Ryan Whitney is an American ice hockey player who plays as a defender. Spent ten seasons in the NHL. Then he moved to the KHL, where he played for the Sochi club. He gained scandalous fame in Russia after an interview in which he compared Russian women with "three-eyed monsters, as after the Chernobyl explosion."
Biography: early years
Ryan Whitney was born on February 19, 1983 in the capital of the American state of Massachusetts - Boston. As a child, he became interested in hockey, and his parents assigned him to the prestigious private sports academy Thayer Academy. She was in the city of Braintree, 20 km from Boston.
Ryan graduated from the academy in 1998. He was only 15 years old. Even then, coaches saw potential in Whitney, so they put him in links with experienced players. At the time, Whitney often paired up with Brooks Orpick, a future two-time Stanley Cup winner. He was three years older than Ryan. Despite the age difference, the future teammates interacted well on the ice. At the time, the academy team was coached by Jack Foley. Subsequently, it will be he who will invite Whitney to the Pittsburgh Penguins when he takes over at the helm of this club.
In 1999 Ryan entered Boston University to pursue higher education. There he started playing for his hockey team. In the first season, Ryan took to the ice in 21 games with 35 points. Thanks to this, Whitney was named the team's best rookie. Two years later, Ryan was remembered by his former coach Jack Foley, who by that time had already coached the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the game of the young hockey player was pleasant not only to him. Whitney was bombarded with great deals from other clubs.
Career
In the 2002 NHL Draft, Whitney was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan started playing in the main team only in 2005. In his debut season, he was able to score 38 points in 68 games. For an NHL rookie playing as a defender, the numbers are pretty good. He scored his first goal against the New York Rangers. In the first season, Ryan chalked up 6 goals and 32 assists.
In the next season, Whitney improved his performance. He scored 14 goals and made 45 assists. These statistics allowed him to become the most productive defender in the NHL in the 2007/2008 season. However, in general, for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the season can hardly be called successful. The club lost the Stanley Cup to the Detroit Red Wings.
Whitney played for the Penguins for four seasons. At the end of 2008, he suffered a severe injury to the ankle joint of his left leg. Despite qualified treatment, the injury became chronic and periodically made itself felt. Whitney was forced to interrupt the training process, which affected his game. Despite this, he decided to pursue a career as a hockey player. Here are just the leadership of the "penguins" hastened to get rid of the problem player. Ryan's contract was not renewed.
Whitney spent 10 seasons in the NHL. After the Penguins, he played in three more clubs:
- Anaheim Ducks;
- Edmonton Oilers;
- Florida Panthers.
In 2009, Whitney became an Anaheim Ducks player. He was immediately included in the starting lineup. The season turned out to be very successful for the "ducks". They made it to the playoffs, although they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the final.
As part of the Anaheim Ducks, he was delayed for two seasons. Already in 2010, he changed his residence to Canada, becoming a player for the Edmonton Oilers. Whitney played for this club for four seasons. Even then, his career began to decline. At this club, Ryan had a sad statistic:
- 09/10 season: 19 games, 3 goals, 8 assists;
- 10/11: 35 games, 2 goals, 25 assists
- 11/12: 51 games, 3 goals, 18 assists
- 12/13: 34 games, 4 goals, 9 assists.
In 2010, Ryan competed in the Vancouver Olympics with the national team. Then the Americans became silver medalists. Ryan did not excel at the Olympics: he played in 6 matches, but did not score a single goal and did not make a single assist.
In 2013 Ryan returns to the States and joins the Florida Panthers. However, he did not stay in it for a long time. The very next season, he left the NHL. From the words of the hockey player himself, he then realized that with his old injury there was no place in the North American League. However, Ryan did not want to end his career. He decided to try himself in the less powerful KHL.
In 2014, Whitney became a player in the Russian club Sochi. Defending his colors, he was unable to show anything impressive on the ice. During the season, he played 42 games, scored 6 goals and gave 13 assists.
The next season Ryan moved to the Swedish club "MODO".
Scandal
In 2016, Ryan shared his impressions of life in Russia in a column for the popular North American hockey site The Players Tribune. So, the American first of all noted that in Sochi he had no one to speak English with. Then he “walked” through Russian cuisine and medicine. However, the greatest resonance in Russian society was made by Whitney's statement about local women. The hockey player noted that the Russians are either gorgeous or full of dirty tricks, there is no middle ground: "they are either Anna Kournikova, or a three-eyed monster, like after the Chernobyl explosion."
The last phrase was circulated by the media, which angered the Russian public. Famous sports commentators, presenters and journalists hurried to answer the American. They all came to the conclusion that Ryan was a “downed pilot” who could not leave vivid memories of himself in the KHL, and therefore decided to take revenge by giving a scandalous interview.
Personal life
At the moment, Ryan Whitney has not been officially married, has no children. In his words, it is too early for him to marry. Judging by the personal page on the popular social network, the hockey player is actively looking for a companion.
