Sergei and his brother Fedor, who came to Anaheim that day as part of a visiting rival team. To play together with his little brother was a declared goal of Sergei's. He briefly got his wish, but Fedor's work ethics did not measure up to NHL standards.
That year Sharapova decided she was going to be a handbag designer. This was one of her joint designs with someone who did bags for a living.
I invited Sergei to join me at the WTA Champs because 1)he knows and loves tennis, having dated a pro tennis player, 2)I was hoping to introduce him to Maria and bring my two favorite atheletes together -- for a story if not for anything bigger. He brought his wingman Brennan with him. I noticed that on every team, Sergei used to befriend the tough guy.