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Is it Me or Does Matvei Michkov Seem Locked-In as Hell Right Now?
By Matt Schultz
Published:
Matvei Michkov had a big summer. He saw two movies. He lost a bunch of weight. He dropped hints that he’d like to move to Feasterville. And at the Flyers first day of camp on Thursday, the third-year winger seemed ready to keep the positive momentum going into the NHL season.
First off — and maybe most impressively — Michkov spoke to the media in English for the first time:
Learning English seems insanely hard. Gotta tip your cap there. And not only did he learn the language, but in his time speaking it at a presser, he said some of the best stuff a Flyers fan could hope for:
“I feel good. Good summer. I work all the time. Work and fun, 50/50. And I feel really good right now.”
“I think (losing 30 pounds) is so good for me. I feel, right now, lighter on the ice. More speed. Every skill is more speed. Better speed. I eat, right now, just good food. No fast food. No sugar… This is hard work, too. Hard work (not only) on the ice. In life too, hard work. But it’s good. I want to play better for the team… I need to support everybody who plays (on the) Flyers.
“This is my first interview in English. This is hard for me. (But) I feel now much better (in America). Philly is my second home. I feel the same — my first home and my second home — I feel the same. Same good. Thank you, everybody, for your support.
All of that is truly nice stuff to hear. Philly is his second home. He wants to play better so he can support his teammates more in big spots. And, maybe most importantly, he’s feeling faster and lighter on the ice.
The press and coaches clocked that last bit, too, pointing out that Michkov looked noticeably quicker during practice:
And after he got off the ice, Michkov shared this to his Instagram Story:
Sharing this photo is good. This is important. Look at these guys. Look at those smiles. They’re having fun. They’re goofing. There was a lot of chatter last year about Rick Tocchet being too hard on Michcov, about him being overly critical of Michcov’s conditioning and cutting too much of sophomore’s ice time, and how that harsh coaching style may have been causing tension between the two. But that’s not what I see in this picture. I see two buddies. They’re boys. They’re clearly boys. And Michkov shared the picture to his Story. That’s something buddies do. Very good to see.
All things considered, I’m getting a sense that Michkov is locked the hell in right now. He seems bought-in on the Flyers and their fans, dedicated to getting healthier and staying in shape, and driven to become the best he can be. It’s pretty great.
And I gotta say, I did call this a while ago. Had a feeling this would be a big Michkov year. I knew the lessons from the Minions movie would resonate and put him on the right track.
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com