Sredneuralsk, Russia, March 6, 2018
Photo: www.ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru He had previously offered his World Cup gold medal to the monastery as a sign of his gratitude to God, reports the site of the Ekaterinburg Diocese.
The parishioners and inhabitants of the monastery offered Pavel their sincere congratulations as the medal was shown to all those present. Photos from the memorable event were later posted on Instagram with the note “The triumph of Russian hockey and the Triumph of Orthodoxy in one day!”
Datsyuk has now won golds in all the major world hockey competitions—in addition to the Olympics: the Stanley Cup, the World Cup, and the Gagarin Cup.
The victory was achieved, he is certain, only with the help of God. After winning in the World Cup, Datsyuk stated in the 2015 film “Abode of Faith and Love,” “We had to go through a lot, but with God’s help and the prayers of Fr. Sergei, everything happened; everything worked out. I’m very glad. We all won the World Cup together.”
The famous hockey player gave his gold medal from the World Cup to the monastery. Speaking of the abode of faith and love, as the Sredneuralsk monastery is known, Datsyuk said, “For me, the most important thing is love, which I experience when I come here.”
The team captain has also stated his certainty that Russia’s revival is connected with the strengthening of the belief and spirituality of modern Russian society. In the epilogue of the film he stated, “Still, we have begun to pray only a little, and to believe in God a little. But, glory to God, He has not left us, but ‘drags’ us like children.”
