They couldn't leave behind the facility they had worked so hard to purchase, which had become the family's main source of income. With Ivan not yet old enough to move away on his own, the Lodnias faced a dilemma. Still, he wasn't getting the kind of experience he needed to continue climbing the ladder. In order to help Ivan get more ice time, the family purchased and began operating an ice rink in Anaheim. Its accessibility in the early 2000s was not the same as it is today. But at the time, hockey was still a fringe sport in Southern California. "There's a lot of great coaches out there, but to have one who lives with you. Video: 2017 Development Camp: Ivan Lodnia It wasn't a surprise that Ivan fell in love with the sport from a very young age. Konstantin gave private lessons and coached to put food on the table. Having a dad who had played professionally meant the sport of hockey was in his blood. "Then, as soon it became a reality, it was probably the most special moment for our family." "From the day he was born, it was something we always joked about," Masha said. The family's journey to the National Hockey League had officially begun. Three years after arriving in Southern California, Ivan was born. "We left everything behind," Konstantin said. But as a former pro hockey player back in Ukraine, there was one set of skills that he was able to put to use to provide for his family. Konstantin didn't know much about the U.S., and he spoke very little English. With $100 to their name, the family set about making it happen. It began more than two decades ago, when his father, Konstantin, his mother, Irina and his sister, Masha, came to the United States in search of the American dream.
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