Unique tournament team to include 11 Russian, eight Whitby players
May 15, 2008 - 04:00
By Brian McNair
WHITBY -- An Ovechkin is coming to play hockey in Whitby next week.
No, he's not related to Alexander, the Russian superstar who won the National Hockey League scoring title this season.
But he is part of an interesting story nevertheless.
This Ovechkin, Leonid, is one of 11 Russian players who are coming to Whitby next week to join up with eight players from the Whitby Wildcats to form a unique tournament team.
The squad, made up of 1994-born players, will have an exhibition game May 22 at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre against the Clarington Toros and then play tournaments in Toronto and Montreal on successive weekends.
The connection between the two teams comes from Whitby goalie Emerson Verrier, who played in Russia for five years while his father worked for a New York law firm in Moscow.
It was enhanced more than a year ago when a Russian team visited Canada for a tournament and had its players billeted by players on the team in which Verrier now plays.
The idea was hatched by Verrier's wife, Celia, and made possible by several people and organizations on both sides of the world, including Russian coach Mikhail Vasilevskiy, who will guide this team.
"It's really unusual and I think one of the best experiences that might come out of this is the understanding of how much they have in common," says Celia Verrier. "I think the bond they'll develop playing alongside each other is much stronger than the bond they develop when they come to a tournament and play with people from their own country against other countries."
The itinerary will be a busy one and include much more than hockey, including trips to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Niagara Falls, and Canada's Wonderland.
Latest News
School board looks into going greenDURHAM -- The public school board is looking into what it takes to build a green school. A mild, generic investigation into the construction costs, ongoing savings, and what ...
Durham residents on board with public transitDURHAM -- As the price at the pumps soars, Durham residents are joining their fellow Canadians in migrating to public transit.Pickering resident and student Amira Rezkalla...
Hunting for flood solutionsDURHAM -- Flooded Ajax and Whitby residents had politicians on their side at a recent works committee meeting, but questions over whether they can expect relief remain. On Aug...
Dead Pickering bird ends West Nile seasonDURHAM -- A dead bird found in Pickering is the latest to test positive for West Nile virus (WNV).The crow was picked up on Sept. 2 and was the eighth bird in Durham in ...
Gas leak evacuates 10 Pickering homesPICKERING -- A gas leak on Sheppard Avenue in Pickering Thursday afternoon caused residents to evacuate their homes for more than five hours, a City official said.Everett ...
Relief for westbound commuters on Hwy. 401DURHAM REGION -- Two lanes of the westbound 401 collectors at the Don Valley Parkway have re-opened for the morning rush hour commute, however, the exit ramp to the DVP/404 on...
Top Prospects Game likely coming to OshawaOSHAWA -- It appears furious negotiations this week will see the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game land in Oshawa. David Branch, commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League and ...
GM sales plummet in AugustDURHAM -- General Motors of Canada's sales plummeted in August, with tiny cars from other brands seeing big increases in sales. GM's car sales were down 19 per cent and truck ...
Repatriation ceremony on Saturday eveningDURHAM -- The latest repatriation ceremony is scheduled to come through Durham Region early Saturday evening. Three Canadian soldiers were killed and five others were injured ...
Mutton auditor charged by professional bodyCLARINGTON -- The accountant who conducted the audit into former Clarington Mayor John Mutton's expenses has been charged by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of ...