Entering his fourth year with the Blue Jackets, Erik Gudbranson has become a leader and mainstay of the blue line.
The 33-year-old defenseman played just 16 games after suffering a shoulder injury early last season. Through 165 games with Columbus, he’s totaled seven goals and 43 points with 137 penalty minutes.
As a key member of the Blue Jackets’ leadership group, the NHL veteran entering his 15th season is excited to be back and motivated to push the team toward a playoff spot.
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Gudbranson spoke with BlueJackets.com early in camp about his summer and expectations for this season. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
BlueJackets.com: How is it being back in Columbus? What’s your favorite part about the city?
Gudbranson: “Fantastic. (The) best answer, that’s not exciting, but probably the routine we get into. Routine with little kids is really good, so that’s a great start. Just love Columbus as a whole, to be honest with you. Everything that’s available to us – the town, the people – we feel very comfortable here.”
How much do you appreciate being able to spend more time with your family in the summer?
“It’s lots of fun. My kids are such a great age, such a fun age. Now they’re learning all the fun, like basic stuff, you know what I mean, and trying everything new. Just spending time with them is the best.”
What were some of the highlights of your summer? I saw you went to Disney World with the family.
“Yeah, we did. That was lots of fun, very busy. I wouldn't call that a stressless trip, but it was a ton of fun. Those really high moments that you have there are great. My wife and I went over to Spain for a little bit with some friends. That was lots of fun. Highlights, honestly, it's more like the little things. We really enjoy surfing behind the boat, and my kids and my nephew actually got up this year with me, which he didn't in the past. But you know, just going out and surfing with them is lots of fun.”
I heard you're a big music guy. Did you go to any concerts this summer?
“Yeah, not as many as I would have liked. But every year, there's a famous place in Muskoka called The KEE to Bala, and they attract some really good (artists). It’s an old, old, old boathouse that just sounds fantastic. I didn't make it there as much as I would have liked, but I saw my buddy’s band, the James Barker Band, two nights in a row this year, which was great.
What have you been listening to lately?
“Lately, I've been diving deeply into Marvin Gaye and that area.”
So I also heard you speak a little bit of French. How did you learn?
“Full French. I grew up on the east end of Ottawa, a very, very bilingual place in town. My mother's side of the family is predominantly French speaking. So it was a rule, we were learning how to speak French and went to French school my whole life.”
Do you feel like you get to use it often?
“Not as much down here as I would like, but when I have the opportunity to speak French with guys, I do it every time.”
That's great. So transitioning to hockey, you're obviously a leader on this team. I feel like we hear a lot about how this is a really great, close room, but what does that actually look like and mean to you?
“Well, first things first, I think last year with what happened created a sense of reliability among guys, because we needed that to be the case. We knew guys were hurting and whatnot, and we learned to trust each other, be vulnerable with each other, be real and just be really good people before, you know, teammates and hockey players. That, I think, subconsciously created a sense of reliability in your teammates, and that brought us very, very, very close together.”
Dealing with injury and obviously missing most of last season, how much would it mean to you to be able to play a full season with this group?
“Oh, it’d be the best. It’d be the best. It was a hard year last year, being away from it all. It's not a good thing, but at least I got to do it with Boone (Jenner) and, for a good portion of it, (Sean Monahan) as well, and we became very close with that and pushed each other and leaned on each other. But yeah, I mean, playing hockey versus being the hurt guy is way better.”
Essentially the same set of defensemen is returning this year. Are you excited about that? How does that allow you to build chemistry with that continuity?
“Yeah, yeah, for sure it does. You know, just seeing familiar faces around, and we all experienced how the season finished last year and left with that bad taste in your mouth. So bringing those exact same guys back, it's the same thing over again, and we really want to push and grow together, so that familiarity is huge.”
