COLUMBUS, OHIO – Ruslan Fedotenko, the two-time Stanley Cup winner attempting to make an NHL comeback with the Wild, got out of Ukraine in the nick of time.
As things heated up in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the Kiev native, who had just completed a season playing for HC Donbass in the Kontinental Hockey League, began to witness pro-Russia rebels taking over buildings in Donetsk.
His wife, Debbie, flew back to the United States while Fedotenko hurried to pack their belongings. A few days after Fedotenko left, the airport was attacked and taken over by militants.
"Basically, I left just in time to get out of there," Fedotenko said.
Fedotenko left in May 2014. In the months after, thousands were killed; a Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 295 people was shot down by a surface-to-air missile; the arena where Fedotenko had played was ransacked; looted and set on fire; and the franchise he played for suspended operations.
"It's a mess," Fedotenko said. "In Donetsk, there's still areas you cannot get into."
Thousands of miles back to safety, Fedotenko, 36, is trying to continue a successful NHL career that saw him last play for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2013. Last year, after not being able to continue his three-year contract in Donetsk, Fedotenko tried out for the New Jersey Devils.
A veteran of 863 regular-season games, 108 playoff games and an integral member to championship teams with Tampa Bay in 2004 and Pittsburgh in 2009, Fedotenko didn't make the team. He returned home to Tampa, where he trained and skated in hopes of an opportunity coming.