The smear campaign against Matvei Michkov, which has been in full swing since his seventh draft last draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, is not right, believes his teammate and friend Donat Stalnov.
It seems everyone had a negative story to tell about the young Russian hockey player in the past few weeks. One of the hosts of the famous Spittin’ Chiclets podcast is probably the one who caused the most stir when he said he heard from one of his teammates that Michkov was “a shit,” that he didn’t listen to anyone, and that he was constantly acting on his own.
However, in an interview with Russian website Allhockey.ru, Stalnov sheds a different light on the personality of the mystery winger. The latter met Michkov when he left SKA Saint Petersburg to join HK Sochi last season.
“Everything said about him is false. I know him and have seen him from the inside. I can’t say anything bad about Matvei. I had heard various stories and rumors from people who had heard things before I knew him. There is a lot of word of mouth. Now everyone wants to say something about him and turn it into a catchy headline.”
more mature
By getting to know each other, the 23-year-old ice hockey player was also able to witness Michkov’s progress in maturity.
“For six months I watched Matvei grow and mature and take charge of his words and gestures. He’s a good guy, open, friendly and hardworking. His whole life now revolves around hockey. When you talk to him, all conversations will revolve around this topic.
Stalnov was also impressed to see from the inside how much effort Michkov puts in to become the best player he can be.
“I was impressed by how much time he puts into his off-ice training. He spent many minutes on the ice in Sochi, but after every game he practiced his shot. All the guys wanted to rest after the games and went home while Matvei continued to work.
difficult moments
Over the course of their days together in Sochi, Stalnov and Michkov developed a wonderful friendship that led the latter to invite Stalnov to accompany him on the June 28-29 repechage to Nashville.
An invitation that was also a gift to thank him for supporting him when his father Andrei tragically died and drowned in a pond on April 2nd.
“When all of this was happening, I felt that Matvei needed support. We flew to Perm together [la ville natale de Michkov] and I tried to be there in those sad days. He said to me: “You were with me on the most difficult day of my life, now I want you to share joyful moments with me.”