The under 25 Ukrainian National Team is in Winnipeg for its fourth and final game of the Hockey Can’t Stop Tour.
Winnipeg’s Hockey Can’t Stop Tour game is being hosted at Canada Life Centre on Monday.
The Ukrainian national team was preparing on Saturday for their Monday night meeting with the University of Manitoba Bisons.
The Ukrainians practiced at Subway arena for just over an hour, participating in a number of drills.
Those taking part in the tournament say it’s been an inspiring journey about more than hockey.
“I was so excited to come here to play when I found out about this tour,” said Ukrainian forward Gleb Krivoshapkin.
“This is an amazing experience. Really nice arenas, a lot of fans. I’m thankful to everyone who supported us, who came to the games.”
The team practiced the same day as Orthodox Christmas but CEO and Executive Director of Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine Aleksandra Slatvytska said they are not really celebrating this year.
“Because for us right now, it’s not really about the holidays. It’s about what we are doing here and focusing on that. We need to do our best right now over here and our best is to play hockey for everyone over here,” she said.
Getting the opportunity to play in an NHL arena feels like magic to the team, Krivoshapkin said.
“We don’t have this kind of arena in Ukraine,” he said, “It’s really some kind of a miracle for most of us. And we are really excited.”
The upcoming game has sold 7,000 tickets, which Krivoshapkin said could be a bit daunting for players.
“The coaches will help us to be strong mentally… to not worry about it, just to do our best, show our best game and win.”
Winnipeg has a large Ukrainian community and around 4,000 Ukrainians are expected to be at the game.
Proceeds from the game and merchandise sold will go toward helping hockey safety and youth training for players in Ukraine.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Monday.