James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Erik Johnson has been a fantastic player for well over a decade in the NHL, most of which was spent with the Colorado Avalanche, but what made him so special was the type of person he was.

He always remembered your name, and he always called you by your name.

Wednesday morning, Johnson met with the Denver media before his first game back in Ball Arena with the Buffalo Sabres against the Avalanche. Before the interview even started, what were the first words out of his mouth?

“How’s it going, Evan?”

He is pure class, and any organization will always miss a player like that. It’s a business though, and unfortunately, Johnson left in free agency over the summer.

Johnson held it together for most of the press conference, but about halfway through, he got very emotional. I’ll let you watch for yourself. He also opened his press conference sending his best wishes to his good friend Sam Girard, who is in the NHL assistance program at the moment.

Classy guy.

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