TAMPA, Fla. — Injuries are often an unavoidable part of sports, and an athlete's response to an injury may differ.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev suffered a traumatic leg injury this season — breaking his tibia and fibula. The experience took a toll on the 25-year-old physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Sergachev was injured in the second period of a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 7 when his left leg appeared to bend awkwardly while he was attempting to make a hit on Rangers forward Alexis Lafrenière.
“The whole time in your mind you know this isn’t pretty,” Lightning assistant athletic trainer Mike Poirier said.
“Right away when I broke my leg at MSG, I asked Mikey how long is it going to take to recover. He’s like, ‘three to four months,’” Sergachev said.
It took 80 days — to be exact — before Sergachev returned to the ice in Game 4 of the Bolts’ first-round series against Florida. He learned to trust the metal rod in his left leg, knowing that the broken bones had healed. But he still had to overcome several mental hurdles to get there.
“The first four weeks, I was kind of, I don’t want to say depressed, but you’re coming to the rink, you see the boys go and suiting up for a game, and you’re just there to work out, and you honestly don’t want to be there,” Sergachev said on April 29.
Poirier was by Sergachev’s side as he was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Poirier was also with him through the rehab process — which Poirier has broken down into four phases.
Phase one: Have a goal.
“I set the goal for myself to come back in the first round,” Sergachev said. “Whenever I would be depressed, you told us you were going to make it to the first round.”
Phase two: Share previous players’ experiences.
“I want to thank (Steven Stamkos), actually,” Sergachev said. “He broke his leg, and Mikey, our trainer, was showing me videos of Stammer skating like four weeks after. That kind of pushed me. The first four weeks since the injury it was tough mentally.”
Phase three: Motivation.
“In Sergie’s situation, we’re gearing toward the playoffs,” Poirier said. “There’s a hope, if we make the playoffs, there’s a good chance he’s back.”
Fourth phase: Creative rehab.
“I thank our training staff honestly, not just for the videos,” Sergachev said. “They were there for me every day. They would come to my house, Lucas and Mikey. They would stay with me and talk about anything but the injury. They are amazing people.”
Sergachev played 17 minutes and tallied an assist in his return to the ice — a Game 4 win against the Panthers.
“It’s just part of the job,” Poirier added. “How to motivate your player. I’ve been with the Lightning for 16 years and I’ve known Sergie for six years, I know what buttons to push, how he is, and what he responds to.”
Sergachev expects to come back next season even stronger, both mentally and physically.
