Dmitri Khristich appears to be the latest Ukrainian sports star joining the fight against Russia. The former hockey star notably wore number 8 with the Washington Capitals before Alex Ovechkin.
Khristich was born in Kyiv which was part of the USSR in 1969. Now it’s the capital city of Ukraine that Russia is trying to besiege.
TSN’s Gord Miller shared a message he received from Khristich on Saturday.
“We are fighting hard, doing our best,” Kristich said via Miller. “We need you to tell the Russian people what is really going on. All they hear is propaganda and lies.”
In December, a delegation from the Ukrainian Ice Hockey Federation visited Canada to research ways to improve their development system. As a thank you for putting them in touch with people in Canada, they gave me a personalized jersey. Several of them are fighting in Kyiv today. pic.twitter.com/YW2UMGx4Ax
— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) February 26, 2022
The man 3rd from the left in the photo is former NHL player Dmitri Kristich. He called today from Ukraine asking us to pass on a message: “We are fighting hard, doing our best. We need you to tell the Russian people what is really going on. All they hear is propaganda and lies.” pic.twitter.com/HhGYiS9zyn
— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) February 26, 2022
The Guardian wrote about the propaganda being fed to the Russian people while the BBC fact-checked Vladimir Putin’s justification for the invasion.
Khristich spent seven seasons playing for the Washington Capitals and tallied 596 points (259g 337a) overall during his 811-game NHL career that also included stints with the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Khristich represented his home country in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He ended his playing career in 2004 after playing two seasons for the Russian Super League’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Khristich stayed around hockey after his career ended, serving in various coaching and management roles with the Ukranian national hockey team from 2008 to 2013. Dmitri returned to the KHL (Traktor, Amur) from 2015-2017 to serve as a video coach before returning home to Kremenchuk, Ukraine to be a Youth Hockey Supervisor.
In 2018, Khristich made an appearance at the Capitals Alumni’s Rooftop Bourbon and Cigar Event and has filmed videos for the team.
Since 1988, 30 Ukrainians have been drafted into the NHL per Elite Prospects. The most recent player was defenseman Artur Cholach in 2021 by the Vegas Golden Knights. Eight Ukrainians have played a game in the NHL via Quant Hockey. Khristich is the highest scoring Ukranian ever.
Other notable Ukrainian sports stars fighting Russian forces include Hall of Fame boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. Vitali is the mayor of Kyiv.
Dmitri Kristich remains my favourite #8 to ever play for the Washington Capitals. pic.twitter.com/WX5M3DnVYm
— David Lemieux (@lemieuxdavid) February 26, 2022
Screenshot: @Capitals/YouTube
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