Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson officially retired on Monday after an NHL career that spanned more than 730 games.
The former No. 1 overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2006 played parts of 14 seasons with the Avalanche.
And the fan-favorite had a ton of huge moments with Colorado, but perhaps no bigger than his assist in Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues in the 2022 playoffs.
This current Avs core simply couldn’t get out of the second-round, until they did.
Up 3-2 in the series against the Blues, Colorado didn’t want to come home for a Game 7 after blowing Game 5 late. Tied 2-2 late in the third period in St. Louis, Cale Makar had the puck behind his own net.
He found Erik Johnson, who streaked up the ice, then played the puck to Logan O’Connor. That led to a pass off the far boards to Darren Helm, who ripped a snipe to the back of the net, and the rest is history.
It’s one of the signature moments in the career of Erik Johnson, as Colorado dispatched the Blues then beat the Oilers and Lightning to hoist their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Johnson reflected fondly on the play, finally getting past Round 2, and exactly what happened during that sequence.
I asked Erik Johnson about his famous assist in Game 6 against the Blues in 2022. The Avalanche finally got over the second round hump, when EJ helped set up Darren Helm, and of course went on to win the Stanley Cup. pic.twitter.com/1Zlw1hgmM3
— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) October 6, 2025
“Yeah, I still get chills when I watch that goal of Helmer putting that in the back of the net,” Erik Johnson said. “That was kind of a mental block that I think got everybody over the hump, not only the fans, but the players as well.”
Johnson went on to describe “wanting the puck” and knowing there was very little time on the clock. He called it “one of the most famous goals in Avs history.”
It’s certainly a play Avalanche fans will never forget, one that Erik Johnson was a big a part of.
Now, he’s got some plans for the future, while also enjoying retirement and figuring out what’s next. And Erik Johnson will always have that mad dash up in the ice in St. Louis.
