By Mikhail Sergachev opens up about the kid he was, the skater he became, and the life he has built
There are many ways to get to know an NHL player.
You can talk about statistics, contracts, playoff runs, and trophies. You can ask about systems, coaches, and teammates. Or, sometimes, you can start much earlier – with the first pair of skates a child learns to tie, the piece of equipment he forgets at home, the coach who yells at him, and the player he tries to copy.
That is the version of former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev we will explore.
The Utah Mammoth blueliner talked about his childhood in Russia, his admiration for Alexander Ovechkin, the unusual skating technique that became part of his identity on the ice, his family’s complicated travel routine between Russia and the United States, his growing interest in fashion, and the years in Tampa that remain deeply personal.
Before the NHL: Learning to Tie the Skates
Our conversation began with a simple question: How old was Sergachev when he learned to tie his own skates?
His first answer was surprisingly uncertain.
“I think the first 1.5–2 years my parents tied them for me, and then I learned by myself.”
When asked how old he was, he estimated nine or ten, but immediately admitted that he wasn’t completely sure.
“Maybe earlier. I can’t answer this question, because I need my parents to tell me for sure.”
That uncertainty makes the memory more relatable. Before the NHL arenas, the contracts, and the enormous expectations, there was simply a young hockey player whose parents were still helping him get ready for practice.
His parents were heavily involved in those early years. Sergachev remembers practicing in home town of Nizhnekamsk, where the team had its own locker room, and says his parents helped him a lot.
But tying your own skates was only one part of learning to become a hockey player. There were also the inevitable mistakes.
Sergachev remembers forgetting an elbow pad once and a glove another time. On another trip, he forgot something from his uniform.
“My parents looked down on me, my coach yelled at me, of course. It’s a classic.”
For a young player, forgetting a glove might seem like a minor thing. But those moments are part of the process of growing into the discipline required by hockey. And Sergachev’s childhood came with another problem: he played very hard.
The Ovechkin Influence
Before Sergachev became an NHL defenseman known for his own style, he was a kid looking at the stars of the game and trying to understand how they played.
His favorite was Alexander Ovechkin. And Sergachev wasn’t simply admiring Ovechkin’s goals. He was paying attention to the physical side of his game.
“When I was a kid, I used to play really hard against everyone,” Sergachev recalls.
Sometimes his teammates would skate toward him with their heads down, and he would hit them.
“I hit people a lot in games,” he says. “And since Alexander Ovechkin was my favorite player, I liked to hit like this and drop my elbow.”
It was not exactly the safest way for a young defenseman to behave.
Sergachev remembers being kicked out of games and fighting with teammates. Looking back, he describes his younger self with characteristic bluntness:
“I think I was a crazy kid.”
So when did that change?
“When I moved to Vityaz in Podolsk (Moscow region), I became a bit more modest,” he says, putting the turning point at around 13 years old.
That transition is an interesting part of Sergachev’s story. The physicality did not disappear, but the reckless part of his childhood game had to evolve into something more controlled.
The kid who wanted to play like Ovechkin eventually had to learn how to become Sergachev.
“You Can Immediately Tell Where Sergachev Is”
One of the most interesting moments of the interview came when we talked about Sergachev’s skating.
There is something distinctive about the way he moves on the ice. It’s so powerful and smooth. Even without a logo or jersey number, his skating can make him recognizable.
I asked him where that style came from.
The answer was not that he had always been a naturally elegant skater. Quite the opposite.
“I’ve been skating on straight legs for a very long time, and I was very clumsy,” he says.
When he moved to Vityaz in Podolsk at 13 or 14, his coaches began working with him on his skating mechanics.
“My landing was always high,” Sergachev says.
He spent roughly two years working on skating in Vityaz, and then continued that work after moving to Canada.
“I’ve been skating for two years in Vityaz, and it helped me a lot. Then I moved to Canada, and I kept skating, and that’s how it works.”
There is also a useful message in the story for young players.
Sergachev believes there is plenty of time to improve if a player has the right coaching and is willing to put in the work.
“Everyone who’s not yet 13 has a chance. The main thing is the coach.”
He also points out that skating is not a one-size-fits-all skill. Some players sit too low, others too high. The important thing is understanding what an individual player needs to change.
“I’m not an expert,” he says, “but if you have time and work, you can improve.”
For a player whose skating is now one of the most recognizable aspects of his game, that is one of the best stories in the interview: his signature movement began, at least in part, with something he once considered awkward.
When the NHL Player Becomes the Attraction
The conversation took another interesting turn when we talked about youth hockey and the reaction to Sergachev at hockey events.
While NHL players from different clubs skated at the Florida Panthers’ ice facility, young athletes participated in a camp, and parents talked about everything. Both Russian-speaking and American parents were watching and largely talking about Sergachev.
Some people were even too shy to approach him directly and ask for a picture or an autograph.
Sergachev’s reaction was almost dismissive. He didn’t feel like a star.
“No, I’m just used to being with Sasha Ovechkin and Artem Panarin, who are real heavyweights.”
“Match of the Year” – or the Match of the Stars?
We also talked about the event many people refer to as a hockey “match of the stars” or ” All-Star Game,” in which Russian NHL and KHL players compete and raise money for charities.
