It's Gavrikov's world, and we're all just living in it.
28 октября 2021 года. nhl.com. by Jeff Svoboda @JacketsInsider / BlueJackets.com

Blue Jackets defenseman remains a fan favorite for his humor and his dependable play

There are so many places you could start when talking about Vladislav Gavrikov, but we'll begin here.

During the second game of the season against Seattle, a pre-taped scoreboard vignette during a television timeout asked the Blue Jackets defenseman a bevy of questions for a player profile piece.

Memorable moments in these types of things are few and far between, but Gavrikov is always good for a laugh. When asked another sport he excels at other than hockey, he drew one of the loudest cheers of the night with his answer: "Beer pong."

The next question? His go-to karaoke song, to which Gavrikov responded "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. As the taped video package ended, the scoreboard camera focused on the CBJ defenseman as the song started. Playing perfectly to the crowd, Gavrikov sang along as he took his seat on the bench.

The Russian defenseman has become a fan favorite as much because of his sense of humor as his dependable, rugged play, including his signature cell phone goal celebration. Any conversation with Gavrikov is usually filled with one-liners and laughs, which is why the subject of music came back up during an interview session a few days later.

"It was funny, wasn't it?" he said when asked about his scoreboard singalong. "In English, it's my favorite (song); I am always singing it in karaoke."

Of course, he has other songs in his native Russian that he also loves, but as Gavrikov said, "You didn't ask me about my favorite Russian karaoke song."

And what would that be?

"You don't care," he said to laughter. "You don't need to know. You don't understand it at all, so that's why I said Bon Jovi because everybody knows this song. You say the (Russian song), nobody cares, but Bon Jovi, everybody knows that."

But seriously, what is his favorite Russian karaoke song?

"I'll let you know," he said with a smile. "You'll hear it one day when we win the Cup."

(Brief interlude -- this is the same guy who has said if he could have a personalized goal song, it would be Haddaway's "What is Love?" Why? Because it sounds like they're singing "Vladislav.")

As for beer pong, "I'm the best. In the summer, all the time. I practice pretty much every day."

Is he being serious? It's always tough to say, but there was also this gem. When the subject of the Jordans he was wearing came up later in the conversation, Gavrikov was asked if he plays basketball or any other sports. 

"Beer pong," he said, playfully chiding a reporter. "It's my favorite, like I said. Pay attention, please, a little bit."

OK, you get the idea. Any conversation with the defenseman is a winding road filled with one-liners and laughs, one reason he's become a beloved figure both in the locker room and among the fan base. 

In fact, it didn't take someone like Elvis Merzlikins, himself a character, to realize that someone who is a goalie's best friend on the ice would become the same off of it. It also helps the two have plenty in common, as they both arrived in Columbus at nearly the same time, both speak Russian, and both have young children born at about the same time in the past year.

"I had a feeling right away," Merzlikins said when asked how long it took him to realize he'd become close to Gavrikov. "He's my best buddy on the team. Even our wives, they are very good friends. Especially now with the kids, it's more fun. 

"He's a great guy. You can trust him. He's always going to have your back on the ice and off the ice. It's good to have such good friends in life, especially when you need them, they are there for you."

But while his sense of humor shines off the ice, Gavrikov excels at the game because of a serious style of play. While there is some offense to his game -- he has seven goals and 33 points (including three assists this year) in 130 NHL games, and see his pass to Cole Sillinger for the youngster's first-ever NHL goal last week for evidence of his abilities -- his bread and butter is his ability to play shutdown minutes.

His game isn't always pretty, but his grit, effort and abilities on the defensive side of the puck are obvious, one reason head coach Brad Larsen has played him a career-high average of 21:23 per game this season.

"I rely on him a lot," Larsen said. "When he played with (David Savard), I called them the octopus and the other guy was the lumberjack. (Gavrikov) has tentacles. He seems to get a hand on a guy and they don't move. He's one guy that's really good at closing plays out. He's a very strong man.

"I think he's 25, but he looks like he's about 33, 34, and he plays that way. He has an old soul about him the way he does it, but that's how he approaches the game. He understands the importance of that part of it. He's a really heavy guy down below the hashmarks. In a short time he has become a very important piece to our team."

Gavrikov, though, might take issue with one part of what Larsen said. When asked if he feels like one of the older defensemen on the team because of his seniority when compared to new acquisitions Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean, Gavrikov again laughed.

"You can't call me that," he said. "I'm 25. I'm still a young guy, especially when I have a beard."