming back their "Uncle EJ."

1,000th Game Ceremony vs. The Avs

As the schedule for the 2024-25 season played out, the Avalanche were able to be in person to celebrate Johnson, then a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, reaching the 1,000-game milestone. During the ceremony celebrating this milestone, Gabriel Landeskog gifted Johnson a framed graphic and a trip to Napa, California.

“It’s good for EJ,” Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar said after that game. “He gets to see some of his old buddies. It’s good for our guys to see EJ. It’s a big, huge milestone. It’s not easy to get there, for sure, and especially when EJ went through some injuries and some down times. It took him a little longer than probably what he would have liked. But [to] hit that milestone with some of his old buddies in the building, and his old team in the building where he spent most of his career, I think [that’s] pretty special.”

The Condor Returns

As the 2025 trade deadline was coming to a close, the Avalanche struck a deal with the Flyers to bring Johnson back to Colorado. In his second stint with the Avs, he posted two points (1g/1a) in 14 regular-season contests and appeared in two playoff games.