A terrible tragedy occurred in the family of 18-year-old forward of the Russian national hockey team Matvey Michkov. Under strange circumstances, his father, Andrew, died.
The forward, along with his parents, has been living in Sochi since the middle of the season, as he moved to the club of the same name on loan from SKA. At the moment, the team that finished playing in the KHL has come out of vacation and is training at home, so Matvey, along with his mother, father and younger brother, was in the city.
On Sunday, April 2, Michkov Sr. went missing. It happened at about nine o'clock in the evening. Andrei Vladislavovich watched with his son the second overtime of the Semifinals of the Gagarin Cup between SKA and CSKA (2:3 OT), and then in a sober state without documents and car keys left the house on Staroobryadcheskaya Street. Before leaving the apartment, he threw the phrase: "I will return now." However, when his family called him 20 minutes later, the phone was already out of reach.
The search for Michkov Sr. began on Monday. Relatives passed information about his disappearance to the LisaAlert detachment, and the Sochi hockey club involved the police leadership in the federal territory of Sirius. It singled out an operations officer, and everyone else was sent an orientation to a 51-year-old man.
According to RIA Novosti, during the operation, materials were collected from video cameras located in the area. Some footage shows a man who looked like Michkov leaving the house, but then he disappeared from sight. Also, law enforcement agencies collected materials from mobile operators to find out with whom the father of the hockey player communicated on this day.
No unidentified bodies were found in nearby hospitals and morgues, so there was hope for the best until the last. Matvey continued training with the team on Monday and Tuesday. Sochi said that they were providing him with the necessary psychological support, and asked journalists to refrain from asking the player about this situation for the time being.
Alas, the miracle did not happen. Michkov Sr. was found by police in a pond near his home on Old Believers Street. Police are investigating the cause of death. According to preliminary data, he drowned.
Condolences in connection with the incident were immediately expressed by the hockey clubs "Sochi" and SKA, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, as well as personally Vladislav Tretyak, Alexei Zhamnov and Roman Rotenberg. The mentor of St. Petersburg noted that the death of Andrei Vladislavovich is a great loss for domestic sports.
"We all knew him well, he was a wonderful man, a great father, raised a son and gave him a start in life. I express my deepest condolences to Matvey and his family. We will not stand aside and will always help with everything possible. Strength and courage to relatives and friends, "Rotenberg wrote in the Telegram channel.
According to the honored coach of Russia Yuri Novikov, in the hockey world everyone was shocked by this news.
"Tragedy. The worst thing that can happen. Loss of loved ones... Matvey, on the other hand, is on the lips everywhere — he's getting ready for the draft. And then there's the grief. But it is not for us to discuss this now, let the investigation deal with this, "Novikov told RT.
Matvey's children's coach Sergey Bykov, in turn, noted that his father became a real spiritual mentor for the hockey player.
"He was a decent man who laid the hockey foundations in Matvey, thanks to which he comprehends such heights. In recent years, I have not communicated with Andrey so often, but I can say that this is a very good, correct and kind person, "the specialist admitted.
The hockey player himself said goodbye to his father on social networks, posting a joint photo. "You were the best dad. I'm proud of you. And I love you," Michkov wrote.
Now it is very important that this big loss does not put an end to the future of the talented forward. After all, many experts expect from him no less bright career than alexander Ovechkin. Two years ago, he broke washington's captain's record by becoming the youngest goal scorer for the national team. And at the age of 18, in his first full season in the KHL, he scored 20 points in 27 games for Sochi.
However, such achievements of the young man became possible largely thanks to his father. He accompanied the hockey player everywhere. From Perm he moved to Yaroslavl, when Matvey got into the system of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, then to St. Petersburg. In the current season, the whole family went to Sochi.
At the same time, he even worked in some clubs. So, after the transfer of his son to SKA, Michkov Sr. became a coach-consultant, as well as a scout of the Russian national team at tournaments with the participation of the forward. In Sochi, Andrei Vladislavovich received permission to be in the team's locker room.
"Dad was there all his life, from the first steps on the ice. He's basically my personal trainer. Always prompts, observes, supports me. In this mode, they worked with my father before. The only difference is that at Lokomotiv he went out on the ice and trained other guys. His initiative? No, it's a mutual decision. My father and I have common goals," Matvey said in an interview with Sport24.