Serebryakov Recalls Ovechkin Photo Before Match of the Year
Avangard goalkeeper Nikita Serebryakov says facing Alexander Ovechkin felt personal, recalling a photo taken together when he was a 12-14-year-old at Dinamo.
Nikita Serebryakov, the Avangard goaltender, has described facing Alexander Ovechkin at this year's "Match of the Year" as a moment he takes personally, recalling a photograph the two of them took together when he was still a schoolboy.
Serebryakov, 30, wrote on his blog on Sports.ru that the picture dates back to a season-closing event at Dinamo, where Ovechkin appeared as a guest star while he was still playing in the youth system, aged around 12 to 14. Ovechkin was already an NHL player at the time.
The goaltender said the invitation to the exhibition, staged at the SKA Arena in St Petersburg, followed a match he played against Mikhail Sergachev and Artemi Panarin last summer, after which he was told to expect a call. Sergachev later contacted him directly, and he accepted straight away. Serebryakov said this year's format worked better than in the past because the teams were drawn to be even, with neither side playing to let the other win.
He shared the crease at the event with Igor Shesterkin and Sergei Bobrovsky, though Shesterkin did not take part, leaving Serebryakov to cover an extra period in his place. He said watching Bobrovsky in the flesh was an experience in itself, and that Bobrovsky, a two-time Stanley Cup and two-time Vezina Trophy winner, sought him out after the game to praise his performance.
Ovechkin has been discussed for reasons beyond the ice this week as well, with Vladislav Tretiak warning him on 5 September about the pressures that would come with a parliamentary career, leaving any move into politics or a federation role to Ovechkin himself.
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