{"id":508600,"date":"2026-03-17T23:14:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T23:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/508600\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T23:14:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T23:14:40","slug":"avalanche-fan-favorite-erik-johnson-on-fast-track-to-tv-superstardom-with-espn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/508600\/","title":{"rendered":"Avalanche fan favorite Erik Johnson on fast track to TV ‘superstardom’ with ESPN"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

These days, the shoe is on the other foot. <\/p>\n

Sort of.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one part of his new gig he\u2019s not quite ready for.<\/p>\n

\u201cI refuse to go\u00a0in\u00a0the locker room. If\u00a0I\u2019m at\u00a0morning\u00a0skate, I just refuse,\u201d Johnson told The Denver Gazette. \u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0kind of\u00a0the\u00a0sacred players area. I\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0wanted to go in there yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

If he wants to chat with any of the players before a game,\u00a0he\u2019ll\u00a0text them to meet him in the hallway.\u00a0He\u2019s no longer inside of that locker room. He\u2019s a member of the media now, having joined ESPN\u00a0as a color analyst for the 2025-26 season after announcing his retirement in early October.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019s one he\u2019s quickly fallen in love with. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also something he\u2019s already really, really good at.<\/p>\n

\"\"FILE \u2013 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)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0think it could be a more natural transition\u00a0than what\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been the first few months,\u201d ESPN\u2019s Mike Monaco told The Denver Gazette. \u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0told him this, and\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0tell anyone who\u00a0will\u00a0listen,\u00a0that\u00a0he is about to be a superstar in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s less travel and less work involved with studio work.<\/p>\n

One game changed that perspective for him.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Matt Krol reached out to Johnson, who was still training to continue his playing career, to see if he\u2019d be interested in trying it out with McGahey.<\/p>\n

Saying \u201cyes\u201d gave Johnson some clarity as a potential retirement loomed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0so glad I did,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI 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\u2019m 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\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been\u00a0pretty dang\u00a0fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Erik Johnson between the benches for an ESPN broadcast (Photo courtesy of JJ Zykan)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for everyone to see Johnson was a natural at the gig.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0went back and listened back to that\u00a0game\u00a0and I\u00a0was blown away by\u00a0how good it was in the first game,\u201d Monaco told The Denver Gazette. \u201cHe said a couple of things that\u00a0just are\u00a0uncommon for a first-time analyst. They were rolling a\u00a0replay\u00a0and he said something to the effect of \u2018great look there by the guys in our truck,\u2019 which is such a conversational thing that Ray (Ferraro) would do because Ray\u2019s done a million games. <\/p>\n

\u201c(Johnson) just weaved that in like\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0been studying how to be a broadcaster for 20 years. When they did\u00a0the\u00a0open, he poked\u00a0fun\u00a0at Steve Levy. Steve is this legend in the industry, and here\u2019s Erik Johnson in his first career game unafraid to show his personality and have some\u00a0fun\u00a0with a guy he grew up watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that boot camp,\u00a0I\u00a0think we had dinner that night and we got to be a little closer and I saw all the potential,\u201d Levy told The Denver Gazette. \u201cHe\u2019s\u00a0got all the qualities\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0looking for. He\u2019s\u00a0able to put himself out there and\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0not afraid. He\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0afraid on the ice,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0(an) American-born, No. 1 overall pick who\u2019s\u00a0won a Stanley Cup. Other than scoring 1,000 goals,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0a perfect analyst.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0a TV superstar waiting to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Erik Johnson prepares for an ESPN broadcast between the benches. (Photo credit: ESPN)<\/p>\n

While some former players step into the role eventually, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the case for everyone that gives it a shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things I think (that) helps\u00a0is\u00a0he\u00a0seems to really love\u00a0it,\u201d longtime NHL analyst Ray Ferraro told The Denver Gazette. \u201cThere are a lot of guys that will dabble in it. The guys that retire\u00a0generally don\u2019t\u00a0want to travel as much as a game analyst would. For Erik, he likes it. He\u2019s comfortable in the travel because that\u00a0becomes a big part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson, a self-described \u201cbusy body,\u201d is accustomed to the travel. Logging into Instagram every day is akin to playing a game of, \u201cWhere in the world is Erik Johnson?\u201d He\u2019s spent this first year of retirement enjoying things he wasn\u2019t able to enjoy during his playing career. He fixed his signature toothless look Avalanche fans came to know and love. He\u2019s also stayed busy with other hobbies he picked up during his playing days, including his horse racing endeavors.<\/p>\n

Finding a love for broadcasting has also given Johnson something he seems to crave.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0crazy to go from a structured lifestyle to then no structure,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWhat TV has done for me is it\u2019s a really similar structured timeline. The times are the same as when I played. The best part about it\u00a0is\u00a0you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to lay the body on the line. You just\u00a0have to\u00a0sound entertaining and knowledgeable and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been a\u00a0really\u00a0fun\u00a0transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s also a lot of work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watch way more\u00a0hockey\u00a0now than I did when I played,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not something TV rookies expect with the role. Being a great player or having a long career doesn\u2019t automatically qualify you for the job.<\/p>\n

