Bolts Beginnings presented by BRANDT is an original Lightning video series that takes fans to our player's hometowns to meet the people and see the places that shaped their early years.

The third episode of Season 2 features a trip to Kosice, Slovakia, Erik Cernak's hometown.

As an opposing player in the National Hockey League, nobody wants to be on the ice at the same time as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak. At 26 years old, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Slovak is nothing short of a nightmare to play against.

In front of the net and in the corners, he’s nasty. Constantly using his size and strength to his advantage, Cernak’s opponents often finish the night battered and bruised, and he’s not afraid to take a few shots along the way as well.

A relentless defender, Cernak already ranks fourth all-time in Lightning franchise history for both hits (985) and blocked shots (482), despite only playing in 351 games to this point.

Simply put, he’s a tough guy. He’s got two Stanley Cup rings to show for it, even if the fingers he wears them on have been broken at multiple times throughout his career.

But underneath all that toughness, you’ll find a determined, accomplished athlete who loves the game of hockey to his core. And if there is anything he loves and cares about just as much as hockey, it’s his family and friends back home in Kosice.

Hockey has taken Cernak on quite a ride. Drafted in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, Cernak moved to North America as an 18-year-old to play junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters.

Less than two years later, he was traded to the Bolts and made his North American professional debut with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch. After one full season in Syracuse, Cernak found himself skating in the NHL full time just one year later.

Now, an established, top-four NHL defenseman, Cernak is set to play with the Lightning for the foreseeable future following an eight-year, $41.6 million contract extension signed in July of 2022.

That’s a large number that undoubtedly changed his life forever. And while it may have impacted the big defenseman from a financial standpoint, Cernak is still the same guy with the same priorities – hockey, friends and family.

For as long as he can remember, Erik has been nearly inseparable from his best friend, David. Growing up just a couple streets apart, the two became acquaintances through their fathers, who were close friends before either of them were even born.

“He’s like my brother,” Cernak said. “We’ve been friends for a very, very long time and still talk almost every day, even when I’m in Tampa. It’s just easy when you have a friend that’s just like you. You never get tired of being close with someone like that.”

Despite the six-hour time difference between Tampa and Kosice, Erik and David definitely haven’t lost contact. In fact, the two still talk nearly every day, whether that’s via FaceTime, text message, or through video games.

“We FaceTime pretty much every day,” Cernak said. “Playing video games together is a great way to stay in touch, so we do that too.

“It’s always fun to have somebody like that, especially from back home. I can find out what's going on at home and how him and his family are doing. When I call him, his parents are always around, so it’s just nice to catch up and find out what’s going on back home.”

One frequent topic of conversation between the two – cars. Erik loves cars, and David does too. Growing up, Erik’s passion for automobiles grew through his father, who was always a huge fan of all things related to cars.

“He was passionate about it, so I kind of took that from him,” Cernak shared. “It’s just stuck with me since a young age. I just love the sound of the cars, the big engines, all of it.”

One of David’s favorite ways to enjoy his love for cars is through Formula 1, which Erik has recently gotten into himself. Over the summer, Erik treated David with a special trip to Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where they were welcomed into the Red Bull garage and got an inside look at all the meticulous details that go into operating and maintaining different aspects of the vehicles to ensure peak performance.

“That whole experience was mind-blowing,” Cernak said. “It was great. The best part for me was just seeing how excited David was about the whole thing. Obviously, I was very excited too, but he was just loving it, which was really cool to see.

“It’s just nice. You’re playing this amazing sport and obviously getting paid for it, so you want to give your family and your friends good experiences. Having the ability to do that is pretty special.”

With the six-hour time change, staying up for a 1 a.m. puck drop may not always be easy for David, especially when he has work the next morning. He watches when he can, but when he can’t, he’s checking the score and sending Erik a message as soon as he wakes up in the morning.

Beyond talking to David, Erik chats on the phone pretty frequently. If it’s not David, it’s almost a guarantee he’s FaceTiming Arya, his three-year old niece and “the boss of the family.”

“When I found out my sister was pregnant, that was just amazing,” Cernak reminisced. “It’s hard to describe it. I was just so happy for my sister. Then, when I saw the pictures when Arya was born, it was just such a warm feeling.

“She’s someone that I’m going to take care of for the rest of my life, someone I would do anything for.

“She’s the star of the family. She’s an amazing little girl and I just love her to death. She just brings so much joy to all of our lives.”

Last summer, Arya made the trek to Tampa all the way from Europe, flying with her family to spend some time in the Florida sun with her Uncle Erik. They did a little bit of everything, whether it was bike rides, trips to Disney and Busch Gardens, swimming in the pool, going to the beach and a ton more.

“I got word that she was very good on the flight,” Cernak said with a laugh. “She slept the whole time. She doesn't really cry a lot, only when she's tired or hungry, which is normal because even I get a little cranky when I’m hungry, so I can’t blame her.

“But in seriousness, I feel like there is such a great bond between us. I don't see her that often, so when we are together, you really want to enjoy it and give her all the great memories you can.

“When I'm around, she always wants to be with me and be in my hands or play with me. Now she's talking much more than before, so it’ll be nice to get home and talk to her about small, little things.

“I’m pretty excited for once she gets a little older, too, so we can go for some vacations and I can show her the world. That’ll be really cool.”

Spending an extended period of time with Cernak in his beautiful hometown of Kosice, it’s clear how much his friends and family mean to him. Growing up, he imagined playing in the NHL nearly every day. Now, he’s living his dream all the way across the globe, but he’s making sure the people closest to him are along for the ride with him.

“Family is the most important thing to me,” said Cernak. “I’d do anything for them. I was raised like that.

“I’m always going to support my family and give them everything I can because I know how much they sacrificed for me and how much they helped me. I know all the things that so many people did to help me get to this point of my career and make it to the NHL.

“When you get here, it's not easy to stay here. A lot of guys just come here for a couple of years and then they’re done. My goal was just to get here first and then prove to everybody that I'm the right guy to be here for a long time.

“I was fortunate enough to get a long contract that I was working really hard for, but I'm still working just as hard to get more Stanley Cups here to Tampa.

“I want to play a long time and I want to do it here. I love living in Tampa. I can’t even call it my second home because obviously I’m from Slovakia, but I’ve been here for so long it feels just like home. I just love it here. I love all the people, my teammates, the trainers, the coaching staff, the GM, obviously Jeff Vinik, the owner.

“The fans and everybody in the city have been amazing to me, so I always want to give my best, stay here as long as I can, help the team win more and give our amazing fans more to cheer about.”