Kabanov household
Note: This story initially appeared in The Hockey News’ Playoff Preview concern.
Steen Hansen has spent a whole lot of time on the street, not solely as a long-haul truck driver and proprietor of his personal fleet, but in addition as one of many founding house owners of the Aalborg Pirates hockey workforce, in Denmark’s elite Metal Ligaen. For practically a decade, Hansen has adopted his top-ranked workforce to video games throughout the Nordic nation.
Even nonetheless, with all of these hours of journey below his belt, he couldn’t have been ready for the journey he would make in late February 2022, to the border of Ukraine and Poland together with one in every of
his gamers. It would maybe be an important street journey of his life.
The Aalborg Pirates, based of their present type in 2012, have seen a lot success lately. This has been partly thanks to the acquisition of Russian winger Kirill Kabanov forward of the 2017-18 season. After enjoying at the World U-18 Championship in 2009, Kabanov left Russia for Canada to play for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.
The New York Islanders then selected him within the third spherical of the 2010 draft. After a number of seasons leaping across the AHL, ECHL, Swedish League and the KHL, Kabanov made his manner to Aalborg, the place he has come to be referred to as a passionate participant, a workforce chief and a fan favourite.
In that first season with the Pirates, Kabanov helped the workforce to their first Metal Ligaen championship after holding high spot for the whole lot of the season. Since then, other than a one-season stint in Germany’s DEL the next 12 months, Kabanov has remained in Aalborg, alongside along with his household: Ukrainian vogue mannequin Viktoriya Kuropyatnikova, and their two younger sons, now 4 and 6 years previous.
Kabanov Family
Kuropyatnikova typically travels between Aalborg and Chernihiv, Ukraine, the place the couple have an residence and are presently constructing a home. And when Russian forces started bombing in Ukraine in February, Kuropyatnikova and the couple’s sons had been there. Kabanov was in Aalborg.
In the primary days of the battle in Ukraine, Kabanov was certain his household would stay protected the place they had been. “No one expected this to happen,” Hansen stated.
Even nonetheless, the proprietor tried to persuade his participant that it was time to go get his household out, earlier than it bought worse.
And then it did, rapidly. “It was February 28, the fifth day of war,” Kuropyatnikova stated. “Our city was being bombed non-stop. Downtown, where we live, there were missiles a few steps away from our building. We were sleeping at a bomb shelter.”
For each Kabanov and Kuropyatnikova, the choice to transfer was made rapidly. With only one small bag, Kuropyatnikova, their youngsters and her mom fled, leaving not solely all of their possessions behind, but in addition her father, as per Ukrainian martial legislation.
To make it to the Polish border, Kuropyatnikova and the household had to journey first by automotive, then by bus, for 2 agonizing days throughout the war-torn nation. To meet them, Hansen and Kabanov borrowed a seven-seater car from a pal and drove 1,600 kilometres throughout Denmark, Germany and Poland for 14 straight hours, solely stopping for fuel. “I had never been to Poland before,” stated Hansen.
But upon the boys’s arrival at the small border crossing, Kuropyatnikova and her household couldn’t be discovered. It was very chilly there, Hansen described, as they looked for them for an hour. Turns out, the household had to make the ultimate trek throughout the road by foot; finally they appeared. “I was able to hug Kirill on March 2, at 5 a.m.,” Kuropyatnikova stated. “It was very emotional, with hugs and tears.”
But earlier than turning round and departing on the lengthy journey again to Aalborg, Hansen stated, “Vika saw one lady, and she was alone.” The lady wanted a trip to meet folks she knew in Poland. So the group took her alongside. After dropping off the lone refugee, the remaining journey was tough. The group was exhausted and had to cease for brief sleeping breaks in lodges alongside the way in which. But reduction and gratitude guided them by way of these final legs. “I can’t stop being thankful to Steen for driving miles and miles with Kirill,” Kuropyatnikova stated. “It means so much to us, and shows how he cares about Kirill not only hockey-wise but off-ice, too.”
Hansen was glad to assist his participant and pal. “I’ve known him a long time,” he stated. “I had the chance to help him, so I did it.”
And when the group lastly made it to Aalborg? “It was so special,” Hansen stated. “When he saw Aalborg, Kirill felt he is home. He broke down. They were safe.”
When battle first broke between two nations he loves so dearly, Kabanov couldn’t proceed enjoying hockey. The stress was too nice for the veteran participant, who sat out 5 video games. But as soon as he was in a position to return to Aalborg, along with his household protected and sound, he bought again proper again on the ice. “I’m happy that Kirill was given some time to put his mind together,” Kuropyatnikova stated. “This is very important, to have an understanding team.”
And the followers, she says, have additionally been rallying behind the household.
As for the workforce proprietor who insisted on personally driving his participant to the sting of a battle to rescue his household, Hansen has stayed comparatively quiet about his function, shying away from a lot credit score. “There is only one hero in this game here,” Hansen stated, “and it’s Vika. She is so strong.”
The Pirates, in the meantime, completed first total and had been set to play within the closing after a pair of sequence sweeps. “Kirill is looking good,” Hansen stated. “It’s good for him to play.”