Former Blades goalie heading back to Europe to help Ukrainian refugees

Former NHL, KHL and Saskatoon Blades goalie Michael Garnett and his wife Rebecca Rider are heading to Europe for the second time in just a few months.

This time, they’re heading for Romania and Moldova, to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.

Garnett — who spent two years with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, one year in the NHL as a goalie for the Atlanta Thrashers and 10 years in Russia’s KHL — speaks fluent Russian. He said he was proud to spend time in that country learning the language and culture, but couldn’t stand by when its military invaded Ukraine in late February.

“I’m three-quarters Ukrainian. I grew up in Saskatoon. My family’s Ukrainian, and that’s kind of through and through to me in my core, so when this war started, it was just such hard thing for me,” he said.

Garnett’s wife is a WestJet pilot, and the two flew to Prezemysl in the southeastern part of Poland in early April. There, they rented a van at their own cost and registered as drivers. He said they wanted to work with some charitable organizations, but the “red tape” was overwhelming.

“It’s quite the bureaucracy,” Garnett said.

“We made sure to do everything legally and correctly. There was a massive need. There was a huge influx of people. The transportation they had set up there at the border crossing wasn’t sufficient. It was taking people to one spot, not necessarily where they wanted to go.”

Rider stayed for two weeks, then returned to work while Garnett stayed for the rest of the month. He said he was changed by what he saw and experienced.

He said he saw people whose fingers were white from holding reusable shopping bags for 14 hours during the day while they were travelling.

The couple ended up purchasing dozens of suitcases to give away to those in need.

Garnett found most Ukrainians he met in Poland didn’t want to come to Canada.

“Coming to Canada isn’t the best option for most of these people,” he said. “They don’t want to come to Canada. They want to go back to their homes. The thought of flying halfway across the world isn’t appealing to them.”

For those who did want to come here, the couple helped with their visa applications and even with airfare if they couldn’t afford it.

While unnerving, Garnett said he understood that as independent Canadians helping Ukrainian refugees in a foreign country, they were likely being monitored.

“It’s a war zone. I think it’d be pretty naive to think there aren’t Russian eyes on us when you are in a border town, when you are dropping people off at the Ukrainian embassy. It’s a risk we’re willing to take,” he said.

The couple is expecting to leave for either Romania or Moldova from Calgary on Thursday, and they’re planning on staying for another three weeks. There, Garnett said the plan is to help doctors get to the front lines and to transport medicine and other equipment.

“There’s just a lot of people with big hearts that want to do good that are finding a way to do it over there,” he said. “That’s what we’re headed back to do.”

Garnett and his wife have also set up a GoFundMe page to help with items and expenses for Ukrainian refugees.