‘Miracle on ice’: Ukrainian refugees arrive in Quebec City for hockey tournament

The team of 11- and 12-year-olds landed in Montreal before being bused to the provincial capital ahead of next week's Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament.

A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they’ll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.

The team of 11- and 12-year-olds landed in Montreal before being bused to the provincial capital ahead of next week’s Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament, which has been attended in the past by all-time greats such as Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur.

The bleary-eyed team arrived at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, where they were greeted by the local families who will host them during their stay. The team, who wore hats and jackets bearing the Ukrainian flag, had a chance to look at the ice, where thousands of people are expected to gather in the stands to watch them play.

Coach Evgheniy Pysarenko described the team’s presence in Quebec City as “almost a miracle.”

“Before it was mission impossible, now it’s miracle on ice,” he said.

Pysarenko told reporters at the hockey arena that it will be hard for players to forget the war in Ukraine, where some have fathers that are on the front lines fighting the Russian invasion.

But he hopes they’ll leave the tournament with lifelong memories and the belief that “anything is possible.”

The team, he added, are “messengers of hope,” and symbols of “spirit, strength and solidarity.”