Looking for Youngblood, but found Uke

[Thunder 903]

This week I planned on another article of shit talking on Scurvy, aka. Brian Payne and getting under his skin so he would retaliate because he has such a great sense of humor and talent coming up with terrific stories to read.  The only problem was that I watched a hockey documentary and decided to  share my take on the movie.  I didnt intend to watch a documentary, but while searching for Youngblood on Apple TV, because my wife deleted the only copy I had left on the DVR, and I was in the mood to laugh about Miss McGill.  I found this other show and decided to watch it.  As I watched it, I got a new appreciation of my neighbors to the north, to hockey in general, and more importantly, to the superstars who are of Ukrainian decent.  This may be a stupid article because you all have seen the movie and/or know all about the players I’m about to write on, but in the end how many people really read my crap!  Besides, its for the TPE, especially since after two seasons, Jake Thunder is finally going to go toe to toe with Brian Payne!  Before I begin, I have to tell you this all came from the movie, Uke: The Untold Story of Hockey Legends.

 

Growing up in the Northeast, hockey was popular but not like in Canada.  Personally, I couldn’t afford it so my attention was on other sports, except watching the Bruins on television.  All you folks in Canada, hockey seems to be a way of life in the winter.  I envy you.  Orest Kindrachuk, Stanley Cup winner for the Philadelphia Flyers, in 1974 and 1975, grew up playing hockey in Saskatoon and identified the area with a strong Ukrainian - Canadian lineage.  His grandfather John, immigrated from Ukraine to Canada and traveled 2000 miles to get to Saskatchewan and begin a new life.

 

Jeff Chychrun, Stanley Cup winner of 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, tells that of the hundreds of thousands of families in Canada, the Ukrainian people make up only a small portion.  His father, John, still plays hockey in an over 80 league.  And of course there is Jakob Chychrun playing for the Coyotes, but he wasnt born in Canada.

 

In the 1960’s, Eric Nesterenko, was a hockey legend.  A 1961 Stanley Cub winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nesterenko was known for his speed on the ice.  His father, Yakif, was in the Ukraine revolution in the early 1900’s.  If you think Ukraine has it tough now, think about how they were starved a 100 years ago in the red famine.  Eric Nesterenko has only recently looked into the suffering of the generations before him.

 

Another Ukrainian fighter was Walter Bossy, who fought for the Ukrainian culture and language in Canada is the grandfather to the famous New York Islander, Mike Bossy.  Mike Bossy won the Stanley Cup four times and also holds the record of scoring 50 goals a season for nine straight seasons.  In 1983, Wayne Gretzky played against Bossy in the Stanley Cup, only to be beaten.  The Edmonton Oilers came back the next year and beat the Islanders for the trophy.

 

Wayne Gretzky, is the grandson of a Ukrainian, who through a variety of translation changes ended with the name Anthony Gretzky.  Anthony’s son Walter, is Wayne’s father.  Everyone knows Wayne Gretzky, even me!  He is known as The Great One.  What I didn’t know was how involved Walter was with the hockey community in Canada. The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre in Brantford, would be a place I wouldn’t mind visiting sometime.  Hopefully there is someone on this forum who reads this has been there and can respond to this article!

 

Before moving on from Gretzky, I’m going to throw out a stat on Gretzky.  He scored 2857 points in the NHL.  This is a record that is astonishing considering that if you only count his assists and not his goals, he still holds the most points.  Scotty Campbell would give Gretzky a run for his money if Gretzky played in the VHL.

 

My favorite Ukrainian player is Ken Daneyko, the enforcer for the New Jersey Devils.  He won the Stanley Cup three times with the Devils and played against Gretzky.  He also played against my Boston Bruins and had his share of fights over the years.  Daneyko is one of the biggest legends of the Devils and on Ukrainian night at The Rock, and dutifully acts as an announcer that night.

 

Other Ukrainian players include Bruce Driver, and Eddy Shack.  Old timer Shack still has a sense of humor and reflects on a game winner for the Maple Leafs.  “Clear the track, here comes Shack” a popular slogan for the star.  He made $15,000 back then and got another $2000 for winning the cup.  He won the Stanley Cup four times.

 

Another Ukrainian cup winner was Terry Sawchuk, star goalie.  I have to complain about Sawchuk because he was traded to the Bruins and didn’t like the move so eventually was traded back to the Red Wings.  I could have been a Sawchuk fan!  But, I do appreciate Sawchuk, as he was a stud.  As a goalie, he took a beating and refused to wear a goalie mask for years.  His body was beat after games and the punishment he received from star shooters was incredible.  For all you goalies, I recommend a check up with the psychiatrist.  You’re nuts!

 

There are several other Ukrainian hockey stars in the video, but I’ve already exceeded my word count to earn the 6 TPE, and by now no one is reading this anyway so I’m going to end the article.  I do recommend all who dont know much about the impact the “Ukes” have on hockey to look for this video and watch it.  It has given me an appreciation for hockey, Canada, and the VHL, for if I wasn’t in this league, I would never have watched this video and would probably have just turned on Goon, since I couldn’t find Youngblood.