Sergey Mikhalev, an honored coach of Russia, has died tragically in a car crash

On the night of April 21^st Sergey Mikhalev, an Honored coach of Russia, HC Salavat Yulaev Sports General Manager died tragically in a car crash in his 68th year. Ex Head Coach of Ufa Ice Hockey Club was returning from Chelyabinsk where he was at the funeral of Valery Belousov.

The driver of the car, in which the Russian coach died, was driving wrong way  under unclear circumstances, which caused a crash with a semi-truck. Sergey Mikhalev died at the scene and the driver was hospitalized.

Sergey Mikhalev had a train ticket from Chelyabinsk to Ufa. Sergey Mikhalev was to return to the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan by train, but he chose to go by car for reasons unknown.

As a hockey player Sergey Mikhalev performed for Burevestnik Hockey Club (Chelyabinsk), Salavat Yulaev Ufa and for SKA Kuibyshev. By the end of his player career he worked as Salavat Yulaev Head coach (1987-1990, 2005-2009). Under his guidance the Ufa team won the  Russian Championship in the 2007/2008 season. In addition, in 1989 Sergey Mikhalev headed the USSR students’ team, which became the silver medalist of the Universiade. In 2006 he was the Head coach of the Russian junior team (under 20 years old), which won silver medals of the Russian Championship. In February 2015 he returned to the Ufa club as a Sports General Manager.

Sergey Mikhalev became the third Russian Ice Hockey coach who has passed away over the past six months, after Viktor Tikhonov and Valery Belousov. The Russian Olympic Committee gives sincere condolences to Sergey Mikhalev’s relatives and those closest to him.