'Hard to leave': Ukrainian hockey players determined to preserve sport during war
Some Ukrainian hockey players practising on the ice in Western Canada say hockey is life.
The Ukrainian men's national team has been in the Prairies preparing for the 2023 Winter World University Games scheduled to start next week in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Due to intensified attacks on its infrastructure during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country has experienced periods with no electricity, heat or running water, preventing the under-25 team from training at home.
The team has so far played the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon and the Calgary Dinos. They were to play the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton on Tuesday and the Manitoba Bisons next Monday.
Goalie Dmytro Kubritskiy said it was difficult for many of his teammates to leave Ukraine in order to play.
“It was hard to leave our families,” Kubritskiy told a news conference at Rogers Arena, home of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers, on Tuesday.
“Some of our guys have weight on their soul.”
He said those on the team understand that it's important for them to advance the sport for their country.
“For them, it's inspiration to continue fighting,” said Oleksandra Slatvytska, executive director of the Ukraine Hockey Federation.
“For many of our citizens, hockey is inspiration.”
Slatvytska, whose husband is currently fighting in Ukraine, said arenas across the country are being used to store weapons and provide humanitarian relief during the war.
All ticket-sale profits from the team's games in Canada, as part of the “Hockey Can't Stop Tour,” are to go to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to rebuild arenas destroyed in the war and to provide humanitarian aid.
Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, executive director of the foundation, said a hockey arena in the Donbas region of Ukraine was bombed on Monday.
“Russia is seeking to turn dark and cold into weapons against the people of Ukraine,” added Andriy Tovstiuk, a board member of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
“The humanitarian crisis is very real,” said Tim Shipton, executive vice-president of Oilers Entertainment Group.
The Oilers have pledged proceeds from the next 50/50 to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
Defenceman Andrii Grygoriev said that after experiencing hard times in his home country, being able to play in Canada is a big deal.
“We are so excited,” said Grygoriev, adding that his favourite hockey players include Oilers captain Connor McDavid and defenceman Darnell Nurse.
“I think Canada is the best country in the world for hockey.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.