Players hoping to represent China at the men’s hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics next winter lost in overtime to a Russian club on Monday in a match that served as a barometer for international leaders to gauge level. competitiveness of the Chinese club.
Kunlun’s Red Star, whose red uniform is adorned with the Chinese flag on the shoulder, erased a four-goal deficit to push for extra time before falling 5-4 to Love from Khabarovsk, a Russian club of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The Red Star plays in the KHL and serves as a platform for the Chinese national team. In addition, it has a base of players who grew up in the United States and Canada and who have obtained Chinese citizenship. This club has the worst record in the KHL.
The leaders of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) attended Monday’s game, and will do so again on Wednesday, “to assess the team’s progress” – many expect the Chinese squad. be abused during the Olympic tournament.
The IIHF declined to clarify the identities of the Red Star players who are eligible for the Olympic tournament, but one of them is winger Brandon Yip, who has played 174 games in the NHL – most of them between them with the Colorado Avalanche.
KHL records indicate that 19 Red Star players have Chinese citizenship, and more could follow by the Olympics.
China have secured their Olympic tournament pass as they are the host nation, and the IIHF has already indicated that it will not attempt to remove teams from competitions.
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