For 18 seasons, Erik Johnson was one of the guys inside the locker room, removing his hockey gear as the media strolled in to do their job.

These days, the shoe is on the other foot.

Sort of.

That’s one part of his new gig he’s not quite ready for.

“I refuse to go in the locker room. If I’m at morning skate, I just refuse,” Johnson told The Denver Gazette. “That’s kind of the sacred players area. I haven’t wanted to go in there yet.” 

If he wants to chat with any of the players before a game, he’ll text them to meet him in the hallway. He’s no longer inside of that locker room. He’s a member of the media now, having joined ESPN as a color analyst for the 2025-26 season after announcing his retirement in early October.

It’s a fresh and new experience for a 37-year-old hockey lifer who played over 1,000 games in the NHL and retired with a Stanley Cup ring to his name. But it’s one he’s quickly fallen in love with.

It’s also something he’s already really, really good at.

FILE – Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson lifts the Stanley Cup after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack, File)

“I don’t think it could be a more natural transition than what it’s been the first few months,” ESPN’s Mike Monaco told The Denver Gazette. “I’ve told him this, and I’ll tell anyone who will listen, that he is about to be a superstar in this.”

At his retirement press conference, Johnson said one of the many things he would try in retirement was working in television, covering some Avalanche and NCAA games. Like most players, he assumed a studio gig would be right up his alley. There’s less travel and less work involved with studio work.

One game changed that perspective for him.

Last August, the Avalanche Alumni Faceoff at Magness Arena was set to be broadcast on Altitude TV. With Conor McGahey on play-by-play duty for the game, there was room for a color commentator. Altitude TV’s Matt Krol reached out to Johnson, who was still training to continue his playing career, to see if he’d be interested in trying it out with McGahey.

Saying “yes” gave Johnson some clarity as a potential retirement loomed.

“I did it and I’m so glad I did,” Johnson said. “I figured out this is what I want to do. You have the energy of the crowd and the game, especially being down in between the benches where I’m going to be the majority of the time here. Just going from one Altitude Alumni game right to ESPN and ABC has not been the jump I expected, but it’s been pretty dang fun.”

Erik Johnson between the benches for an ESPN broadcast (Photo courtesy of JJ Zykan)

Less than a week after his retirement, Johnson had signed on to work for ESPN for the remainder of the season. His first game at the network came on Oct. 24 in Buffalo, a game Johnson called with ESPN icon Steve Levy.

It didn’t take long for everyone to see Johnson was a natural at the gig.

“I went back and listened back to that game and I was blown away by how good it was in the first game,” Monaco told The Denver Gazette. “He said a couple of things that just are uncommon for a first-time analyst. They were rolling a replay and he said something to the effect of ‘great look there by the guys in our truck,’ which is such a conversational thing that Ray (Ferraro) would do because Ray’s done a million games.

“(Johnson) just weaved that in like he’s been studying how to be a broadcaster for 20 years. When they did the open, he poked fun at Steve Levy. Steve is this legend in the industry, and here’s Erik Johnson in his first career game unafraid to show his personality and have some fun with a guy he grew up watching.”

Working his first game with Levy was fitting, as the 33-year ESPN veteran runs the NHL Broadcast Training Camp, a camp that began in 2024. Johnson took part in that inaugural camp and immediately caught the attention of Levy.

“After that boot camp, I think we had dinner that night and we got to be a little closer and I saw all the potential,” Levy told The Denver Gazette. “He’s got all the qualities we’re looking for. He’s able to put himself out there and he’s not afraid. He wasn’t afraid on the ice, he’s (an) American-born, No. 1 overall pick who’s won a Stanley Cup. Other than scoring 1,000 goals, he’s a perfect analyst.

“I think he’s a TV superstar waiting to happen.”

Erik Johnson prepares for an ESPN broadcast between the benches. (Photo credit: ESPN)

While some former players step into the role eventually, it’s rare to make the jump that Johnson has made so quickly, going from retirement to national television in a matter of months. Beyond being a natural on the mic, Johnson fell in love with everything else that comes with being a color commentator.

That’s not the case for everyone that gives it a shot.

“One of the things I think (that) helps is he seems to really love it,” longtime NHL analyst Ray Ferraro told The Denver Gazette. “There are a lot of guys that will dabble in it. The guys that retire generally don’t want to travel as much as a game analyst would. For Erik, he likes it. He’s comfortable in the travel because that becomes a big part of the job.”

Johnson, a self-described “busy body,” is accustomed to the travel. Logging into Instagram every day is akin to playing a game of, “Where in the world is Erik Johnson?” He’s spent this first year of retirement enjoying things he wasn’t able to enjoy during his playing career. He fixed his signature toothless look Avalanche fans came to know and love. He’s also stayed busy with other hobbies he picked up during his playing days, including his horse racing endeavors.

Finding a love for broadcasting has also given Johnson something he seems to crave.

