Once, there was an enforcer from Latvia in the National Hockey League: Raitis Ivanāns! The policeman has an unofficial role in hockey; his task is to deter and react skillfully to dirty or aggressive opposition play on the field. Ivanan went to North America in 1997 and joined the Flint "Generals.". Raitis started his career as a defender, but while playing in North America, he retrained as a forward. Raitis Ivanāns initially played in the lower leagues and became a hockey policeman. In 2004, as part of the Milwaukee "Admirals," he became the first Latvian hockey player to win the AHL championship title of the second-strongest North American hockey league, the Calder Cup. In 2005, he made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens, accumulating 9 penalty minutes in 4 games. In the second game against the Ottawa Senators, Raitis got into a fight with Zdeno Chara and suffered a fractured cheekbone. In the summer of 2006, he signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings. Ivanans scored his first goal in the NHL on October 12, 2006, against Marty Turco from the Dallas "Stars.". In the summer of 2010, Raitis signed a two-year contract with the Calgary "Flames" as a free agent and made his debut with this team in the fall of 2010 in the opening game of the season against the Edmonton "Oilers.". In May 2012, Ivanāns signed a two-year contract with the Kontinental Hockey League team "Dinamo" Riga. In September 2014, Ivanāns ended his hockey career. After his professional hockey career, Raitis Ivanāns turned to the work of a children's and youth coach.
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