Matvei Michkov ran into a very awkward situation with Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin this past season.
The young Russian forward wanted to swap jerseys with his elder statesman after a game between the Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers. However, Michkov showed up to their postgame meeting empty-handed and explained why in a recent appearance on the “Vacation” series for Russian outlet VideoSports, which features former Caps forward Andrei Nikolishin as one of the hosts.
In the video, Michkov shows off the signed jerseys he has collected so far in his young NHL career and points out the one he received from Ovechkin.
“And this one is from Sasha Ovechkin,” Michkov said, as translated via Google Translate. “We had a head-to-head game, too. But it turned out the team manager wouldn’t give me my jersey – basically, he forbade the swap. I told him, ‘We’d already agreed on it.’ I had messaged him before the game asking, ‘Can we swap jerseys?’ And Sasha said, ‘Sure, no problem; he’d sign it.’
“But then he comes out after the game with his jersey, and I didn’t get mine. I was standing there without a jersey, looking like an idiot. I didn’t know what to say to him. I felt embarrassed – I’d been the one to ask, yet I showed up empty-handed.”
Despite Michkov not bringing his own sweater to the swap, Ovechkin still came through with his side of the bargain and just asked Michkov to return the favor at a later date. The two reconnected about their deal at this summer’s Match of the Year in Russia, although Ovechkin still hadn’t received his part of the trade as quickly as he would have liked.
“But in the end, he handed over his jersey and said, ‘Just send yours to me later,’ so I sent it to him,” Michkov said. “And now, at the ‘Match of the Year,’ he tells me: ‘No way, the jersey never arrived. What the hell, man?'”
Ovechkin has actually run into a similar problem in the past, with the Edmonton Oilers barring superstar Connor McDavid from gifting Ovechkin a game-used stick. The problem likely arises when a team has signed an exclusive game-used memorabilia deal with a company like MeiGray, which both the Capitals and Flyers partner with. However, Ovechkin seems to have some level of understanding with the company about his own gear.
Michkov’s jersey will likely be one of hundreds that Ovechkin will eventually display in the hockey memorabilia museum he is having built in his native Moscow, Russia. Ovechkin has said he hopes the museum will be completed and ready for visitors sometime next year, but in the meantime, he has continued collecting jerseys, sticks, and other equipment. According to Sport-Express, Ovechkin has also asked Michkov for a game-used stick in the past.
Beyond jerseys and sticks from other players, Ovechkin’s museum will also feature some of the most special items from his career. This past year, Ovechkin brought home to Russia his record-breaking 895th goal puck and hockey stick from the Capitals’ April 6, 2025, game against the New York Islanders.
S/T @uggg_uggg for first posting.
