▲Chinese and Canadian players are fiercely fighting in the game.
On the evening of February 13, the Chinese men's ice hockey team welcomed the last opponent in the group at the National Stadium, the world's number one Canadian team. The Chinese team did not give up after conceding three goals in the opening half, and finally lost to the opponent 0-5, and the group stage was inked in three games, ranking at the bottom.
Canada has won nine Olympic gold medals in its history, ranking first among all teams. However, at the last Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, due to the absence of NHL (North American Hockey Professional League) players, the team's strength was greatly reduced, and eventually won the bronze medal, missing out on the three consecutive championships. In the two group games that have ended, the team first defeated Germany 5-1, and then lost to the United States 2-4.
The Chinese men's ice team, ranked 32nd in the world, made its debut in the Winter Olympics since the Chinese Ice Hockey Association joined the International Ice Federation in 1963. However, the boys who held the host's "wild card" to compete did well, facing the strong American team in the first game, they dared to fight, only 0-1 in the first quarter, and in the second game, they chased two goals in a row in the case of 0-3, almost forcing the draw with the last runner-up Germany in the conventional time.
In this game, the Chinese team replaced the main goalkeeper Smith and used the 21-year-old young goalkeeper Oban Wynn. The hosts of the previous two games who wore white uniforms also changed into bright "Chinese red" team uniforms. Facing a formidable opponent, the Chinese team fell into passivity at the beginning, conceding a goal in only 2 minutes and 09 seconds, and was scored by Canadian striker Johnson in front of the goal to seize the defensive space. At 6:14 and 10:06, Canada scored two more goals. The Chinese team trailed 0-3 in the first quarter, with little threat of attack.
However, the Chinese team, which was three goals behind, did not give up. In the second quarter, the team's performance in the front court was stronger than in the first quarter, and even at one point it was equal to the gestures. The audience also enthusiastically cheered on the home team, applauding the team for every successful defense and threatening attack. Both sides failed to score for a longer period of time in the quarter. With only 1 minute and 57 seconds left in the game, Johnson scored twice, rewriting the point difference to four goals. In the whole quarter, the effective number of shots from the Chinese team was only 10-12 behind.
In the final quarter, the Chinese team's offensive firepower was sharply reduced, and most of the time it was tired of defending, losing another point in 6 minutes and 23 seconds in the quarter, and finally lost 0-5. According to the format, the 12 men's ice hockey teams participating in the Winter Olympics are divided into three groups, each group plays a single round robin first, and the three teams that win the first place and the second place with the best results directly advance to the quarterfinals. The other 8 teams will be cross-knockout based on the results of the group stage, resulting in the remaining 4 places in the quarterfinals. On February 15, the Chinese team will appear again in the promotion match.
Captain China's Winter Olympic wish
Ye Jinguang, who will turn 37 in April 2022, is the oldest athlete in the Chinese delegation. At the end of his career, the Canadian-born Chinese hockey player returned to China to become the captain of the Chinese men's ice hockey team and appeared at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Ye Jinguang completed 174 games in five seasons in the NHL (North American Professional Ice Hockey League) and scored 56 points. After leaving the NHL and playing in the German league for three seasons, in the 2017-2018 season, Ye Jinguang joined Kunlun Hongxing, China's first professional hockey club, and began to compete in the KHL (Mainland Hockey League) second only to the NHL. In his second season, he was elected captain. During his time in the team, he was not only an important firepower point for the team's attack, but also the spiritual leader of the whole team. With a stable and excellent performance, Ye Jinguang was selected for the Beijing Winter Olympics squad and wore the Chinese team's shirt printed with the letter "C (Captain)".
It is true that as a new army in the Winter Olympic Games, in the face of european and American giants, the performance prospects of Chinese men's ice are not optimistic. Ye Jinguang always inspires his teammates: we must make 100% efforts to prove to the world that we have come.
While doing his best to perform well, Captain Ye also has a bigger vision. "I think hockey belongs to everyone and I would like to see more kids watch our game and become interested in ice hockey and join the sport." "In 20 years, if I turn on the TV and see a Chinese player on the top stage in the world, when someone asks him why he plays hockey, he will say, because in 2022, I personally witnessed the Chinese team playing in the Winter Olympics."" he said. I think that's the success of our generation. ”
▲ Ye Jinguang in the game.
Photo by Fang Fei, reporter of the Winter Olympics
For more information, stay tuned to the Winter Olympics.
Source Client The Winter Olympics | Reporter Wang smiled
Editor: Han Ye
Process Editor Tai Shaofeng