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Ruslan Fedotenko was an huge part of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Cup victory.
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Fedotenko takes Stanley to Ukraine
By Kevin Shea | Special to NHL.com
July 26, 2004
July 19 was devoted to Ruslan Fedotenko, the Lightning's Game 7 hero. Back on June 7, Fedotenko scored both goals in the dramatic 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames that earned the Tampa Bay Lightning its first Stanley Cup championship. The Stanley Cup flew with the passengers, something it does only occasionally, from Minsk, Belarus to Kiev in Ukraine. An oddity to North American travelers, the flight allowed smoking, although Lord Stanley's Cup sat in the non-smoking section. In the airport at Kiev, the Cup was greeted with near hysteria by more than 1,000 fans and what seemed like an equal number of media members. Fedotenko took the Stanley Cup to a local arena, jammed to the rafters with fans straining for a glimpse of the beautiful silver trophy. Photographs and autographs with Fedotenko ensued. Then, it was time for some sightseeing, and the Stanley Cup was witness to extraordinary buildings, significant both historically and architecturally -- the Cathedral of St. Sophia, which dates back to the 11th century, the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr, the Ukrainian Baroque church of St. Andrew and the Golden Gate, a reconstructed wall that centuries past, identified the city's limits. The Stanley Cup arrived at Khreshchatik, the main street of Kiev that runs between two steep hills. The celebrations were in full force, with singing, dancing and bands performing. A large balloon, with Ruslan's No. 17 jersey tied to it, also was seen. The celebration, which included better than 8,000 participants, was broadcast live across Ukraine. Former NHLer Dmitri Khristich, a Kiev native himself, was one of those spotted enjoying the party. Fedotenko later met up with his family at the Premier Palace Hotel, where they held a small party to celebrate Tampa's victorious season. It was the first time in six years that Fedotenko had been back to Kiev. Fedotenko left Ukraine as a teenager and played for Melfort in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He later joined Sioux City of the USHL where he met Debbie, now his wife. In fact, on Aug. 15, Fedotenko will take the Cup to Iowa. After finishing second in USHL scoring with Sioux City, Fedotenko was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1998. Fedotenko made his NHL debut Oct. 24, 2000 as a Flyer, competing against the Rangers. During the summer of 2002, after two seasons with Philadelphia, Tampa sent its first round draft choice in the 2002 Entry Draft to the Flyers for Fedotenko and a second-round pick. The Lightning did well - Fedotenko collected 19 goals and 32 points in 2002-03 and 17 goals and 39 points during the 2003-04 regular season. But the value was truly realized during this year's playoffs, when Fedotenko exploded, scoring 12 times and adding two assists to help the Lightning collect the greatest gift hockey ever gave anyone -- the Stanley Cup! Kevin Shea is the Hockey Hall of Fame's Manager of Special Projects and Publishing.
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