Druzbha-78 | |
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City | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
Founded | 1988 |
Colors | Light Blue, Navy, Yellow, Red |
Druzbha-78 ( Ukrainian: Дружба-78; English: Friendship-78) was an U-18 ice hockey team based in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
In January 2012, the coach and owner of the team, Ivan Pravilov was accused of fondling a 14-year-old Ukrainian player whom he had invited to his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was arrested, and placed in a Federal Detention Center. Days later he was found to be unresponsive at around 3:00 am; by 3:45, he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Evidence suggested that he had committed suicide by hanging in his jail cell. [1] This was confirmed by the city medical examiner's office on 23 February 2012. [2]
A former student of Druzhba-78 had claimed in January 2012 that Pravilov had physically and sexually abused members of Druzhba-78. [3]