Thurs, December 29, 2005

(c) Ottawa Sun http://ottsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Columnists/Campbell_Barre/2005/12/28/1371552.html

by BARRE CAMPBELL, OTTAWA SUN

It wasn't exactly what you'd consider one of those A-list international hockey match-ups.

But no matter, it was a thrilling moment to the kids out on one of the ice pads yesterday at the Bell Sensplex.

Oh, and their parents and coaches, too.

At one end, outfitted in white and yellow, the Sinoca Beijing Dragons, the third team from China entered in the Bell Capital Cup.

And at the other, les Aigles de Nice from France, looking sharp in their blue uniforms with gold trim.

The fans gathered on the far side of the rink, opposite of the player benches. Parents brought out their cameras to record an historic moment for the world's largest atom and peewee tournament.

It was an exhibition contest, as the event doesn't officially begin until this morning, but those who witnessed it saw the first game ever in this ever-expanding tournament involving a squad from China.

And the lads from the land of the Great Wall didn't look at all out of place.

One minute after the opening faceoff, Gao Han Yang -- wearing jersey No. 99 in honour of his hockey idol, Wayne Gretzky -- took a great cross-crease pass from teammate Song An Dong to score the first Dragons goal on North American soil.

The parents of the Beijing players erupted in cheers and one unfurled a large Chinese flag, waving it with pride and delight.

Name game

The names on the backs of the jerseys are Chinese, with a bit of English flavour.

Gao has the name Frank Gao printed on the nameplate across the back of his shoulders, and all his teammates are doing the same.

Tang Hao Chen becomes Bill Tang, Peng Tian Yao is Peter Peng, and Jiang Rui Zhe goes by Ricky Jiang.

Everybody follows this, except goalie Etienne Lambert.

Lambert, in fact, doesn't even have his name on his jersey No. 60, opting to go with "Theodore" across the top of his back -- and he wears a goalie mask with a Habs logo.

His parents are Canadian, and his mother, Annick Lambert, who wore a red-and-white Chinese national hockey jersey while watching yesterday's game, is from Gatineau.

She works at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, and her husband works for a French company in the Chinese capital.

"The kids have been so excited about this for such a long time," she said. "They were so anxious to get their visas."

The Dragons didn't know anything about the Bell Capital Cup until they learned from a competitor in northern China who had already entered the tournament with the help of the New York Islanders and owner Charles Wang, who are sponsoring the Red Stars of Harbin and the Qiquihar Snow Leopards from northeast China.

Whenever the Dragons practice or have a game, Lambert needs to fight "hellish" Beijing traffic to get her son to the rink, which is located in a mall not far from the central part of the city.

"I know parents here in Canada think it's hard, but in China it's about 11 times harder," she said. "You really have to love the game, and all of the kids really do love it."

Dragons coach Ken Jiang hopes his players carefully observe the customs and traditions of hockey in Canada and take those experiences back to China.

"We know Canada is a hockey country," said Jiang in subdued but strong English. "We will be playing against Canadian kids and learning from Canadian kids."

Jiang added it's a chance for his players to get a first-hand view of a different culture. Most are enjoying their first visit to North America.

"It's so different than Beijing," he said. "The air here is so clean, and it's very peaceful and comfortable."

While the Dragons played exhibition games at the Sensplex, their counterparts from the northern Chinese provinces were being formally welcomed at the Westin Hotel by tournament organizers and Islanders GM Mike Milbury.

The teams landed at the Newark, N.J., airport on Tuesday and stayed overnight at a hotel in Binghamton, N.Y., before traveling the rest of the way to Ottawa yesterday.

"I think they were running around the Holiday Inn in Binghamton, just like every other hockey tournament," Milbury joked at yesterday's reception.

Each player received a new set of equipment from Nike/Bauer, pre-paid phone cards to make contact with family and friends back home, and $50 spending money.

Promotes sport

"It's really to promote youth hockey in China and to promote the Islander name," said Milbury, who travelled to both cities to organize the trip to North America. "Someday, maybe long after I'm gone, we'll have a team there."

Back at the Sensplex, the Beijing squad built a 5-0 lead, but the team from Nice put on a late charge in the dying minutes, closing the gap to within one.

But "Ricky" Jiang picked up a loose puck in his zone and went end-to-end for the second time in the game to score, clinching a 6-4 win for Beijing.

The players lined up at their blue lines at the final buzzer, then shook hands -- the first and perhaps last time these players from two distant countries will ever meet.

But for one day, they shared a passion for a game as Canadian as a scarlet-coated Mountie.

And that's what this tournament is all about.

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Bell Capital Cup: http://www.oihf.net/

New York Islanders: http://www.newyorkislanders.com
 

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