Andrei Vasilevskiy is as quick as they come moving post to post.

The Lightning’s star goaltender is also fast with the one-liners.

Defenseman Braydon Coburn will never forget the time he was in a scrum in front of the net, battling for position, and fell to the ice at the feet of the 6-foot-3 Russian goalie. Coburn turned around and started to get up to his feet when he saw a sneaky smile through Vasilevskiy’s Bauer mask.

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“You’re not so big now, are you, Cobie?”

This is the side of Vasilevskiy, the sense of humor, the chirps, that Lightning fans don’t get to see. He’s arguably the best goalie in the world, with the Conn Smythe Trophy winner the biggest trump card the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have heading into their first-round series with the Leafs. If he’s the top of his game, Tampa Bay is tough to beat. But Vasilevskiy is also a bit mysterious, because he doesn’t do a lot of interviews, doesn’t let everyone in. What Vasilevskiy does away from the rink that’s very important, especially because it’s put him mentally “in a good place” for the playoffs.

“For me, it starts inside your head,” Vasilevskiy said. “I think with or without the rest, my mind is in a good place. So it doesn’t matter of it’s one game a week or five. My goal is to put my mindset in the right place.”

How does Vasilevskiy do that? How does he relax?

“I just try to stay away from hockey,” Vasilevskiy said. “We’ve played lot of games in the last two years. It’s nice to get away from that. Because, in the end, we’re all humans. We want just a regular life, enjoying that and sometimes it’s nice to put that pressure away.”

We know some of Vasilevskiy’s family and career backstory, how he became the top Russian goalie prospect in decades. We know why some think he’ll be among the best of all time. We know Vasilevskiy loves cats and that his faith is a big part of his life. He’s a big family man, spending most of his time with 7-year-old son Lukas and wife, Kseniya.

But to learn more about Vasilevskiy, The Athletic did some fun, quick-hit questions with the 27-year-old on an array of off-ice topics.

If you could be on stage with any band, what would it be?

The Doors. It would be cool. Unfortunately, it won’t happen.

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The best meal you can make

Pasta. Pregame meal. Easy.

Movie you’ve watched the most

James Bond. I love that movie a lot, so I’d watch it all the time.

Favorite dad activity

Going to the pool, mess around.

Favorite sport other than hockey

Tennis.

You play?

I’m awful.

Most prized piece of memorabilia 

I got both my masks from both finals, that’s pretty cool, the most memorable ones.

If you weren’t an athlete, what would be your dream job?

Musician. Probably a DJ, actually.

Favorite concert you’ve been to

I saw Coldplay in Miami a few years ago.

Biggest fish you’ve caught

Shark. It was a hammerhead. It was big, like my size. Not by myself. There was a charter. In Fort Lauderdale, before the preseason game.

Favorite TV show?

I don’t really watch TV.

What superpower would you love to have?

Flying would be cool.

Happiest place on Earth to you?

Home. Wherever my family is.

(Photo courtesy of Andrei Vasilevskiy)