Ivan Demidov’s close friends share stories about him: « He is incredibly happy to be a Canadien. »

The city of Montreal was swept up in a fervent wave of Ivan Demidov mania this summer. The team’s fans have been scrutinizing his every move since the draft, and there is no indication that they will stop doing so anytime soon.

Three close friends of Ivan Demidov agreed to share stories with the author of these lines, providing fans anecdotes and lesser-known facts about the new favorite in town. The three generous participants in question are Matvey Polyakov, Serafim Nizovtsev, and Grigori Osipov, all former teammates of the Canadiens’ prospect.

Draft

Doubts often arise when a Russian player is selected in the NHL draft, often due to concerns about their contractual obligations in Russia or reluctance to play in North America. However, multiple sources have said that Demidov always intended to pursue his career in the NHL. His friends confirm this ambition.

“Ivan spoke to me very often about the North American draft. He couldn’t wait for the day when he would finally put on the jersey of an NHL team. I was excited to know where he would end up,” says Matvey Polyakov, Demidov’s roommate last year. According to his friends, the Habs’ new prospect appears very pleased with how things have unfolded.

« Ivan is incredibly happy to be a Canadien,” says Serafim Nizovtsev, a childhood friend who still maintains regular contact with Demidov. Nizovtsev also admits that his good friend often speaks fondly of his experience on draft night. Grigori Osipov, Demidov’s teammate for two seasons in the MHL, firmly believes that Montreal made the right decision : “Ivan is an outstanding player. His skills and playing style make him virtually unstoppable. He can score and single-handedly shift the momentum of a game. He does it regularly,” Osipov explains, before adding, “If he continues to develop like this, he will become a very rich man. »

The ultimate teammate

During the conversation, Grigori Osipov highly praised his friend’s unifying qualities: “He is a good person to talk to, no matter the situation. We often ate together last season, and he always tried to include the whole team in our plans. He constantly maintains contact with his teammates and is always ready to support them,” emphasizes Osipov. The young prospect makes sure to leave no one behind, whether it is his teammates, coaches, or even equipment managers: “Every time he scored a goal, Ivan went back to the bench and did a military salute to one of our technicians, who returned the favor. The first time I saw them do it, I found it quite funny and unique,” ​​adds Osipov.

The latter also took pictures with Demidov after each playoff win, with a reference or symbol of the defeated team. Here are some examples:

Photo credit: Grigori Osipov

Singing talents

Nizovtsev had the misfortune of crossing swords with Ivan Demidov on the ice throughout his youth. You won’t be surprised to learn that the fifth pick in the most recent draft already dominated the competition during his childhood. “We finally played for the same team in juniors, with the Vityaz Podolsk U16 team. I obviously loved playing on the same line as him. He is so creative and smart on the ice. It was a lot of fun playing alongside him, and I hope he enjoyed playing with me as well,” says Nizovtsev. In 11 games with Vityaz Podolsk, Demidov scored 20 goals, also racking up 8 assists, for a total of 28 points.

“That year, the first thing our coach asked us to do was sing a song in teams of two in front of the rest of the team. The exercise was meant to build chemistry between the players, Nizovtsev said. I found myself in a team with Ivan. It was both very funny and awkward. »

When asked about Demidov’s singing talents, Nizovtsev acknowledges that while Demidov has many talents, singing is definitely not one of them.

Superstitions

Very few people have spent more time alongside Demidov over the past twelve months as his roommate with SKA St. Petersburg Jr, Matvey Polyakov. “We often worked extra hours together at the gym. I can confirm that Ivan trains very hard and is very consistent in his efforts. He continually tries to get stronger, faster and improve his individual skills. » According to Polyakov, Demidov is not particularly superstitious, although he insists on arriving at the arena before all his teammates and takes ice-cold showers before games.

“Ivan spends almost all his free time training and trying to improve. Otherwise, the rest of the time, we often watch the movie American Psycho. »

Trends

All three of his friends also told me about Demidov’s admiration for the movie American Psycho, as well as the new trend on social media known as mewing.

“We had a joke last season where we gave each other the title of ‘sigma’,” says Polyakov. For those unfamiliar, a “sigma” is a term for a successful yet discreet and independent man, popularized on social media and often humorously linked to Patrick Bateman, the main character from American Psycho played by Christian Bale.

“When we scored a goal, we always tried to make a “sigma” facial expression, like Bateman. It was expected after every goal,” adds Demidov’s ex-roommate.

Photo credit: Katushkino/MHL on Youtube, American Psycho

The whole thing may seem quite absurd, but it is indeed a trend on social networks. After sending a few GIFs of the main character of American Psycho to the author of these lines, Polyakov and Osipov jokingly mentioned that their group of friends also practices mewing. This TikTok trend promotes techniques to make the jawline more defined. You may have seen photos and videos of Demidov showcasing his jaw: they’re a nod to this trend.

Photo credit: Katushkino on YouTube

While none of this is to be taken seriously, it’s interesting to see that trends in North America are also very popular in Eastern Europe.

Ivan affectionately called “Vanya” by his friends, has already won the hearts of Canadien’s fans. Until he lands in Montreal in about a year, prepare to be inundated on social media with his highlights in Russia. While his talent will make your jaw drop, Demidov’s will continue to become more defined.