More Than Teammates: Inside the Friendship of Valeri Nichushkin and Mackenzie Blackwood (+)

Following a recent Avalanche win at home, Valeri Nichushkin was heading out of the dressing room just as media entered. Before exiting the doors, he turned and walked toward Mackenzie Blackwood’s stall, offered the goalie a handshake and a hug and congratulated him for helping Colorado secure another two points in the standings.

It’s just one of many examples of how Nichushkin and Blackwood have taken a liking to each other. Stall buddies at the practice rink but on opposite sides of the room at Ball Arena, the duo regularly seek each other out postgame to share compliments for their performances.

This isn’t the norm for Nichushkin, the now 30-year-old forward who rarely speaks. In his six seasons in Colorado, Nichushkin is often more quiet and keeps to himself. That was until Blackwood showed up.

The “Valeri Nichushkin Whisperer” broke him out of his shell.

“I started talking when I first got here, and he wanted to talk back, so we just started chatting,” Blackwood told me following Tuesday’s practice.