Photo Credit: Matt Slocum/AP
Last week, Matvei Michkov explained just how hard it is to to learn the English language. That is one of his biggest hurdles at the moment, and it should come as no one’s surprise, “The language barrier is heaviest. It’s really hard to develop English,” Michkov said via translator after a practice later in the week.
Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella has to get his point across somehow. He has to find a way to get Matvei to learn to play the game the right way. Tortorella has a tall task in hand, especially during the game.
Tortorella actually holds a meeting once a week with Michkov. Egor Zamula used to be the said translators for these meetings, but Tortorella just wanted Zamula to focus on his game.
“Once a week we have an interpreter come in my office. He (Michkov) sits down with me and we go over things,” Tortorella said, via the TNT Broadcast last Wednesday night.
This is a different type of coaching style that Tortorella is used to, and he actually touched on that during this interview with TNT. Tortorella Said that he does not like to pull meetings on a daily basis, but in this case it’s imperative.
Tortorella, in a way, is also learning how to become a different coach in the same token. He knew how tough it would be to get Matvei to understand what he was saying on a daily basis, whether it’s in game, or after. On the surface, it appears Matvei and Tortorella are building a special relationship as player and coach, and it’s great to see.
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