SO MY FIRST BLOG AS A WEPLAY PRO ATHLETE... PRETTY EXCITING STUFF. I GUESS I SHOULD FIRST TELL YOU A LITTLE ABOUT MYSELF. MY NAME IS ERIK JOHNSON AND I'M A PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY PLAYER. I AM A DEFENSEMAN WITH THE ST. LOUIS BLUES. GREW UP IN MINNESOTA AND AM ACTUALLY TURNING 21 YEARS OLD THIS WEEK...

THIS IS ACTUALLY MY SECOND YEAR WITH THE TEAM, THOUGH AFTER A REALLY FUN AND POSITIVE ROOKIE EXPERIENCE LAST YEAR, I'M CURRENTLY SITTING OUT THIS SEASON WITH A KNEE INJURY THAT HAPPENED IN THE FALL.

I'LL BE HONEST... IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT. ESPECIALLY HOW I FELT AND HOW I WAS PLAYING THE SECOND HALF OF LAST YEAR. IT WAS A FLUKE ACCIDENT AND SOMETHING YOU KIND OF JUST HAVE TO LAUGH OFF EVEN GIVEN HOW SERIOUS IT WAS. BUT THIS WILL MAKE ME STRONGER IN THE LONG RUN AND I WILL BE BETTER FOR THIS, I KNOW THAT.

AS AN ATHLETE, ADVERSITY IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WISH YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH, BUT IS OFTEN PART OF THE JOB. THIS IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST INJURY I'VE EVER HAD IN MY CAREER. THE 2ND BIGGEST WAS A TINY FRACTURE IN MY FOOT, SO THIS WAS BIG. I THINK YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT BY KNOWING THAT YOU WILL BE BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE, AND NOT LET ANYTHING EFFECT YOU. IT IS CRITICAL IN MY OPINION TO LOOK AT THE POSITIVES OF ANY SITUATION, ESPECIALLY AN INJURY.

I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED AND LOOKINGF FORWARD TO BEING HERE ON WEPLAY... JUST BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH YOUNGER PLAYERS AND SHARE MY EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD GROWING UP AND HOW I GOT TO THE NHL.

IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF SITE I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. NOT ONLY WOULD EVERYTHING BE REALLY ORGANIZED, BUT SEEING HOW PRO ATHLETES PREPARE THEMSELVES TO BE THE BEST AT THE RESPECTIVE SPORT IS PRETTY COOL. FOR ME, I PLAYED A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT SPORTS... BASEBALL FOR A LONG TIME AND REALLY ENJOYED THAT. FOOTBALL FOR A COUPLE YEARS. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR KIDS TO PLAY AS MANY SPORTS AS POSSIBLE GROWING UP.

SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SPENDING MORE TIME HERE, GETTING TO KNOW YOU ALL, ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS, TALK ABOUT HOW MY PROGRESS AND REHAB ARE GOING, POST SOME MEDIA AND HAVE SOME FUN.