Chinese National Men's Hockey Team

Canada defeated China for the second time in 48 hours, following a 5-0 win Sunday night with a 7-2 win tonight. The result puts Canada in the quarter-finals where they will play Sweden tomorrow. The loss eliminates the Chinese from men’s hockey at the Olympics.

Third generation Team Canada forward Adam Tambellini was the star of the show for the winners, scoring twice and adding two assists. Goalie Matt Tomkins was rock solid and almost certainly has earned the start against Tre Kronor.

Despite the win Canada looked disorganized at times, no more so than in the first few minutes of the game. Goalie Matt Tomkins was sensational, keeping Canada in the game on several occasions. An early breakdown allowed Taile Wang (Tyler Wong) to break in on the goalie, but Tomkins made a great save. Soon after, it was Jaing Fu (Spencer Foo) who had a clear chance, and this resulted in a delayed penalty shot. The Chinese had possession for nearly 90 seconds before Canada touched the puck, and Fu tried to beat Tomkins five-hole with the freebie but was stopped again.

Three great saves finally ignited Canada, which started to penetrate the Chinese end more effectively. But at the other end it was Jieruimi Shimisi (Jeremy Smith) who matched Tomkins, stoning Mat Robinson from in close and then captain Eric Staal. Canada finally got the opening goal at 6:57 on the power play. A series of wild shots and bouncing pucks finished when Jordan Weal smacked a loose puck in to make it 1-0.

Three minutes later, Canada doubled its lead on a two-man advantage. Weal finished the play again, with a bit of luck. Staal fired a cross-crease pass to Weal, and his quick shot bounced off defender Jie Liu (Jason Fram) and in. Canada continued with a one-man advantage, but the best scoring chance was had by China on yet another giveaway. The Chinese went in on a two-on-one but An Jian (Cory Kane) was stoned by Tomkins.

China finally scored a well-deserved goal at 15:32 off a giveaway by Owen Power deep in his end. Trying to corral a loose puck with one hand on his stick, he was checked by Ruike Wei (Ethan Werek), who got the puck to Jian. Jian made a quick move and roofed a backhand for the goal. Soon after, on another power play, Jiang Fu had a glorious chance to tie the game, but Tomkins was that little bit better with his blocker.

In the dying seconds of the period Smith injured his knee and was forced to leave the game. Yongli Ouban (Paris O’Brien) was forced to start the second and was challenged almost immediately, and Canada made it a 3-1 game at 6:36 with another power-play score. This was as lucky a goal as you can get. Tambellini was set up for the one-timer, but he fanned on the shot, which was then tipped by Jieke Kailiaosi (Jake Chelios) and into his own goal.

Two minutes later, Tambellini burst through the middle and drew another penalty shot, and he scored with his bonus chance with a quick snap shot to the far side.

Canada made it 5-1 at 12:05. Eric O’Dell won the faceoff in the China end and went to the net where he tipped in Jason Demers’s point shot. Canada was coasting along, playing better and controlling play, but the rhythm of the game changed again late when Morgan Ellis took a five-minute elbowing major.

Ellis was playing his first game, replacing Alex Grant on the blue line, and the penalty cost his team during a subsequent five-on-three. Jian got his second of the game when he batted in a rebound out of the air after Tomkins made the initial save. It was the first goal the Canadians have surrendered all tournament while short-handed. The goal came at 19:00 and China still had two minutes left on the major to start the third.

Canada played a solid period of defence in the final 20 minutes, not allowing odd-man rushes or good scoring chances and playing with greater discipline. Staal scored his first goal of the Olympics at 15:55 when his long shot bounced off the leg of Aoxibofu Dannisi and in.

The resut was a win and the final place in the quarter-finals where they will have another game with simple implications–win and play in the semi-finals, or go home.

China goalkeeper Jieruimi Shimisi (Jeremy Smith) waves to fans as the team leaves the ice after a preliminary round men’s hockey game against Germany at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

By CANDICE CHOI. Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — They made their Olympic debut as expected — with three straight losses. They are outmatched and consist mostly of foreign players. And now comes the obvious question: Can China’s men’s ice hockey team kindle a passion for the sport in a country unfamiliar with it?

