A 10-year-old fan asked Matvei Michkov for an autograph in Russian. Even after getting ejected, the Flyers rookie came through.
Daniel Trusk was surprised with tickets from his father, a lifelong Flyers fan originally from Belarus. Then he won a free water bottle. That was just the start.
Matvei Michkov has brought instant excitement to the Flyers in his rookie season. He even helped make a 4-2 loss at home to Utah on Dec. 8 memorable.
On the eve of his 20th birthday, Michkov was ejected from the game with only 16 seconds remaining. But before exiting the ice — with blood still on his chin — the star rookie stopped in the tunnel to fulfill a promise he made earlier in the game: signing a water bottle for a young fan. That fan was Daniel Trusk, a 10-year-old who happens to speak Michkov’s native Russian.
Although Daniel’s night ended with a viral encounter with his favorite player, it began with him preparing for a swim meet — and having no idea what his father, Dane Alexander Trusk, had planned for later in the day.
“I already had the tickets prepared, but it was kind of like a surprise for him,” Dane Trusk said. “[Daniel] had competitions in Malvern, and I told him if he does well then I have a surprise for him. And he did great. He dropped every [one of his times].”
Daniel competes in the 50-, 100-, and 200-meter races for the BeFirst swim team. After his competition at the Robert Hornsleth Memorial meet, his father surprised him with tickets for that night’s Flyers game.
“I was just really happy because I knew it was going to be a great day,” Daniel said. “I already did good in my competitions, and now I’m going to a game.”
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But the surprises didn’t end there. When Trusks arrived in their seats, there was a flier to redeem a prize — a new Flyers water bottle. Little did Daniel know how much that water bottle was going to play a role in his night.
During the game, Daniel eyed an opportunity to ask for Michkov’s autograph. In the second period, he saw his chance. In Russian, Daniel asked Michkov, “Can you please sign the water bottle?” Michkov said he would sign for him after the game.
Being a man of his word — even after getting ejected — Michkov signed Daniel’s new water bottle.
“I was just like, this is crazy,” Daniel said. “My brain was going insane and stuff. I was on YouTube and somebody was talking about it, and then I saw [Al Morganti] said, ‘They should have signed it in blood.’”
When asked if that’s what he would have wanted, Daniel responded, “No. That would be insane.”
Daniel grew up in Philadelphia and has been attending 76ers and Flyers games with his father since he was 2 years old. His love for Philly sports came from his father, who grew up in Belarus before moving to Philadelphia when he was 17.
“Believe it or not, I have been a Philadelphia fan since I was 8 years old,” Dane Trusk said. “I was following Philadelphia even back in Belarus. Me and my dad were into [the] NHL and all that stuff, and I was a hockey player myself. … I never thought that I was going to end up in Philadelphia, and once that happened, obviously, I was following the Flyers for many years.”
Dane started watching the Flyers consistently after he saw the 1976 game between the Flyers and Russia’s Red Army that his father had on videotape. The game was played at the Spectrum amid the backdrop of the Cold War, and the Flyers were the only NHL team to beat the famed Red Army that year.
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But what really made Dane a fan was former Flyers center Eric Lindros.
“We started watching the Flyers more and more and I kind of fell in love with Eric Lindros when he was playing,” Dane said. “He was one of my favorite players.”
Now Dane is happy to see his fandom rub off on his son, and surprising Daniel with tickets was just the latest way for the pair to spend more time together and continue bonding over Philly sports. It just so happened that this moment — one between a young fan, his father, an emerging superstar in Philadelphia, and all those who witnessed it online and in person — was a little extra special.
“It was just a great moment and I’m sure it’s going to have an impact on his life for a while,” Dane said. “It was a really, really kind gesture. Not just for my son but for the whole community of Philadelphia. For the fans. Because they can see that interaction and that’s important. I think it’s just a great step forward in relations between the Philly community and the team.”