Diplomatic game of hockey

UBC defenseman Jason Yee played in an exhibition game in September 2012. Rich Lam / For China Daily

During the trip, delegation members accepted interviews from Chinese and Canadian journalists, and the tour was filmed for a documentary.

"Not surprisingly, most of the questions were about Canada, and hockey in particular, such as how often did we practice, how often did we play games, and what were our ice hockey facilities like," he said.

"Usually the next question was how do we like China, and my response was that the people were very, very friendly, but shy."

The fans kept chanting, "Friendship first, competition second", and that soon became the theme song for our trip, he said.

As for the most impressive day during the trip, Hindmarch said the visit to Changchun stood out in particular.

"We conducted a practice with both teams, which fans were allowed to watch, and then they emptied the arena and then filled it up again for our game," he said.

But more fans showed up to watch the game than the arena could hold. The Canadians were asked to play a second game, and the Chinese officials emptied the arena and filled it back up again, he said.

"I bet we played before about 60,000 fans that day, surely a record in the annals of hockey history," he said.

"Additionally, while we were in Changchun, our Chinese hosts took us on a shopping expedition to a large department store, but again so many people wanted to see us and get close to us that once news got out we were in the building it soon became so jam-packed that we could not move," he said.

The team had to be brought back after the store closed so that they could shop without interruption, said.

"Sport is one of the best ways to meet people of other nationalities, and to break down barriers between countries. People love sport. They love to touch it and be a part of it," he said.

Sports are universal because athletes all play by the same rules, he said.

"We were extremely proud that UBC Thunderbird athletics played a part in that, and in fact, UBC has since become the most active university in Canada with regard to international sporting exchanges," he said.

"Today, sports still play the same role between two countries with different culture, and I really do not think that will ever change."

His latest tour to China was five years ago, and China's rapid growth and development left an impression on him, he said.

"Your country is to be much commended for its total development, upgrading of wealth, and buildup of infrastructure, such as modern architecture, high-speed trains and the like," he said.

In the past, most of the hockey players in China came from the north, but over the years, this has changed as the sport has spread to more regions, he said.

"This has deepened the talent pool, which increases overall abilities, and Chinese hockey has come a long way over the years since," Hindmarch said.

"Chinese sport, as the world saw during the Beijing Olympics, has made incredible strides, due to better facilities, training of athletes and coaching."

chenjia@chinadailyusa.com