An international community is coming together to offer a group of young Ukrainian men a chance to compete on the ice in Canada.
“I’m very happy to go to Canada to play against some of the best teams there,” Ukrainian goalkeeper Savva Serdiuk told reporters.
Serdiuk and his fellow Ukraine U25 men’s national hockey team will come to Canada in the coming months to play against four Western Canada university teams in the “Hockey Can’t Stop,” in preparation for an upcoming tournament and to raise money collect for their war-torn country.
Alberta is home to one of the largest Ukrainian expat populations in Canada and the world.
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Serdiuk (18) also plays for Sokil Kyiv in the Ukrainian Hockey League.
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Kiev was among the targets in the first round of airstrikes on February 24.
And on Wednesday, another air strike knocked out power and water for most Ukrainians in the country.
“My team Sokil practiced almost every day. Sometimes we don’t have electricity and water and things like that,” Serdiuk said. “So it’s quite difficult to train in Ukraine.”
The Canadian tour is a rare opportunity for the young Ukrainian men. With the Russian invasion entering its tenth month, most men in Ukraine aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave the country without permission from the federal government.
Dmitri Khristich, Ukraine’s assistant coach and former NHLer, said that in addition to escaping the war-torn country for a time, the tour is an opportunity for his players to show off their hockey skills.
“In all respects, this is a very good opportunity for us to show that Ukraine hockey is still alive, Ukraine hockey has a future,” said Khristich.
Head coach Vadym Shakhraychuk, who represented Ukraine at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, added the U25 team represents a new vision of Ukrainian hockey.
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The war came as a surprise to the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine, which had been working to improve the sport in the European country earlier this year. Part of those plans was to build 19 ice hockey rinks across the country.
“We really believed that we could build hockey as an example for other kinds of sports, because in Ukraine … and most post-Soviet countries, it’s a big different kind of problem for kids to have equal opportunities to to go into any kind of sport. ,” said Oleksandra Slatvytska, executive director.
“No one expected the war. No one expected that our whole lives would be changed forever in one day.”
Only four arenas in the country are in working order. Arenas in communities such as Donetsk, Mariupol and Kherson have all fallen victim to the war.
While it’s not strange for the young pro to be away from his family, Serdiuk expects to worry about his family while on Canadian soil.
“I’m really worried about my family because they are in Kiev, Ukraine, and it’s still dangerous here. There is no water, there is no electricity, things like that, and it is just very difficult to live their life.”
Coaches for the four men’s hockey teams at the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Manitoba and University of Saskatchewan have been in discussions with some of their players about hosting the Ukraine team.
Huskies head coach Brandin Cote said it’s an opportunity for players to learn about what’s going on for their peers on the other side of the globe.
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“We have no idea what it’s like over there. And so I think just any of the information that we can give to our players to fully understand what the challenges are (in Ukraine),” Cote told reporters.
“To have opportunities for our players, to talk to the players on (the Ukrainian) team and really try to get a better understanding of what they’ve been through or what they’re going through from a family level, from a sports level, it’s really going be beneficial for our players moving forward in their lives, to really appreciate what they have.”
The idea for the tour came about when broadcaster Gord Miller had a conversation with Slatvytska in Edmonton at the World Junior Championships in August. Miller had a conference call with the Canada West head coaches and was soon working on a schedule.
Scheduling conflicts prevented the group from booking Rogers Place in Edmonton or the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, but Winnipeg Jets executive chairman Mark Chipman offered the Canada Life Centre.
“So it’s an exciting opportunity for the Ukrainian team to play in an NHL building and in front of what we hope is a big crowd,” Miller said.
Serdiuk and his team will play games in four Western Canadian cities, against college men’s hockey teams in those cities:
- December 30, 2022, against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies at Merlis Belsher Place.
- January 2, 2023, against the University of Calgary Dinos at Father David Bauer Arena.
- January 3, 2023, against the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Clare Drake Arena.
- January 9, 2023, against the University of Manitoba Bisons at Canada Life Centre.
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A live stream and donation links will also be available on the Canada West website.
Funds from the four games will go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and Canada, as well as a foundation run by the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine.
From there, the Ukrainian team will play in the Winter University Games in Lake Placid, New York until January 23.
Until then, Serdiuk will continue to practice his trade, wherever and whenever he can.
“It’s kind of an escape for me. It’s probably one of the best things in my life. And when I come into practice every morning, I feel like I’m in a safe place with my friends.”
-with files from the Associated Press and The Canadian Press
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
