“A special place”
Formers Avs star Johnson emotional on return to Ball Arena
Erik Johnson’s eyes were already red and filled with tears when he asked for a second to try and collect himself.
Johnson needed more than one, and apologized twice as the emotions of returning to Ball Arena overwhelmed him Wednesday morning. The whole scene, with a collection of Colorado- based writers encircled around him in a small visiting locker room, was a bit surreal.
It was also a genuine reminder of how much 13 years, more than 700 games and one brush with immortality at the end of a long journey meant to Johnson. The feeling was definitely mutual when Avalanche fans serenaded the Buffalo Sabres defenseman later that night.
“A special place for me, for my family,” Johnson said prior to the game. “Really excited to get back. It’s just a great organization with great people. Fortunate to spend the time I did here.”
Johnson spoke for about five minutes. He started by wishing Samuel Girard well while he’s in the NHL/ NHLPA player assistance program. He thanked Avalanche fans and Ball Arena employees, a place he called his “home away from home.”
The Avs had already faced Johnson, who signed with the Sabres in July, in
Buffalo earlier this season. His return to Denver, and to this arena, clearly had a bigger emotional impact.
“I’m just looking forward to being out there and playing in front of the fans who were so great to me for so long,” Johnson said. “Just excited to be back. Denver is home for me now, so it’s just a great place. One of the best cities in the country, one of the best organizations. It was a great run. I’m super grateful.”
Johnson arrived in Denver in a blockbuster trade with St. Louis in 2011. He was a key part of the Avs’ brief rise in 2014, another tumble backwards and ultimately the return to the top of the NHL.
His 717 games in an Avalanche uniform is eighth in franchise history, and second among defensemen behind only Adam Foote. His on- ice role with the defense corps decreased near the end of his tenure, but his impact on the stars of the 2022 Stanley Cup- winning team and the success of the group to come is a significant part of his legacy here.
“A great teammate, a great guy, he really helped me out at the start of my career,” Avs defenseman Bo Byram said.
That’s an accurate reflection of how Dagher explained his decision to the Nuggets in the immediate aftermath. The instigating incident: Jokic turned to Dagher and said something as he was getting back on defense, still angry about the lack of foul call granted as he’d missed a reverse layup. Multiple league sources with knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post that Jokic called Dagher a “mother-( expletive)” and demanded that Dagher “call the mother-( expletive) foul.”
“I didn’t really see the play. … I was like, OK. I’d seen he got a tech,” Jackson told The Post. “And then I see the gesture that he got thrown out. I was like, ‘ Oh, snap, something crazy must have happened.’ So I do the same thing I always do. I’m not really gonna be too mad. I’m just gonna ask. So I try to ask what happened. And it was just very interesting that Jok got thrown out for saying, ‘ Call the mother-( expletive) foul.’ I thought it had to be something way more derogatory than that. It had to be a personal attack or something. So yeah. That was just very interesting.
“That was a new one for me in my 13 years ( in the NBA).”
Denver’s coaching staff huddled with the officials soon after. An incredulous Michael Malone was asked if he heard what Jokic said. Malone hadn’t. So the officials shared with him, too. After the game, Malone didn’t specify the words he was told Jokic used, but he joked that the phrase was a “term of endearment” in his household when he was growing