Hockey
The Russian child prodigy created a masterpiece in the finale. The goal of the “new Ovechkin” can be watched forever
Matvey Michkov / Photo: © KHL / Ilya Smirnov
Matvey Michkov continues to prove that he was given the status of the “new Ovechkin” for a reason: the winning goal in the Kharlamov Cup final is worthy of the NHL level. Incredible craftsmanship!
Petersburg forward Michkov is the most famous Russian hockey player under the age of 18. They call him the new Ovechkin, and this is not just PR: he broke the record of Alexander the Great for a year, received a call to the main team at 16, scored more goals in the MHL than Nikita Kucherov, and became the undisputed leader of the youth team.
It was not possible to show himself in all its glory at the MFM this season due to covid, so Michkov, with his talent, began to be matched not just anywhere, but in the Olympic team. However, the coaching staff of the Russian national team decided not to take risks with the challenge of the 17-year-old child prodigy, noting that he had “everything ahead.” Maybe it’s even for the best: a painful defeat from the Finns in the Olympic final, the fragile Michkov could take too close to his heart.
During the season, he played for the main team of SKA, and in one of the matches he even scored 3 points, but in the middle of autumn he returned to his peers in SKA-1946. The sports director of the Petersburgers hinted that Michkov had not grown up to the KHL yet, and it would be better for him to play in the MHL on an ongoing basis, where there are all opportunities for development. A smart hockey player would not be offended by such words, but motivated. As a result, SKA-1946 finished the youth season as a champion, and Michkov became the best scorer in the playoffs with 13 goals, making a big contribution to the victory.
In the final, the Red Army was defeated in six matches, and the winning goal in the final meeting by the star striker from St. Petersburg turned out to be a feast for the eyes: being outside the gate, Michkov picked up the puck on the hook of the stick and brought it in behind the goalkeeper.
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This goal is called “lacrosse”. And although it is often practiced in the NHL, for example, by Andrey Svechnikov from the Carolinas, each successful execution of such a technique is a whole event even overseas. He looks very impressive.
But for Michkov, throwing such goals is not new. He scored his first lacrosse at the age of 16 against Sweden at the Eurotour stage, making the whole hockey world talk about himself. He also brought the puck into the net on the hook in the MHL regular season match against Dynamo from St. Petersburg. And in the final confrontation with the Red Army, this lacrosse is not the first attempt for him. True, the goalkeeper of the army team Kirill Samsonov plucked the previous one, having read the opponent’s idea. It was all the more important for Michkov in such an unusual way to put a winning point in the final of the Kharlamov Cup. This club trophy was the first in his career for the Petersburger.
But it hasn’t really started yet: Michkov will be chosen in the NHL draft only a year later, when he turns 18 years old. In the meantime, the Petersburger has plenty of time not only to enjoy the first triumph, but also to work on the mistakes. It seems that this is exactly what Michkov is set up for: immediately after winning the Kharlamov Cup, when it was time for joy, and not for analysis, he admitted that the team and he personally had “no end of work”. And this means that he is not going to live forever in the status of a young child prodigy, and sooner or later he will turn from the new Ovechkin into the first Michkov.
Source: Sportbox
I have been working as a sports journalist for about 6 years now. I currently work as an author at Sportish, which is a sports news website. I mainly cover sports news and I love writing about all aspects of the sport. I also have experience working as a broadcast journalist, so I have some great insights into how sport is reported and presented.