8,359 kilometres. That's the distance from Alex Grant's hometown of Antigonish, N.S., to Astana, Kazakhstan. That's where Grant is playing hockey this winter, his 15th year as a pro player.
He plays for Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League. This is his fifth season playing in the league which has 19 teams in Russia and one each in Kazakhstan, China and Belarus. "When you hear Kazakhstan you might not think of it as a hockey area but the team here has a great following," said Grant, who just turned 34. "Since I've been here the support has been nothing short of amazing." Grant started this season playing in St.
Petersburg, Russia but was traded to his new team in Kazakhstan's capital, which has a population of 1.1 million people. Before this season, he played four years with Jokerit in Helsinki.
That team withdrew from the league last April. Despite war between Russia and Ukraine, Grant said he feels safe. There are three other Canadians on the team.