“It’s crazy to go from a structured lifestyle to then no structure,” Johnson said. “What TV has done for me is it’s a really similar structured timeline. The times are the same as when I played. The best part about it is you don’t have to lay the body on the line. You just have to sound entertaining and knowledgeable and it’s been a really fun transition.”

Of course, it’s also a lot of work.

“I watch way more hockey now than I did when I played,” Johnson said.

And that’s not something TV rookies expect with the role. Being a great player or having a long career doesn’t automatically qualify you for the job.

Johnson has put in the work, and it’s apparent to those that have called games with him.

“I think he wanted it so bad. I think Erik really wants this badly and has wanted it badly and because of that, he’s done the work and put in the work,” Levy said. “I know there’s so many people out there that think we just show up at 7:08 (p.m.), put a headset on, and say, ‘Hi, everybody,’ and drop the puck. They don’t see the hours of preparation behind the scenes and the different preparation. I don’t think Erik was surprised. I think Erik spoke to enough people, I know he reached out to a ton of people.

“He’s begging me for feedback and constructive criticism and I’ve given him some tough stuff and he wants it. He takes it.”

Erik Johnson and Mike Monaco prior to calling a game in Dallas (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Within hours of a broadcast, Johnson will go back and watch the tape to see what he could have done differently, just as he would in his playing days. On a recent Sunday, he worked a game with Monaco in Las Vegas between the Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

By Tuesday, Monaco said he had texts from Johnson about the most minor things that he wishes he would have changed, and he’s asking detailed questions specific to broadcasting because he wants to learn.

“That’s pretty rare,” Monaco said. “He’s really granular already with what he’s looking at and trying to improve.”

“Erik’s really curious. He wants to be good, and I don’t see any reason why he won’t be. He’s already really good,” Ferraro added.

No one should be surprised by this, though. That’s Johnson.

By his own admission, he was too hard on himself at times during his days in the NHL, striving to be the best he could be and painstakingly reliving the most minor mistakes to see where he could improve.

“I realized that even up until I retired this past year, I was still asking questions, trying to get better while I played,” Johnson said. “Anything I do, I want to be the best I can be at it. That’s no different with TV. I’m asking those guys a ton of questions because they’ve been there and done it. To have someone like Ray that I’ve been able to pick his brain has been really huge for me. He’s been so helpful.”

Lucky for him, he’s found the perfect place to grow at ESPN with people who have years of experience that can help him.

“It’s been amazing. I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” Johnson said. “When I was a kid, I watched ‘NHL Tonight’ with all those broadcasting legends on there and at times I wanted to be a broadcaster more than I wanted to be a hockey player. To fulfill two dreams of my life of playing in the NHL and now being a broadcaster with ESPN, it’s pretty amazing just because I would have been happy with either. Now I’m lucky to do both. I want to do it for a long time just because I love doing it.”

Monaco said Johnson mentions occasionally that he misses playing. How could he not? It’s something he did most of his life. As recently as late last summer, he was still training to continue his NHL career.

But he hasn’t missed it nearly as much as he thought he would.

“I think that means the timing was right,” Johnson said. “I would have loved to still play another year but just having no aches and pains anymore is really nice. I’m doing something I really love to do now. I’m sure I’ll miss it at some point, but so far it’s just been the best transition I could ask for.” 

Colorado Avalanche’s Daniel Briere (48) celebrates his game-winning goal with teammate Erik Johnson, right, with seconds left in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Boston, Monday, Oct. 13, 2014. The Avalanche won 2-1. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

At the end of January, Johnson went viral due to a postgame interview on the bench with Nathan MacKinnon. Johnson was looking a little tan, and MacKinnon called him out on it in a fun moment between friends.

It was a side of MacKinnon that fans don’t often see, a side that only a former teammate like Johnson could bring out of him.

Rather than hide from it, Johnson had fun with it, responding to an Avalanche post on social media with, “Just fell to my knees in the tanning salon.” His personality is shining through on television, and not just through his words.

“My snakeskin suit game apparently needs a lot more work to be on his level,” Monaco joked.

“I got a lot of suits in the closet that I got to roll out,” Johnson said. “My wife’s done a great job of, ‘No, that suit looks like crap. Don’t wear that one, wear this one.’ The makeup artist has helped in all the games too. (I’ve) got to tiptoe that fine line of being too tan or not tan enough.”

There’s room for growth, and he knows it. He also knows the further he gets from his playing career, the harder the job will become. The longer he’s in the broadcast game, he’ll know and have played against fewer of the players in the league. That’s when the hard work and preparation will pay off even more.

But the early returns? They’re spectacular, to say the least.

“He’s always been so natural in front of the camera,” TNT’s Brian Boucher said. “He brings out the best in everybody. That’s why he’s so good at it.”

“I can’t believe how soon Erik is this good and it really speaks to his future,” Levy said. “And if I was ESPN, I would lock him up to a mammoth 10-year, $10 billion, no-trade clause contract. I’m sure the bosses will love to hear that.” 

“When I see him on (TV), it looks like he’s where he should be,” Ferraro said.

And where he should be is on everyone’s television screens for years to come.