Flyers winger Matvei Michkov had an assist in Philadelphia’s 4-2 loss to Utah on Sunday night but it might have been what he did late in the game that garners some attention.
After getting a roughing minor and a 10-minute misconduct with 16 seconds left for tossing some punches at Utah center Barrett Hayton, Michkov left the ice. But not before signing a Flyers water bottle for a fan as he went towards the Flyers locker room.
When Matvei Michkov got tossed out of the game with 16.3 seconds left tonight, he signed an autograph for a fan before leaving 🔥🔥#Flyers pic.twitter.com/evSqNANRvM
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) December 9, 2024
As you can see in the clip, which aired on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s post-game, Michkov is headed for the room but reaches up to grab the white plastic water bottle with the Flyers logo on it. He then reaches up for the Sharpie to put his name on it before giving both the bottle and the Sharpie back to the fan. We’re not sure how often Michkov has done that in the KHL as there are no underlying metrics for impromptu autograph signings during a game. But it has to be a first for him in the National Hockey League. It’s also unclear if Michkov signed his name or wrote a question to the fan asking if he knew where he could find some centers to play with.
We’re not sure if the incident will put Michkov in the crosshairs of coach John Tortorella but it’s doubtful he’ll take him to task for the autograph. A few years ago when Tortorella was coaching Columbus, he refused to take a selfie with a fan seated behind him during the game. The refusal seemed to irk a nearby fan who began showing Tortorella a picture of himself throughout the game, hoping the coach would turn his eyes away from the play to spot himself.
We’re not sure if there will be many more opportunities for Michkov to pull off this off-ice, rockstar-esque move again, but he certainly knew what to do on Sunday night. Get tossed from the game after throwing a couple punches as the ref tries to hold you back? Just go ahead and give the fans what they want as you make your way back to the locker room. Just oozing with confidence and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
