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Dater’s Daily: Erik Johnson and Stanley Cup Today, J.T. Miller Gets Paid

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Erik Johnson Avalanche Stanley Cup
David Zalubowski/AP

A good Saturday to all. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky from the deck here in Thornton. Hot cup of coffee by my side, let’s do some NHL/Avalanche links, thoughts and notes, starting where you can see Erik Johnson and the Stanley Cup live in person today:

  • EJ and the Cup will be at Family Sports today at noon, and the public is invited. Later in the day, EJ is bringing the Cup to the Del-Mar horseracing track in California, where one of his horses, MacKinnon, will be competing. Sounds like a fun, full day for EJ. If I’m not mistaken, I believe this is the final “day with the Cup” for Avs players.
  • Erik Johnson originally said the Cup could be seen at a party at Meade Park in Centennial, but he called an audible and it’s now just at Family Sports.
  • A flock of Canadian geese just flew by overhead, in perfect formation. Headed in a southerly direction.
  • A lot of Avalanche fans and league pundits wondered if J.T. Miller might somehow become the team’s second-line center moving forward, but that isn’t going to happen now, not after he signed a rich, long-term extension with Vancouver yesterday (Vancouver Hockey Now).
  • I watched Serena Williams’ final match last night. It was a great match. She didn’t win, but, man, she didn’t quit either. She saved about eight match points in the final game.
  • It was nice to watch some tennis again. I not only was a big fan as a kid, I played quite a bit of tennis too. I could cover a lot of court with my tall frame and – at that time – good wheels. I’ve had the good fortune to have interviewed some legends of the sport too, including John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier and Michael Chang.
  • When I interviewed Borg in something like 1997, he actually asked me some questions too – about what fellow Swede Peter Forsberg was like.
  • I’m still mad about a day around that time too, when McEnroe had time to kill before getting off to the airport for his flight out of town following a seniors tour event in Colorado Springs. He decided to hang out in the media room talking to us schlubs. My back went into complete spasm, though, and instead of sitting around, shooting the S with a legend, I had to go to another room and lay flat on my back, trying to get the pain to subside. Another year or so later, I had surgery for a ruptured disc.
  • Want a personalized greeting from Erik Johnson? Now you can (Cameo)
  • I’ve bought a couple Cameos before. One was for my buddy Chris, from old Cowboys quarterback Danny White. Another was for my wife, from one of the Real Housewives or Orange County (Vicki).
  • A comedy number from our Vegas correspondent Owen Krepps on how NHL teams got their names (Vegas Hockey Now)
  • The Hockey News lists four potential landing spots for Patrick Kane, should he be traded by the deadline this season. Yes, the Avalanche are on the list (Hockey News)
  • My money remains on Jonathan Toews as the more likely player the Avalanche might get from Chicago. But, I mean, who wouldn’t want Patrick Kane?
  • Washington: Vince Iorio is a prospect Washington Capitals fans should keep a close eye on. He may very well make the team out of camp.
  • The NHL Network listed its top 20 defensemen in the NHL, and you’ll never guess who was No. 1? (NHL.com)
  • Did some reading of Anton Chekhov last night. I highly recommend it, particularly the short story “The Lady and the Dog.”
  • How am I late to the news that Tom and Giselle may be splitting up?
  • Our man in San Jose, Sheng Peng, takes a deep dive into how the San Jose Sharks can use new acquisition Luke Kunin this season.

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