It’s a mutual feeling between Erik Johnson and Sam Girard, who make up the Avalanche’s top defensive pairing.
They are family.
“I love him,” Johnson said of Girard. “I see him as my little brother.”
And yet, these guys couldn’t be more different.
Johnson, 30, is from Bloomington, Minn., and has begun his 11th NHL season. “EJ” stands 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds and English is his only language.
Girard, 20, is a second-year player from French-speaking Roberval, Quebec. “G” is 5-foot-10 with shower sandals who weighs 180 pounds, on good days.
Johnson is the hard-hitting, in-your-face defenseman but is skilled enough to play on the power play too.