Did you know that the greatest Wayne Gretzky is half-Ukrainian (on his father’s side) and grew up in Ukrainian environment? His father Walter says that the only Slavic language spoken at his home when he was growing up was Ukrainian?
Before their family moved from that village on the Ukraine-Belarus border, their name was Grets’kiy by the way )
There are many other Ukrainians by descent that affected NHL (list)
But there is another Hockey player who needs be mentioned is a player born in Kyiv Ruslan Fedotenko. He truly looks and talks like a lot of Kyivans )
Here is his interview with Stanley Cup in hands and most memorable goal (Video)