Johnson has put in the work, and it\u2019s apparent to those that have called games with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u00a0wanted it so\u00a0bad.\u00a0I think Erik\u00a0really wants this badly and has wanted it badly and because of that,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0done the work and\u00a0put\u00a0in the work,\u201d Levy said. \u201cI know\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0so many people out there that\u00a0think\u00a0we\u00a0just\u00a0show up at 7:08 (p.m.),\u00a0put a headset on, and\u00a0say,\u00a0\u2018Hi, everybody,\u2019 and drop the puck. They\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0see the hours of preparation behind the scenes and the different preparation. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0think Erik was surprised.\u00a0I think Erik\u00a0spoke to enough\u00a0people,\u00a0I know he reached out to a ton of people.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s\u00a0begging me for feedback and constructive\u00a0criticism\u00a0and\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0given him some tough stuff and he wants it. He takes it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Erik Johnson and Mike Monaco prior to calling a game in Dallas (Photo courtesy of ESPN)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

By Tuesday, Monaco said he had texts from Johnson about the most minor things that he wishes he would have changed, and he\u2019s asking detailed questions specific to broadcasting because he wants to learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s pretty rare,\u201d Monaco said. \u201cHe\u2019s really\u00a0granular\u00a0already with what he\u2019s looking at and trying to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErik\u2019s\u00a0really\u00a0curious.\u00a0He wants to be good, and I don\u2019t see any reason why he won\u2019t be.\u00a0He\u2019s already really good,\u201d Ferraro added.<\/p>\n

No one should be surprised by this, though. That\u2019s Johnson.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cI realized that even up until I retired this past year, I was still asking questions, trying to get better while I played,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnything I do, I want to be the best I can be at it.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0no different\u00a0with\u00a0TV.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0asking those guys a ton of questions because\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0been there and done it. To have someone like Ray that\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0been able to pick his brain has been\u00a0really huge\u00a0for me.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0been so\u00a0helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucky for him, he\u2019s found the perfect place to grow at ESPN with people who have years of experience that can help him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0been amazing.\u00a0I\u2019m really grateful for the opportunity,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWhen I was a kid, I watched \u2018NHL Tonight\u2019\u00a0with all those broadcasting legends on there and at times I wanted to be a broadcaster more than I wanted to be a\u00a0hockey\u00a0player. To fulfill two dreams of my\u00a0life of\u00a0playing in the\u00a0NHL\u00a0and now being a broadcaster with ESPN, it\u2019s pretty amazing just because I would have been happy with either. Now\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0lucky to do both. I want to do it for a long time just because I love doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monaco said Johnson mentions occasionally that he misses playing. How could he not? It\u2019s something he did most of his life. As recently as late last summer, he was still training to continue his NHL career.<\/p>\n

But he hasn\u2019t missed it nearly as much as he thought he would.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u00a0means the timing was right,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI would have loved to still\u00a0play\u00a0another year but just having no aches and\u00a0pains\u00a0anymore is\u00a0really nice. I\u2019m doing something I really love to do now.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0sure\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0miss\u00a0it at some point, but so\u00a0far\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just been the best transition I could ask for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado Avalanche\u2019s 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)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It was a side of MacKinnon that fans don\u2019t often see, a side that only a former teammate like Johnson could bring out of him.<\/p>\n

Rather than hide from it, Johnson had fun with it, responding to an Avalanche post on social media with, \u201cJust fell to my knees in the tanning salon.\u201d His personality is shining through on television, and not just through his words.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy snakeskin suit game\u00a0apparently needs\u00a0a lot more work to be on his level,\u201d Monaco joked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a lot of suits in the closet that I got to roll out,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cMy wife\u2019s done\u00a0a great job\u00a0of, \u2018No, that suit looks like crap. Don\u2019t wear that one, wear this one.\u2019 The makeup artist has helped in all the games too. (I\u2019ve) got to tiptoe that\u00a0fine\u00a0line\u00a0of being too tan or not tan enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s 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\u2019s in the broadcast game, he\u2019ll know and have played against fewer of the players in the league. That\u2019s when the hard work and preparation will pay off even more.<\/p>\n

But the early returns? They\u2019re spectacular, to say the least.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s always been so natural in front of the camera,\u201d TNT\u2019s Brian Boucher said. \u201cHe brings out the best in everybody. That\u2019s why he\u2019s so good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0believe how soon Erik is this good and it really speaks\u00a0to\u00a0his future,\u201d Levy said. \u201cAnd if I\u00a0was\u00a0ESPN, I would lock him up to a mammoth\u00a010-year,\u00a0$10 billion,\u00a0no-trade\u00a0clause contract.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0sure the bosses will love to hear that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I see\u00a0him on\u00a0(TV), it looks like\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0where\u00a0he should\u00a0be,\u201d Ferraro said.<\/p>\n

And where he should be is on everyone\u2019s television screens for years to come.<\/p>\n


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