He spent years playing and coaching hockey alongside Russians. Then Putin invaded Ukraine

— 2026-07-25T08:00:00Z

A man sits beside a large hockey trophy shaped like a cup that's taller than his head. He has smaller war medals lined up in front of him on a table.

Hockey-player-turned-Ukrainian-soldier Oleksandr Matviychuk is recovering after nearly being killed while on a military mission last year. Plastic surgeons have spent the past year reconstructing his face, one painful surgery at a time.