Ukrainian ice hockey was on the rise. In September 2021, for the first time ever, a Ukrainian team featured on the pan-European club ice hockey stage of the Champions Hockey League. The enthusiasm of the entire HC Donbass Donetsk organisation, of their players, coaches, management and their fans was overwhelming. European ice hockey was embraced in Ukraine. But suddenly, in February 2022, everything changed in the country.
Since the Russian invasion started, people have died, millions have had to leave their homes and infrastructure has been destroyed. Surrounded by the tragedy, hockey enthusiasts and officials stood up and committed to keeping Ukraine’s hockey dream alive. The Ukrainian Hockey Dream charity foundation was established aiming to give back hope to the community and also provide some kind of normality.
“With the first bombs being dropped, we realised that we had do something to provide safety, support, and sense of hope to the whole hockey industry. We started with the project of saving all our hockey schools from the war zone, from the eastern cities which were attacked. But we did not stop there, because so many people depended on us to take action,” said Georgii Zubko, President of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine. “The Ukrainian Hockey Dream foundation was born and now it is the future of ice hockey in Ukraine, because all the projects we are running, everything we do, helps and supports everybody in the industry, form our youngest players to the National teams. We have to keep Ukraine on the ice!”
The foundation’s goal is to raise $15 million to support various hockey projects in the country, related to:
- Safety and Support for Players and Staff
- Youth and Professional Training
- Arena Restoration and Development
Despite the ongoing war, the UHD foundation puts all its effort into keeping ice hockey in Ukraine alive. “We are in a really tough situation right now. Constant air attacks, sirens. It is very common that we are trying to hold a practice session, and there is blackout, or we have to take everybody to the shelter,” says Mariia Voitko, the Chief Project Officer of the UHD foundation, adding, “but the opportunity to be on the ice playing brings hope, and adds meaning. Hockey has become a last resort, a happy place amidst a very difficult situation. This is why we are providing training opportunities for all our kids, getting them training equipment, helping with transportation. We are also in the process of transporting two portable training arenas from the eastern part of the country to the west. This is critical infrastructure for us, with so many arenas being destroyed or seized.”
Donations to support the UHD projects can be made at saveukrainianhockeydream.org.
Detailed information about the projects of the foundation can also be found on the website
One big milestone was reached shortly after the war started when nearly 1,000 Ukrainian ice hockey kids between the ages of 6 and 17 were rescued together with their mothers and were hosted by families and clubs from Latvia, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Germany and Romania.
IHFU president Georgii Zubko says that his country is “grateful to the entire European Hockey community for this unprecedented support! Without all the attention, help and support we would never have been able to accomplish so much in so little time! This is real hockey help from hockey people!”
The children are continuing to stay abroad as the situation in their home country still isn’t safe for them to return.
The Champions Hockey League showed its support for the people of Ukraine and Ukrainian ice hockey at a very early stage, sending a strong signal of condemnation of the Russian invasion during the CHL Final in March backed by a financial contribution together with several hockey associations that stood united with donations for Ukraine.