Elvis Merzlikins shares heartbreaking update on social media.

Hockey is a beautiful sport that brings people from all across the globe together in the spirit of competition, but unfortunately for international players that also means that they are often pulled away from their loved ones in pursuit of their ultimate goal.

Often these players don't get to spend as much time with their loved ones as they would like, and that makes it all the more tragic when their loved ones pass away and move on from this world. On Monday morning, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins shared some heartbreaking news via his Instagram story when he announced that he had lost his grandmother.

There were no words attached to the post, Merzlikins merely posted one picture of himself with his grandmother that was accompanied by "R.I.P." in the top right corner of the image. A second picture was also shared in the same story, one that appears to depict grandma holding a very young looking Elvis Merzlikins, one that also includes a little heart in the bottom left corner.

Clearly this is someone that was very dear to the 28 year old NHL goaltender and I would like to extend my condolences to him as well as the rest of the Merzlikins family in this difficult time.