CALGARY, Alberta — If Erik Johnson scans the Avalanche locker room, he can easily find someone to unfairly compare himself against.
“Me and Cogs were rookies the same year in 2007,” Johnson pointed out Wednesday before playing his 900th career game. “And he has, like, 300 more games played than me.”
Andrew Cogliano has appeared in 281 more games, to be precise, but he’s a rare case anyway. He once played in 830 consecutive games, the seventh-longest Iron Man streak in NHL history. “He’s got the magic potion or something,” Johnson quipped.
Johnson hasn’t been as fortunate, dealing with injuries throughout his 15-year career. So he understands that milestones like this shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially in the midst of an age-34 season that has felt “really good” physically for him, he told The Post.
“I’ve had some unlucky injuries over the years, so I joke I have a full pension already,” he said.
He also joked that his mom congratulated him on his 899th game Monday. The defenseman has not only been appearing in games this season; he’s averaging 25 seconds more ice time (17:40) than he did last season. With Avalanche defensemen Bo Byram and Josh Manson injured — plus Cale Makar out Wednesday in Calgary — the Avs have leaned on Johnson as a second-pairing blueliner. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has seven assists.
“When I was a young coach when I came to Denver, he was one of the veteran guys,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “… He’s a great person. Great teammate. Always comes to the rink with a smile on his face. Loves being around the guys. Keeps it light. … Really proud of him. It hasn’t always been the easiest road for him.”
Johnson’s 900th total game was also his 697th for the Avalanche, passing Alain Cote for seventh-most in franchise history. The next player to leapfrog is Peter Stastny, who played 737 games for the Avs. If Johnson were to appear in every game for the rest of this season, he would land at 736. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
“Hopefully I can stick around for a hundred more,” Johnson said.
