Ice hockey potential in China appeals to world's best

The Hall of Famer ice hockey player Steve Shutt of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League instructs junior players during a training session at Beijing's Champion Rink on Monday.[Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

The surging popularity of ice hockey in China has intrigued some of the world's all-time greats in the Western-dominated sport to pass on their knowhow across the Pacific.

When Steve Shutt of the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League led the franchise to the best regular season record in league history in 1977, some parents of the Chinese juniors he coached during his weeklong trips to Beijing were not even born, not to mention awareness of the game in the world's most populous country then.

Now the Hall of Fame left winger has plenty of young enthusiasts to train at a series of clinics during his tour to the Chinese capital together with three other legends of the Canadiens organization, Gaston Gingras, Patrice Brisebois and Mathieu Dandenault.

The game's emerging status as a new trend among Chinese youth from an obscure presence in the world hockey community has impressed Shutt and his fellow countrymen.

"We've been really impressed by the skill level of some of the players and the enthusiasm. We can see as soon as we get on the ice with the kids they had good coaching. It's been very surprising for us," said Shutt, who was a key member of the Canadiens that only lost eight games during the 80-game 1976-77 regular season.

Organized by the Canadiens Alumni China Project and the CTC Group, the four retired stars, who won a combined 10 Stanley Cups between the 1970s and 2010s, hosted two clinics for players under 6 and 10 at eastern Beijing's Champion Rink on Monday and Tuesday.

Their trip also included two more training sessions for children under 8 and 10 at a north Beijing rink on Thursday and Friday as well as visits to local schools, the Pond Hockey tournament and the Canadian Embassy for promotional events.

At the Champion Rink, the Canadiens oversaw each of the 24 junior players hone their skating, passing and shooting skills during the 130-minute session, and made sure that they learned the most important lesson in hockey – to have fun.

"What we are trying to do now with the young kids, we want to make sure they have fun. If these players grow on the ice and they have fun don't worry about the talent level (in the future)," said Shutt, a key member of the Canadiens team that won five Stanley Cups from 1973 to 1979.

Gingras, a member of the Stanley Cup-winning team in the 1985-86 season, echoed his senior compatriot, saying that engaging children with fun plays on ice is crucial at the beginning.