Flyers veteran drops sobering career reflection before 1000th game
11/16/2024 12:47 AM
The Philadelphia Flyers traded for Erik Johnson at last season’s NHL Trade Deadline. Though the Flyers failed to make the playoffs, Johnson has proven to be a valuable player. Even at the age of 36, the veteran defenseman has something to give. Johnson may be a Flyers trade candidate this season, but he isn’t thinking about that right now.
Johnson will play his 1000th career game whenever he takes to the ice again. It’s a milestone that the 17-year veteran arguably should have hit sooner. Unfortunately, he struggled with injuries that prevented it from happening. As he reflected on his career with NHL.com, he admitted to not knowing if he would come back from some of those injuries.
“I’ve had some real tough injuries, some I wasn’t sure I was going to come back from, from knees to concussions to whatever. I’ve had some tough ones that I really had to grind and rehab and come back from. Certainly affected the timeline of it, for sure,” the Flyers defenseman said, via NHL.com.
"But I’ve just tried to wake up every day and just attack whatever’s been thrown at me and just grind away and attack my rehab, attack my training, and just try and play as long as I can, as hard as I can. I just love coming to the rink, showing up and playing and working.”
Flyers’ Erik Johnson will join rarified air
Erik Johnson entered the league as the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. He emerged as a true star when he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche during the 2010-11 season. And he finally won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
Johnson certainly isn’t the defenseman he used to be. However, his 1000th game will still put him in some elite company. According to NHL.com, he is set to become the 23rd first-overall pick to reach the milestone. Additionally, he will be sixth defenseman to go first overall and play 1000 games in his career.
There is a lot that goes into playing as long as Johnson has. The Flyers rearguard mentioned needing people behind him and some luck on your side. Whether he has been lucky, he isn’t quite sure. What he is sure of is the love he feels for the game of hockey and his commitment to continuing his career.
“I love the game and I love coming to the rink. I’ve attacked each hurdle with 100 percent work ethic. I just tried to wake up every single day and control what I can control. You can control your attitude and your effort every single day no matter what. That’s kind of what I’ve tried to do. It wasn’t always easy, but I love the game, and I love coming to the rink every day, really,” Johnson said, via NHL.com.
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