Just under two weeks after announcing his retirement from the NHL, a former Philadelphia Flyers fan-favorite, of sorts, has resurfaced with an unsurprising new job in hockey.
On Tuesday, it was announced that former Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson, who retired after 17 NHL seasons on Oct. 1, had taken a position with ESPN, serving as an NHL analyst for the network.
Johnson, 37, will join his former Flyers coach, John Tortorella, as an analyst on the network, appearing alongside other media personalities like Kevin Weekes, Blake Bolden, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Ray Ferraro, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, T.J. Oshie, P.K. Subban, and Dave Jackson
The Flyers defenseman of two seasons, of course, played against the likes of Oshie, Weekes, and Subban at the NHL level, and should fit in on television without missing a beat.
“As a kid I idolized Thorne, Clement, Melrose, Levy & Buccigross. To call games with some of them on @espn is going to be surreal,” Johnson posted to his X account after the news broke. “Can’t wait, let’s go!”
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Johnson played parts of two seasons in Philadelphia with the Flyers, scoring three goals, three assists, and six points in 39 games.
The former Stanley Cup champion endeared himself to fans with his thoughtful praise of the Flyers organization and the city of Philadelphia, goofy antics behind the camera that made it into digital media content, and leadership for the young Flyers – specifically Jett Luchanko, who briefly lived with Johnson last season.
