Dmitri Uchaykin

Dmitri Uchaykin
Born	(1980-06-10)June 10, 1980 Khabarovsk, Soviet Union
Died	Kazakhstan
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position	Forward
Shot	Left
Played for	Amur Khabarovsk HC Yugra Gazovik Tyumen Ermak Angarsk Yertis Pavlodar
Playing career	1998–2013

Dmitri Uchaykin (Russian: Дмитрий Викторович Учайкин) (June 10, 1980 – March 31, 2013) was a Russian ice hockey left-winger.

Uchaykin was born in Khabarovsk, Soviet Union.

Hockey career

From 1998 until 2009, Uchaykin played for his hometown team Amur Khabarovsk. Afterwards, Uchaykin played briefly for HC Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk), Rubin Tyumen (then "Gazovik"), and Ermak Angarsk.

Uchaykin last played for Yertis Pavlodar of the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, since 2010.

Death

On March 27, 2013 Uchaykin was on the ice for Yertis Pavlodar against Arystan Temirtau in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship playoffs, when he sustained a high hit from Arystan's Donatas Kumeliauskas. Soon he was taken to the hospital, where he died of cerebral hemorrhage at 4 am on March 31.

He was survived by his wife Anna, who was pregnant at the time of his death, and daughter Polina.

A memorial service for Uchaykin was held in Pavlodar on April 2. Uchaykin was buried in his hometown Khabarovsk on April 4.

Reactions

The director of Yertis Pavlodar stated to the media that Kumeliauskas's fatal hit on Uchaykin was legal. Kumeliauskas himself also denied violating the rules. No disciplinary action was taken against him by the league; nevertheless, Arystan chose to keep Kumeliauskas on the bench during the next game of the series on April 1.

The club announced that Uchaykin's #17 will be permanently retired, and that it has paid Uchaykin's widow his remaining contract salary at the time of his death.

External links

• Dmitri Uchaykin's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database