INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE   October 6, 2025     Erik Johnson had many to thank and acknowledge Monday as he hung up his skates in a news conference at Family Sports Center. He didn't want to forget anyone, so he read a statement before taking questions.       When I met Erik Johson, he was a young Blues defenseman sitting out the 2008-09 season after suffering a torn ACL in a golf-cart accident. Larry Wigge, previously my compatriot at the St. Louis-based Sporting News, introduced me to Johnson in the St. Louis arena hallway as the Blues went through their morning skate.   After some polite small talk, Johnson walked away. Wigge nodded in his direction and said something along the lines of. "He's going to be really good."     Wigge was right, of course, but Johnson's long NHL career was mostly with the Avalanche, not the Blues. He came to Colorado in what at the time was considered a controversial trade in February 2011 -- with  Johnson and center Jay McClement going to the Avalanche on Feb. 19, 2011 for winger Chris Stewart and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.   If you're reading this, you're probably aware of Johnson's resume. So consider all of that on the record. I interviewed and wrote about him for nearly 15 years ... coming full-circle. We talked about more than hockey, in fact, also touching on his interests -- financially and competitively -- in high-end horse racing. His  as ERJ Racing sent out thoroughbreds running in Johnson's colors, with names that included Landeskog, Rantanen and MacKinnon. Johnson ultimately asked  that we not talk about horse racing during the Avalanche season, since some apparently raised eyebrows about Johnson not being 24/7 hockey.                  ***    In the Twin Cities suburbs, Bruce Johnson took young Erik, to a nearby apartment complex with an indoor rink. It was a test to see how Erik would take to both skating and hockey, and he instantly showed passion for the game and a "Natural's" precociousness.   The Johnsons' Bloomington neighbors had a makeshift backyard rink, and as Erik took up the game and participated in youth programs in one of the sport's longtime U.S. hotbeds, Erik wondered if his family might be able to do the same thing.   When it was cold enough, Bruce Johnson went outside late at night, flooding the backyard in anticipation of a morning skate.   "I spent a lot of time out there after dinner and especially before school," Erik told me. "It was heaven for me."      It was the beginning of a progression that led to the defenseman becoming the NHL's top overall draft choice in 2006, going to the Blues.   With that status - in any sport - comes huge expectations.   "You're not going to go out and go 50 (goals) and 50 (assists), like the forwards do," Johnson said. "Sometimes those expectations need to be tempered a little bit, because they can be unrealistic."     To validate the deal, the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Johnson needed to prove he was that cornerstone hybrid defenseman - big, physical and shutdown-type effective at the defensive end, yet a major offensive threat. On Monday, Johnson brought up the evolution in his game. He said he went from power-play to penalty kill  emphasis.     At his Monday retirement news conference, I asked Johnson about his decision to continue to live here, rather than moving back to Minnesota; and what he might be doing.    "Yeah, I'm going to live here," he said. "We've lived here in the offseason for a long time. It's beeen almost 15 years, so we love living here. We've always loved it here. Now what am I going to do? I'm going to try and do a few different things this year and see what I like. I'm going to do color commentary for DU and  Air Force games in studio for the Avs [Altitude]. Something else that I can't say right now...might be popping up. I also have a good relationship with {Flyers GM] Danny Briere, so I''m going to be helping the Flyers a little bit."    And ...   I just had to ask ...    Is horse racing still in the picture? I admit one reason I asked abut it is that a big-time thoroughbred  operation is cash-intensive and Johnson will be taking a significant paycut after leaving the game.   Johnson said. "It's something I'll have fun with. It's nothing I want to do it. Luckily I have a lot of interests I can stay busy with."