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Columbus Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins new goalie mask is a tribute to Johnny Gaudreau
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- Columbus Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins new goalie mask is a tribute to Johnny Gaudreau
Elvis Merzlikins had already approved a new mask design.
Dave Gunnarsson, the famed Swedish mask painter for many NHL goalies , was prepared to create a glossy red, white, blue and silver design this summer featuring the Blue Jackets' main logo along with stars, a red heart and familiar cartoonish logos on the back that Merzlikins uses for personalization.
A week later, Johnny Gaudreau and younger brother Matthew were killed Aug. 29 in New Jersey by a driver who tested above the state's legal blood-alcohol limit . Merzlikins, who'd witnessed the death of Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks on July 4, 2021, knew a design change was necessary.
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He contacted Gunnarsson, added Gaudreau's No. 13 to the chin and provided two more subtle ideas to memorialize yet another teammate's death. Merzlikins just received the new lid recently and wore in warmups Monday before the Blue Jackets' preseason game against the Washington Capitals .
"I just wanted to have Johnny with us this season, and with me, on my helmet," Merzlikins said. "I did the same thing with Matiss, but I didn't want to do exactly the same thing. I had '80' for Matiss with wings, and here I put a '13' on the front, but I also added two little details that in my mind were two of Johnny's favorite things."
Sep 30, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) wears a new mask featuring the No. 13 on the front between a bottle of Coors Light and a plate of spaghetti for teammate Johnny Gaudreau during warm-ups prior to the NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena.
A closer look at the chin of Merzlikins' mask shows nods to Gaudreau on each side. On the left, while looking at it straight on, is a plate of pasta with a fork ― Gaudreau's favorite pregame meal. On the right is beer bottle, representing Gaudreau's preferred postgame beverage.
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"He always had a huge pasta bowl," Merzlikins said, smiling. "That's why there's the pasta plate, and there's also a beer bottle, because he loved to have a Coors Light after games. Those were just fun little details that I knew about Johnny."
Sep 30, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) wears a new mask featuring the No. 13 on the front between a bottle of Coors Light and a plate of spaghetti for teammate Johnny Gaudreau during warm-ups prior to the NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena.
Merzlikins has a second mask being created by Calgary-based painter Jordan Bourgeault, who did last season's "La Catrina" design for Merzlikins that drew rave reviews. The only detail Merzlikins is offering about his second mask is that a new logo will be included.
"I asked them to create one of Matiss and Johnny together," Merzlikins said. "That one is going to be like my patch from now on, on my back plate all the time."
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His current mask includes other logos, too, and those also have special meanings.
There's a cartoon character named "Bubbles" from "Powerpuff Girls" to represent his wife, Aleksandra, who picked it out herself. There's a green No. 80 with a purple 'KIVI' printed underneath for Kivlenieks, using the Joker's colors from Batman. There's a Latvian flag, paw prints for the family's dog, Koby, a gray cross with three vertical letters (VSR) next to it — initials of Merzlikins' mother, father and brother — and there's also a new cartoon hero.
Sep 30, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) wears a new mask during warm-ups prior to the NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena.
Spidey.
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A small Spider-Man cartoon is painted on the front, right under the top bar of his protective cage. A larger version is on the back, next to Aleksandra's "Bubbles" logo. Spidey is for Knox Matiss Merzlikins, the couple's son, who is 3-years old now and "acting like a teenager."
Two years ago, Merzlikins put a small Bluey logo on his mask for Knox, a fan of the "Bluey" TV series. Last year, it was Lightning McQueen of the "Cars" movies.
"I decided that every year I'm going to change the character to whatever Knox's favorite thing is," Merzlikins said. "I'm looking forward to showing him the new mask, because he still hasn't seen it. Usually, for luck, I like to give it to him, and he likes to wear my masks and run around the house. It's become a little tradition since Knox came to us."
Sep 30, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) wears a new mask featuring the No. 13 on the front for teammate Johnny Gaudreau during warm-ups prior to the NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena.
Merzlikins also has a four-leaf clover on the back plate, located opposite of Gaudreau's number on the front for the entire team's benefit ― keeping their friend and teammate's memory with them on the ice.
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"There's really no words to describe it," Merzlikins said. "It's so sad. It's just ... awful. It also shows that we have to enjoy life. Be nice. Love the people we have here, because you never know what's going to happen in the next step that you take in your daily life."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins honors Johnny Gaudreau with mask
