How to ruin a vacation: Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson was handed a two-game suspension by the NHL on Feb. 11, the day he arrived in Mexico for a few days of R&R during the Olympics break.
Johnson said he received a text message from Avalanche executive Joe Sakic shortly after his plane landed, letting him know he'd take part in a hearing with the league's Department of Player Safety for his slash against the New York Islanders Frans Nielsen on Feb. 8.
Nielsen sustained a non-displaced fracture in his left hand, an injury that is expected to take about a month to heal.
Johnson was given a minor penalty for the slash and he expected to be fined, not realizing that Nielsen was injured. The two-game penalty will cost him $38,461.54 in salary and cause him to miss games Wednesday and Friday against Los Angeles and Phoenix.
"In the heat of the moment I don't think you realize what it looks like or the impact that it has," said Johnson, who is back practicing with the Avalanche as the team prepares for the resumption of the season. "It was definitely a penalty and I thought for sure I'd get a fine. I think a two-game suspension is a bit steep.
"I think a lot of the time they base their decision on the result of the play. They look and say, 'Ok, we're going to do something about this because the guy got hurt.' I think there's probably some plays out there that don't (result in) suspensions because a guy doesn't get hurt. I think it's a knee-jerk reaction. I don't agree with the length of the suspension.
"Definitely I thought it should have been a fine and it definitely was a penalty, but I had no intention of hurting that player. I feel badly about that. I realize the suspension department has a tough job, too. I thought at max I would get one game and for sure I would get a fine. I'm a little disappointed in the result. I never had any supplemental discipline before and I'm not a dirty player.
"Really the only reason for the suspension is the guy broke his hand. It's unfortunate, but I didn't mean to do it. I don't agree on how they suspend guys based on the result of injuries. If he hadn't broken his hand would they have suspended me two games? Probably not. It shouldn't be because someone gets hurt."
Johnson, 25, is having his best season since joining the Avalanche on Feb. 18, 2011 in a trade with St. Louis involving four players and two draft picks. He has seven goals, 17 assists and a plus-5 plus/minus rating in 58 games, though his play slipped in the weeks leading up to the Olympics break. He was a minus-11 in the last 10 games and he hasn't scored a goal in 17 games.
Johnson said his play wasn't related to his not being selected for the U.S. Olympic team.
"I got over it pretty quick," he said. "They don't necessarily pick all the best players. They pick the right players that make up the best team that they can. It's a bunch of components and I think they did a good job."
Johnson said he feels refreshed and ready to get off to a good start, but he won't be able to play until March 2 against Tampa Bay when the Avalanche closes out a three-game homestand.
"You have to forget what you've done before the break and focus on how you're going to start anew," he said. "I think we'll be rejuvenated and ready to go. When you're away from the rink this long and away from all your friends -- teammates and staff -- you get the itch to come back. It's going to be a fun last stretch of games.
"I'm disappointed that I'll miss those games, especially two big Western Conference games. You kind of feel that you've let the team down in a sense. I've never played a full 82-game season and I was on pace to do that this year."
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While forward Alex Tanguay was scheduled to have season-ending hip surgery Friday, defenseman Cory Sarich said his back is healthy and he's ready to start playing again. Sarich missed the final 13 games before the Olympics break. His back flared up after he played 19:07 on Jan. 11 in a 4-2 win at Minnesota.
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One member of the Avalanche -- Canada's Matt Duchene or Sweden's Gabriel Landeskog -- will be bringing home an Olympic gold medal from Russia. Canada and Sweden will square off for the prize on Sunday, with the losing team members getting silver medals.
Paul Stastny will have to settle for no better than a disappointing consolation prize when his U.S. team plays Finland on Saturday in the bronze medal game.