Sergachev pointed out that the official name is “Match of the Year.”
He understands why people use the other description.
“It’s okay that they say that, because I understand that people feel that it’s like an All-Star Game.”
But there is also a branding element to the name.
“It would be useful for the brand if people would call it a match of the years,” he says.
Ultimately, he doesn’t seem particularly interested in correcting everyone.
“You can call it whatever you want. We’ll call it a match of the year; if people want to call it a match of the stars, let them.”
It is another small example of Sergachev’s personality: direct, but not overly concerned with forcing people to use formal terminology.
Why Miami Became Part of the Travel Routine
One of the more unexpected parts of the conversation had nothing to do with hockey itself.
It was about flying with a child between Russia and Utah.
The direct journey can be around 23 hours, which Sergachev says is difficult when traveling with a child.
So the family has developed a routine. Rather than flying directly between Russia and Utah, they often find a place in the eastern United States to stay for about a week.
“We practice, we walk, rest, and then we fly to either Utah or Moscow.”
Sometimes the stop is New York. Sometimes it is Miami.
The family has also used London. A couple of years ago, they flew directly from Salt Lake City to London, stayed there for a week, and then continued to Russia.
It is a fascinating glimpse into the logistics behind an NHL family’s life during global travel restrictions.
From the outside, the schedule can look simple: games, practices, flights.
But when there is a child involved, the geography of a hockey season becomes much more complicated. A 23-hour journey is no longer simply a flight – it becomes something that has to be planned around rest, family, and training.
And that’s why Miami appears in Sergachev’s story: not simply as a vacation destination, but as one of the places where the family can break up the long journey, practice, walk and recover before continuing.
Eighty-Four Games Is More Than It Sounds
The NHL schedule itself also came up.
With the season expanding to 84 regular-season games, Sergachev was asked whether the extra games require a different approach to preparation.
His answer was practical: the challenge isn’t preparing for two additional games as individual events. It is maintaining your physical condition across an already exhausting season.
“It seems like it’s only two games, but actually 82 is a lot,” he says.
“You feel tired, and then you have to play playoffs. 84 is going to be hard, I’m sure.”
But there is a trade-off. With a shorter preseason, players don’t have to spend two and a half weeks in training camp.
So even small changes to the NHL calendar can have a surprisingly large effect on the rhythm of a player’s year.
How Sergachev Became One of Hockey’s Most Stylish Players
Then the conversation moved from skating on the ice to style off it.
How did Mikhail Sergachev become one of the most fashionable players in hockey?
His answer is simple:
“Well, it’s the stylist.”
He started working with a stylist about a year earlier. They began working on his wardrobe, and then the NHL dress code changed – giving them even more freedom to experiment.
“The first look was good. I was interested in this fashion experiment myself.”
His teammates, naturally, have noticed. Some of the looks have been unusual enough that even Sergachev admits that, when he puts them together, they can be “strong.” But he doesn’t see the experimentation as a performance.
“I’m interested in seeing what suits me best.”
Perhaps most importantly, he says he isn’t dressing that way to create controversy.
“I don’t do it to cause some kind of dissonance, or to start a fight in the comments.”
There is no grand strategy.
“You just like it.”
Tampa: More Than Just an NHL City
There was one more place we had to talk about: Tampa.
When Sergachev returned to Tampa as a member of Utah, the fans’ response was still incredibly warm. The connection between the player and the city had survived the move.
For Sergachev, Tampa isn’t simply a former team or a place where he spent several seasons.
“It’s nice. Tampa is our second home in America.”
The reason is deeply personal.
“Fedya was born there.”
Sergachev also married Liza while they were living in Tampa.
In other words, Tampa is where his family story took shape.
“Our family was born in Tampa.”
And then there is his hockey career. That combination makes the city difficult to separate from his hockey memories.
He says he misses Tampa, although the long NHL season means there isn’t necessarily time to dwell on it.
Still, when he talks about returning, the affection is obvious.
“It’s cool in Tampa, and the fans are cool.”
He also makes sure to thank the organization. The memories remain warm.
“I remember this time very warmly, and it’s an important place for me.”
The Kid Is Still There
What makes the conversation with Sergachev particularly interesting is how many different versions of him appear in the same interview.
There is the little boy whose parents tied his skates for him.
The kid who forgot his glove or elbow pad.
The young player who was so aggressive that coaches had to yell at him – and who openly admits that Ovechkin’s physical style influenced him.
The awkward skater who spent years working on his technique and eventually developed a skating style that people can recognize immediately.
The NHL player is navigating an 84-game season, international travel, and life with a young family.
And then there is the Sergachev who experiments with clothes because he enjoys fashion.
The same curiosity that made him experiment on the ice now appears in his clothes. The competitiveness of the kid who wanted to hit like Ovechkin has been transformed into the controlled physicality of an NHL defenseman. The awkward young skater listened to coaches, worked on his technique and developed a style of his own.
And that is the most interesting thing about talking to an NHL player away from the usual questions.
Behind the defenseman, the statistics, and the jersey is still the kid from Russia who had to learn how to tie his own skates.
