Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said back in February that he loves watching Philadelphia Flyers rising star Matvei Michkov play, but that he wished he would show off less. And now, Michkov is getting the chance to respond.
"...I wish he would show off a little less. Otherwise, everything is great," Ovechkin told RG Media's Sergey Demidov in February, adding, "Work and everything will be fine. The most important thing is not showing off. Because when anyone shows off, it can come back to bite you in a big way."
Michkov sat down for an interview with MatchTV to discuss the comments and said he didn't see Ovechkin's original quote, but took the advice in stride.
"What's he wrong about? No one should show off, you have to work hard," Michkov said, per a DeepL translation. "He said the right things."
Michkov, 20, is coming off an impressive rookie year for the Philadelphia Flyers, where he had 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 80 games. He also made headlines trying out a few different moves, including attempting a Michigan.
While he noted that Ovechkin was on the right track with his advice, he also said he's not changing his identity and that he thinks it's a good thing to enter the NHL with the mindset of having a higher ceiling.
"At the same time, you can't enter the league thinking that the stars are playing there and you are a nobody. That won't lead to anything good either. You just need to know your worth, get out on the ice, and do what you know how to do," Michkov noted. There should be no authority figures in front of you. Once you're off the ice, you can talk to someone. But when you're on the rink, no one looks at your passport. You just have to be stronger.
"That's my opinion. If someone says, 'Change, be simpler...'I am who I am. I've had this personality since childhood. I hate it when my team loses. I can't stand it when I don't score. That's why I want to score in every game so that the team wins. And I want to win cups too. It's in my blood. Well, in life, I'm a calm and cool-headed person. I can control my emotions and words," he added.
Michkov will take the ice with Ovechkin in August when the two suit up for the gala match that closes out Ovechkin's annual "Ovi Cup" tournament in Russia.
