They’ve come 5,100 miles to be Winterhawks

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 19, 2015

They live and work at their hockey halfway around the world, but the Portland Winterhaws’ two Latvian players always think of their homeland.

“Home is really special, and I’m always proud to be a Latvian,” says Rihards Bukarts, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings a few weeks ago and now a Winterhawks teammate of countryman Rodrigo Abols.

They are, to their knowledge, two of only three Latvian players in the North American junior ranks; the other one plays in Quebec.

Few Latvians have made it to the NHL.

“I want to do it for my parents, my family and my country,” Bukarts says.

Abols, a Canadian Hockey League import draft pick, says the same thing: He’s proud to be from the small Baltic country of about two million people, bordered by the Baltic Sea (west), Russia (east), Estonia (north) and Lithuania (south). Latvia was occupied by the Nazis during World War II and then was under the command of the former Soviet Union, but it’s very happy to have its freedom and independence now.

“I’m proud to be where I come from. I grew up there, you basically know everything about the country. I’m proud to say I’m Latvian,” says Abols, who played for the Russian-sponsored Riga Dynamo team in the Kontinental Hockey League last season.

Bukarts and Abols are believed to be the first Latvians to play for the Winterhawks, who are based 5,100 miles from their home.

Jamie Kompon, general manager and coach, brought in Bukarts, a 20-year-old player, to help the team’s offense and team with Abols.

Both forwards, they have gone undrafted by NHL teams. The 6-5, 185-pound Abols, 19, attended the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp. Both hope to make a living playing hockey in the United States (or Canada); if not, they’ll happily return to Latvia and Europe. Both say they miss Latvia, although billets and the team have made them feel comfortable here.

“I miss my family,” says the 5-9, 185 Bukarts, whose older brother, Roberts, has played for the Latvian national team and now plays pro in the Czech Republic. “My younger brother, who is 11, you want to see him grow up. He’s a fun guy to be around. I miss my grandparents because they’re getting really old, 91 each, and you want to spend as much time with them as possible. Mom, dad, sister, two brothers, friends …”

Abols, who has played for the Latvian national team, says living in Portland has taken some adjustment. And, it took him 22 hours to get here in August, going through Amsterdam.

“My billet mom (Barbara Rankin) has really helped me a lot,” he says. “And, Portland’s a really nice city to be in. … The first couple months, everything was so new, there was no time to get homesick. You get settled in, you maybe miss home. The days and games pass, and soon enough you’ll be home for Christmas.” Although, Abols might join the Latvian team in the World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland — close to home.

It’s the same story for Bukarts, if or when he returns home for Christmas. He would look forward to the food, the meat-and-potatoes and seafood fare. “I really enjoy my grandma’s cooking,” he says. “That’s probably what I miss the most. When I go home for Christmas, she makes me something special, and I come back with two percent more body fat.”

Both Latvians are very knowledgable about their country. They know of the hockey history, which includes a quarterfinal, 2-1 loss to Canada in the 2014 Olympics. They know of the players who have played pro in North America, including former NHL goalie Arturs Irbe and current players Zemgus Girgensons (Buffalo, forward), Kristers Gudjevskis (Tampa Bay, goalie) and Ronald Kenins (Vancouver, forward).

Bukarts and Abols knew of each other because, as they say, it’s a small country and not many people play hockey. Latvia has only 15 rinks. Sports such as basketball and soccer are more popular, they say, as are the winter sports. They had Olympic athletes in several sports, inlcuding luge (two bronze medals, led by Andris and Juris Sics) and skeleton (Martins Dukurs, silver medalist), along with hockey.

The weather? “It’s definitely different from here,” Abols says. “Pretty soon it’ll be snowing.”

“You look at the white and it makes you happy,” Abols says.

From Jurmala, Latvia, Bukarts is playing in his third WHL season, and he has notched about a point per game. Abols played for Riga Dynamo in his home city last season, the highest-level sports team in the country.

But, it’s an uneasy situation, one he tried to ignore. “I’d say (the team) was popular before, but because of the political situation with Russia and (nearby) Ukraine, it’s kind of split in half, the popularity of the team,” he says. “You play for a Russian team sponsored by Russians, it’s a community split in half with opinions. Last year, they averaged about 7,000 attendance. …

“I don’t think you should mix sports and politics. People shouldn’t do that. You play the game and don’t worry about politics.”

Both of them know the history. The Nazis occupied Latvia until the allies freed the country and put it under Russian control. Not until the Soviet Union collapsed did the Latvians gain their independence again, in 1991.

The population includes about 60 percent true Latvians and 30 percent Russians. People still speak Russian, Bukarts says. Being independent, “it’s something special for Latvia because of the years with the Russians and Germans in town,” he says. “We enjoy being free. We have our own national anthem and crest.” The Latvians have been in the top division at world championships of hockey for two decades, he adds.

Bukarts can tell all about the country, culturally, about the singing and dancing celebration and the national days of remembrance. From Riga, Abols proudly talks about the centuries-old parts of the city.

But, basically the two are here to try to play hockey professionally, and hopefully someday be good enough to play for Latvia in the Olympics.

Bukarts lives with Winterhawks defenseman Keoni Texeira, and Abols with D-man Caleb Jones. They live in the same area, five minutes apart. Its pretty much hockey all the time.

“I have to show my leadership,” Bukarts says. “I want to be a team player.”

Says Abols, on the prospects of playing pro: “It’s in my hands. I just have to work at it.”