Colorado Avalanche Summer Social Media Series: Erik Johnson

First, a very big thank you to everyone for the warm welcome I’ve received at MHH. Your support means a lot to me.

Second, a disclaimer: I’m extremely mindful that this kind of writing is not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea and I certainly don’t wish to violate anyone’s privacy. I want to stress that the contents of my posts are all what is available in the public domain and things mostly shared by the players themselves. It’s up to the readers to judge whether or not this is worth their time to read.

With that out of the way, here is a non-creepy profile of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson. Enjoy!

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In His Own Words

“#6 Colorado Avalanche Defenseman Team USA Olympic Silver Medalist”

History

Erik’s family has deep roots in hockey. In fact, he was not the first person in his family to play in the NHL. His uncle, Ken Yackel Sr. played for a brief period of time in the 60s.

Nice Guy

One of Erik’s very best traits is how supportive he is. He frequently refers to his teammates as either his “man” or his “boy.” Look at him congratulating his friends on gettin’ paid:

Mo’ Money Mo’ Dairy Queen

Although he is a Nice Guy, Erik can turn on the savagery at random:

(For those of you who are about as well-versed as I am In the hockey players’ lexicon, a pigeon is “a player that isn’t good enough to score goals by himself, so he picks up the trash of his more skilled linemates.”)

Matt Duchene is a frequent victim of Erik’s trash-talking, as seen here:

Likes

• Using the hashtag #letsssgooooo
• Favourite Player Growing Up: Pavel Bure
• Favourite Team: Denver Broncos
• Favourite Toilet:

• #Organic all the way

Being an elite athlete, Erik is all about that B12 and Omega 3 lifestyle. Make sure to scour your local Denver Whole Foods if you want to catch him in his natural habitat.

Dislikes

• People who talk loudly on the phone in public
• Obnoxious business transactions
• Gold medals in hockey that are determined by the shootout

BoErik Horseman

When he’s not on the ice, Erik is probably at the racetrack. One of his greatest passions in life is horse racing. If you already follow him on Twitter, you would have probably noticed the distinct horse racing theme to his tweets.

Yesterday, Erik talked about he’s enjoying his summer and likes to use the time to “reset.” He chatted with the NHL Network about how he got into horse-racing and who his partners are in the sport. Erik hopes to expose others to the sport as much as possible:

(Erik had some interesting thoughts about the Avs from last season as well, so I encourage you to watch!)

Here is Erik taking a selfie with one of his heroes:

Fun fact: This 2016 Kentucky Derby winner was named after Detroit Red Wings player, Gustav Nyquist. Erik says that Nyquist’s owners, who happen to be massive Red Wings fans and are friends of his, did it to annoy him.

A year ago, Erik was interviewed about his passion in horses and the sport of horse-racing. He was there to scout Colorado-bred horses in a bid to expand his horse empire. Erik compares the experience to owning a sports team. At the time this video was made, Erik owned or partly owned around a half-dozen horses. Erik shared that “loves to come to the track, drink a couple of beers and watch horses run.”

Meet one of Erik’s horses, Tap It All. She seems like a pretty awesome horse:

Around that time, one of his horses, Where’s The D, won a race at Santa Anita Park. Erik was interviewed after the race concluded and described how he felt afterwards.

It looks like Erik’s horses are having a better season than his team has in recent years.

‘MURICA!!!!

If there’s something Erik loves even more than horses, it is AMERICA.

U!S!A!

Erik loves our democratic institutions and always wants the people to exercise their constitutional rights.

Workplace Hazard

Losing your teeth is one of risks of being a hockey player. That doesn’t seem to bother Erik. He is extremely proud of his beautiful smile:

The struggle is real:

Tough break.

Greatest Tweet of All Time

Speaking of injuries, remember when Erik had that broken fibula?

Did this ever happen????!!!! I need to know!

And finally, remember to never, ever, ask him about that injury. You know which one.

Here’s to a healthy 2017-2018 season!