💭 ...?

it is nice to look at source material though, instead of one isolated quote by a flyers beat.

(most filler words removed) Journalist: "I think it was Konecny, after the game yesterday, said that between periods, you know, your message was that game could go either way - at that point it was kind of a sloppy first period. First shift, coming out of the second, you see Michkov kind of, it seemed like, you know he made that play at the side of the net and - and you guys just started rolling from there. Is that - do you feel like he's someone that takes that message to heart and he's the kind of guy that wants to go out and make a play and get things turned around?" Torts: "I don't think he understands a word I'm saying in between periods. Yeah." Journalist: "Yeah, okay." Torts: "We - [laughs, journalist laughs] - we - I don't. We - we have - when I speak, Daryl Williams goes to him and gives him, you know, the bullet points I guess of what we're saying. With more time - he takes his time with him. Yeah, he just pulls him aside. It's - it's - he's actually - he's actually getting a lot better. He really is. Tipp [Owen Tippett] does, you know - Tipp's on his line and I use Tipp quite a bit during the game - like I'll have two lines up, you know, like last night, if Cates is on the fly - if Larkin doesn't come, I have Frosty's line [of Tippett and Michkov]. Mich can't - he doesn't understand that and this is going on in the game, and I hit Tipp, and Tipp will let him know - he'll let him know when to change, kind of like that, so that's what you have to do but he's getting much better. But to answer your question, I thought the movement with or without the puck in the second period was one of our best periods offensively."

this is during the first 1 min 20 sec of this 10 min presser here. i would just be 100% sure the source material is consulted before spreading the assumption everywhere that torts is an ineffective communicator. after jamey baskow's quote, torts thoroughly explains how his assistant coach is helping mich understand everything and how his linemate is helping him during the game as well, which i think is a fairly reasonable and expected thing for any non-english speaking player to have linemates they trust to help them throughout the game.

thank you.

ok i did say it was interesting to speculate what mich wants out of his interpreter and how much flyers and himself might be hiding from the media. before the red wings game on dec. 13, 2024, same day as the torts presser actually, he had a new interview with nbc sports philadelphia reporter ashlyn sullivan and he said this:

Ashlyn: "And Matvei, I see you all the time on the bench talking to teammates, in the locker room, you can really tell you're trying to connect with them. How are you working on the English language?" Mich (through Slava): "English is better right now." Mich (through Slava): "Only locker room. He will not - he don't want to demonstrate it in front of camera."

that implies to me that he knows way more english than any outsiders think or know and he just doesn't want to show all his cards yet (exhibit a is him yapping constantly to his teammates on the ice and on the bench and exhibit b is him constantly chirping opposing team players enough that he provokes them into fighting him). so i would think that he is in full control here with what he wants and does not want and his teammates absolutely have his back.