Far from home, young Ukrainian hockey players meet with Zelenskyy in Ottawa

Maksym Shtepa made his way from his new home in Quebec City to Parliament Hill Friday with one goal in mind: to give President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the hockey jersey off his back. 

The 13-year-old and his teammate Matvii Kulish got to do it standing alongside Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a hallway of the Parliament building. 

"We met our hero today, it was kind of a dream for us," said Shtepa. "It's a big day for us, big moment."

The jersey is stamped with Zelenskyy's name on the back and is adorned with the colours of the Ukrainian flag. A red embroidery-like pattern goes down the middle on the front representing Ukraine's national costume, the vyshyvanka.

"He's a really sweet person, he was really tired but he still was talking to us," said Shtepa of the encounter.

Joining the boys was Olivier Hubert-Benoit who is currently hosting another Ukrainian hockey player at his home. 

"The kids were super excited," he says. "They were running on adrenaline and just very happy to be able to experience this once in a lifetime moment."

This is the pair's first time seeing — much less coming face to face with — Zelenskyy, who is on a two-day visit to Canada  — the first since the Russian invasion last year. 

On Friday, he addressed the House of Commons in an effort to rally support for the war effort in Ukraine.

"There, it's kind of scary right now," says Shtepa. 

Shtepa first visited Canada in February when his team participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Recently, he and five of his teammates received special temporary visas allowing them to study and play hockey in Quebec City until it is safe for them to return home. 

"Here we saw really good people," says Shtepa. "It's a really good place for us."

Shtepa says he hopes Zelenskyy's new jersey will serve as a reminder that there's great hockey in Ukraine. 

"We want to make him proud that we are here, we're at a high [playing] level."