Erik Johnson has four large-breed dogs, 10 race horses, a longtime girlfriend and a relatively large house in Cherry Hills. The Avalanche defenseman, however, isn’t your typical family man. He doesn’t want to get married, or have children, until after he retires from the NHL.
That could be awhile.
Johnson is under contract through the 2022-23 season, when he’ll be 35.
“Waiting for all that until I’m done playing,” Johnson said. “The focus is just on the Avalanche and winning the Stanley Cup in Denver.”
Also a focus? His health.
Johnson, 30, is the Avalanche’s best defenseman on the team’s best blue-line corps in more than 10 years and is trying to avoid an injury that prematurely shuts down his season.