Teen hockey player who fled Ukraine getting VIP treatment from Vancouver Giants
CTV
The Vancouver Giants are rolling out the red carpet for a 15-year-old hockey player from Ukraine who recently fled his war-torn country to come to Metro Vancouver.
The Vancouver Giants are rolling out the red carpet for a 15-year-old hockey player from Ukraine who recently fled his war-torn country to come to Metro Vancouver.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Dany Bereza’s family in Kiev contacted another hockey family they know in Surrey. They asked if Bereza could come live with them and it went from there.
“My mother and me live in region where lots of bombs were there, and lots of military, so it was pretty unsafe,” he said in an interview with CTV News.
It took Bereza days to get to Poland, and days more to get to Canada. As he travelled through his country to the border, he saw the devastation from the fighting.
“Kiev was almost destroyed. Some cities around Kiev were destroyed, only some buildings left. So it was pretty tough, but I’m finally here,” he said.
But Bereza, who plays a high level of hockey in Ukraine, arrived in Canada with little more than a backpack. Logistics and safety issues prevented him from being able to bring his hockey equipment along.
The Vancouver Giants heard his story and extended an invitation for Bereza to come to their Friday night game against the Everett Silvertips.