The squad’s first outing against the U.S. wasn’t shown on the country’s main sports TV channel, and a Chinese Olympic delegation left the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing before the 8-0 blowout ended. On Chinese social media, chatter has been muted. “Is this a Chinese team?” asked one user on Weibo, referencing the roster drawn heavily from North America.

Goals scored against Germany in a 3-2 loss earned some praise online. Then the team was shut out 5-0 by Canada, which it faces again in the knockout round Tuesday.

“Most Chinese don’t pay attention to it, because the chance for them to win a medal is almost zero,” said Xu Guoqi, a professor of history at the University of Hong Kong who has written about China’s past Olympic aspirations.

Despite the lack of Olympic mania for the team that has greeted stars like freestyle skier Eileen Gu, sports historians say not to discount ice hockey’s long-term prospects in China, where a growing middle class is fueling interest in fitness and new ice rinks have popped up as a part of a government pledge to popularize winter sports.

And though some find it jarring to see China’s team full of foreigners, experts note that importing mercenaries to help boost a sport in a country isn’t that unusual around the globe.

China’s recruitment of overseas players who might have Chinese ancestry started after the country won its bid to host this month’s games, which automatically qualified it to compete despite not having a professional hockey league.

More than half the team’s 25 players were born in or grew up in North America, including some with no ties to China. They’re listed with Chinese-sounding versions of their names; U.S.-born goaltender Jeremy Smith, for example, is “Jieruimi Shimisi.”

Even with its hired guns and the NHL’s decision not to send players to the Olympics in the pandemic, China considered pulling its team just months before the Games to avoid potential humiliation in front of the world. When asked what success for the team would look like, a Chinese hockey executive was realistic: “Score one goal and better performance. Not a disaster.”

For players, moving to China to naturalize was a chance to compete on the Olympic stage and leave an imprint on ice hockey in another way – being a part of its development in the country. Team captain Brandon Yip, a Chinese Canadian who played in the NHL, thinks that’s already happening based on the messages he’s getting from local fans.

“All the DMs we get on Instagram and Weibo and WeChat — the support has been tremendous,” said Yip, who has three grandparents who were born in China.

This month’s Winter Games also come as sports culture in China has been growing.

After decades of economic growth, sports have become a way for China to diversify and continue growing its economy, said Mark Dreyer, author of “Sporting Superpower: An Insider’s View on China’s Quest to Be the Best.” He also noted the wave of interest in sports among China’s vast middle class, who increasingly see it as beneficial for their children, beyond focusing on just academics.

Helping fuel interest could be the huge number of Chinese students returning home after studying abroad in places including the U.S. and Canada. In a country of 1.4 billion people, getting even a small fraction of the population into the game could have a big impact.

“China’s single biggest advantage is numbers,” Dreyer said.

Still, ice hockey has a long way to go in China, and the sport’s future in the country is far from guaranteed.

Host nations try to put their best foot forward to have a good showing across competitions, but it’s rare for countries to sustain success afterward, said Chad Carlson, a professor of sports history and culture at Hope College in Michigan.

China’s interest in developing ice hockey could also be derailed if it doesn’t see results quickly. Compared with some relatively niche sports with a limited number of elite athletes, ice hockey is a lot harder to break into given the entrenched culture and talent pipelines in the sport’s powerhouse nations.

Unlike soccer and basketball, ice hockey also has a high barrier for entry since it requires access to ice rinks, coaches and equipment.

China’s performance at the Olympics will do doubt be a factor in how quickly interest in the sport could grow — and when the country will qualify for an Olympics without automatically qualifying as the host. That’s not dependent on just wins and losses.

“If they endear themselves to the population, then we could see some growth in the sport,” Carlson said.

In the game against Germany, a limited number of local fans allowed in the arena erupted in cheers when the team scored its two goals. Afterward, players said they heard the chants and that the goals showed China could compete.

“This,” Yip said, “is just the beginning.”

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AP journalists Stephen Whyno and Kelvin Chan contributed to this report. New York-based Associated Press health and science journalist Candice Choi is on assignment at the Beijing Olympics.