Mikhail Sergachev on His Hockey Childhood, Personal Style, and Why Tampa Still Matters
The Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev reflects on his early years in hockey, the work behind his distinctive skating style, his interest in fashion, and the city where his family began.
Q: Misha, do you remember how old you were when you learned to lace up your own skates?
Sergachev: I think my parents definitely tied them for me for the first year and a half or two years. After that, I probably did it myself.
Q: How old were you?
Sergachev: Nine, maybe 10, but that’s just a guess. Maybe earlier. I can’t give you an exact answer - you’d have to ask my parents to know for sure.
Q: What about your equipment bag? Who usually packed it, and when did you start doing that yourself?
Sergachev: I don’t remember us really having to pack it. Usually, everything stayed at the rink. We practiced in Nizhnekamsk and had our own locker room. My parents probably helped quite often. But once I started moving to Podolsk and so on, I packed it myself.
Q: Did you ever leave any equipment at home or in the locker room?
Sergachev: Once, I forgot an elbow pad for a game, and once I forgot a glove. I remember that clearly - we had to find one. We also traveled to another city, Kazan, I think, with the Nizhnekamsk team, and I forgot some of my gear, or maybe my jersey. Things like that definitely happened.
Q: Were you in trouble?
Sergachev: Of course. My parents silently gave me a look that could have eaten me alive, and the coach just yelled at me. The usual story.
Q: More generally, what did coaches most often tell you off for?
Sergachev: As a kid, I played very physically against my own teammates. They would often put their heads down and skate into me, and I’d end up hitting them. I threw a lot of hits in games, too.
Alexander Ovechkin was my favorite player, so I liked throwing hits like that and sticking my elbow out. Very often, I’d throw my elbow out too early and hit someone in the head with it. I’d get thrown out for that. My teammates and I would fight. I think I was pretty out of control.
Q: When did you become better behaved?
Sergachev: (Laughing) Probably around 13. Once I moved to Vityaz, I became a little more reserved.
Q: You have such a distinctive skating style. Even without a logo or a number, you can immediately tell where Sergachev is on the ice. How did you develop it?
Sergachev: That’s nice to hear, thank you. For a long time, I skated with straight legs. I took lots of little, quick steps. I think that’s how I learned to skate on my toes. When I push off from a standstill, my heels come up immediately, and I push off my toes.
I used to run on the ice, taking all those little steps. Then, at 13 or 14, I moved to Vityaz in Podolsk. My stance was always too upright, and the coach said I needed to work on it: get lower, push off and work on that push-off.
I spent two years working on my skating at Vityaz, and it helped me a lot. Then I moved to Canada and kept working on it, strengthening my legs. That’s how it came together.
Q: That’s encouraging for kids who haven’t turned 13 yet. They still have a chance-the coach is key.
Sergachev: Of course. You need to understand what needs work. Some people get too low, others stay too upright. I’m not an expert, but if there’s something you need to work on and you have the time, you can certainly improve.
Q: There are players from several NHL clubs here, with children training nearby and parents talking. Both the Russian-speaking parents and the Americans are talking about you more than anyone else. Do you sense that you are famous here? Some people are shy about approaching you - someone just asked me to help take a photo of their child with you.
Sergachev: Not really. I’m used to being around Sasha Ovechkin and Artemi Panarin, who carry more weight, so I haven’t really noticed that attention toward me.
Q: People keep saying they watched your “All-Star Game,” although the official name is “Match of the Year.”
Sergachev: There’s nothing wrong with them calling it that. I understand the caliber of the players - people really do feel it’s like an All-Star Game.
For the brand, it would be helpful if people called it “Match of the Year,” but some see it as an all-star game. Call it whatever you like. We’ll call it “Match of the Year,” and if people want to call it an all-star game, so be it.
Q: Why are you in Florida now?
Sergachev: It’s difficult to fly straight from Russia to Utah. The connections are tough with a child, and the journey takes around 23 hours.
Before flying to Russia, and before coming back to America, we always pick somewhere in the eastern U.S. and spend about a week there. I train, we go for walks and rest, and then we fly to Utah or Moscow. Sometimes it’s New York, sometimes Miami.
A couple of years ago, it was London. We flew directly from Salt Lake City to London, stayed there for a week, and then flew to Russia. It’s a way to make the journey easier with a child.
Q: With the regular season increasing by two games to 84, did you have to account for that in your preparation? Did you think, “I need to train for two extra minutes or two extra days”?
Sergachev: No. You just need to do a better job of maintaining your fitness during the season. It seems like only two games, but 82 is already a lot. You really feel the fatigue, and then you still have to play in the playoffs. I’m sure 84 will be pretty tough.
But there’s an upside: you play at most two preseason games, and then the season starts right away. You don’t have to go through a two-and-a-half-week camp.
Q: Now the most important question: How did you become the most fashionable hockey player in the league?
Sergachev: I have my stylist to thank. We started working together a year ago, before the dress code was lifted. We met, talked, and started working on my wardrobe.
Then, suddenly, the dress code was lifted. We were happy about that and started trying things. The first look went over well, and things started coming together. I’m interested in it myself.
Q: How do your teammates react? Do they tease you - say they can’t stand next to you because you’ll get all the attention anyway?
Sergachev: They do tease me. I’ve had some interesting looks that even I think are pretty bold when I put them together.
But I’m fine with it because I’m experimenting. I’m interested in working with shapes, different materials and clothes, and seeing what suits me best. That’s what we’re doing.
I’m not doing it to provoke a reaction or start a fight in the comments. That’s not why I do it.
Q: You just enjoy it?
Sergachev: I enjoy it myself, so I do it.
Q: When you first returned to Tampa to play with Utah, the fans and the club gave you a warm welcome. How does it feel to come back now? Time has passed, but the fans still love you and look forward to seeing you.
Sergachev: It’s nice. Tampa is our second home in America. Fedya was born there. Liza and I got married while we lived there. Our family began in Tampa, and my best years in hockey were there, too.
You miss it, though not as much because the season is long and demanding. But Tampa is great, and the fans are great. A huge thank-you to them and to the organization.
I look back on that time very fondly. It’s an important place for me.
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