The Ukrainian Weekly (https://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/author/ihor-stelmach/page/3/)
Personal philosophies, words of wisdom, deep reflections and opinions matter, especially when they emanate from an established competitive spirit who has repeatedly proven herself on the international stage. Young and old can always benefit from an injection of a winning formula when espoused by someone with character, passion and a superior work ethic, in many ways a role model.
All Mark and Christine Hanchuk’s youngest daughter wanted was to continue her softball pitching career at the college level. She also very much wanted to pursue a degree in her chosen fields of marketing, communications and advertising. Maria Hanchuk was also very attracted to Endicott College’s internships, which the school offers to select students all four years of their undergraduate study, and she was enraptured by the university’s beautiful campus and its proximity to the historical metropolis of Boston.
The “Uke Line” of the Boston Bruins, formed in 1957, comprised Johnny Bucyk, Bronco Horvath and Vic Stasiuk, three forwards of Ukrainian heritage. The three actually got started in the Western Hockey League, where the trio skated together for the Edmonton Flyers in 1954-1955, although Stasiuk only got into 11 games (13 points), while Bucyk (30G, 88PTS) and Horvath (50G, 60A, 110PTS) killed it offensively.
Philadelphia Flyers’ development coach Kjell Samuelsson had just finished observing a group of slick-skating defensemen competing in a five-on-five scrimmage at the club’s 2019 development camp. The 6-foot-6, 14-year veteran blueliner was totally cognizant of the sport’s current trends – today’s hockey features mobile defensemen.
One of the best places for a soccer fan to learn about who’s who in his sport is the city’s tourist shops, stocked with local favorites and the true stars of the game.
Our annual peek at the three minor leagues in professional hockey reveals a total of 44 players of Ukrainian descent seeing action in the coronavirus shortened 2019-2020 season. Seven of the above also skated for their NHL clubs – of these, Taylor Fedun (Dallas) and Greg Pateryn (Minnesota) were on injury rehab assignment while Jayce Hawryluk (Florida to Ottawa) and Curtis Lazar (Buffalo) were awaiting either a waiver claim or permanent recall, respectively.
A grand total of 43 known youngsters of Ukrainian descent dotted rosters of the three major junior circuits in the 2019-2020 hockey season with the Western Hockey League boasting the vast majority (35).
In the National Hockey League, the hometown team always wears white, but this was not the case on this particular spring day, when General Manager Neil Smith defied tradition, and outfitted his New York Rangers in their blue sweaters. This was supposed to be a most special game.
SOCCER
Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk advance
Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk advanced to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League after winning their respective matches in the Round of 32.
Attempting to reassert his voice, Aliu wrote a 4,000-word article for The Players’ Tribune on May 19, 2020, headlined “Hockey is not for everyone” – a purposeful dig at the “Hockey is for everyone” diversity campaign the NHL has run since 1998. His story included Peters’ comments, Downie’s cross-check (see part 1) and other descriptions of racial abuse in raw detail, prompting a viral response way more positive than what Aliu heard back after his original tweets. He formed direct relationships with activists like Alyssa Milano, Marshawn Lynch and other NHL players.