Author: Ihor Stelmach

Covering Team Ukraine at the 2022 Winter Olympics and writing about Ukrainians in professional hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, boxing and more, got me thinking about sports and its role in society. Below are some thoughts and musings on the subject of sports and its relevance in today’s world. For some folks, spring translates into more...

Imagine the intense physical training over the course of four plus years in hopes of being selected to represent your country on the world’s most competitive sporting stage. Imagine the mental stress over more than two years of constant COIVID-19 testing and ever-changing health protocols while training and competing in sports tournaments all over the...

The first day of spring in 1952 had the last-place Chicago Blackhawks taking the Friday train to Toronto for a Saturday night game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nine-year Hawks veteran Ukrainian Bill Mosienko was finishing up his best offensive campaign since his rookie year and, with no game that night, planned an evening out...

Freestyle skier Oleksandr Abramenko did it again, winning Ukraine’s first medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Abramenko surprised the competition by scoring 116.5 points in the super final, placing second overall and winning the silver medal. China’s Qi Guangpu (129.0 points) won the gold and Russian Olympic Committee’s Ilia Burov (114.93 points) took the bronze....

As a player, Charlie Metro was a light-hitting utility player, primarily an outfielder. He spent parts of four years with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics, ending his career with a batting average of .193. He was smart enough to realize his playing days were limited so he soaked up much knowledge from two legends...

Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly practices and boasts about his judo and martial arts skills. Success in these sporting disciplines usually depends on what the Japanese call kuzushi, which means a martial artist utilizes techniques meant to disrupt an opponent’s physical and mental balance. Mr. Putin has attempted to throw NATO and the United States...

The initial five days of competition for Team Ukraine at the Winter Olympic Games could be characterized as quite challenging – along with some tough sledding, the same description holds true for skiing and skating. In the remaining 11 days of the world’s greatest sporting event, there is still hope for a medal or two,...

It is no secret the Arizona Coyotes have been in rebuild mode for the past year, dealing away key players for future assets. This season’s NHL trade deadline is still a few months away and the Coyotes likely are not done selling off a few more big names from their depleted roster. One player Arizona...

When it comes to famous father and son pairings in National Hockey League history, two families emerge atop any hockey pundit’s list: the Hulls and the Howes. Both Bobby Hull and son Brett scored over 600 goals and were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Gordie and son Mark Howe also turned in Hall of...

Ukraine will send 45 athletes to compete in various events (12 disciplines in five sports) at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing from February 4-20. The sports in which Ukraine’s athletes will competer are biathlon (10 athletes), bobsledding (two), luge (six), skating (eight) and skiing (19). The disciplines include alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross-country...

To set the appropriate mood and capture the upcoming competitive spirit on the world’s grandest sporting stage, part of this year’s Olympics preview features a retrospective and nostalgic look back at one outstanding performance from the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games. It was a Friday night, February 25, 1994, and the venue was the Olympic...

In a January 8 chat with online news source Obozrevatel, coxswain gold medalist Kristen Kit proudly acknowledged her Ukrainian background. “My grandfather was born in Ukraine and my grandmother’s parents were Ukrainian,” Kit said. “I am proud of my Ukrainian heritage and I wish my grandparents could see me competing in rowing events. My grandfather...