East and west collided at the Gibsons arena from Feb. 2 to 4 for the inaugural Canada-China Youth Hockey Invitational Tournament.
“Not only did we have the kids from China, but we had the opportunity to mix up our Atom and Peewee players and our house and rep players, which we normally don’t get to do,” said Brenda Rowe, president of Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey (SCMH), the organization hosting the event. “That alone was invaluable, and then you factor in 27 kids from the other end of the planet, it’s pretty amazing.”
It’s a view shared by Tang Chaolong, director of Qiqihar Sports Bureau. “The mixed team format is a good way to immerse our players in a Canadian hockey environment and experience its rich culture,” he said, adding that he looks forward to hosting Sunshine Coast players in Qiqihar.
On Friday, a dozen coaches, including two from Powell River, assessed 27 Chinese and 43 Sunshine Coast youth athletes before separating them into five teams. The tournament kicked off later that afternoon.
Brad Wingfield, tournament head coach and coordinator, said the event went better than anticipated, despite a few language barriers. Translators attended the opening and closing ceremonies and were present when teams were picked, but coaches had to get creative during the games.
“We started using iPhone apps for Mandarin translation, which takes a little bit of time,” Wingfield said. “It’s a little slow when you’re on the bench and trying to communicate with the child athletes, but it did work.”
“They were really good and I wasn’t expecting that… A lot of them had been playing hockey for quite awhile,” said 12-year-old Cameron Ross, captain of the Sunshine Coast Blues Pee Wee team.
The Chinese athletes came from Qiqihar, a city in northern China known domestically for its thriving hockey culture. Team manager Lang Bingyu also saw parity in the athletes’ abilities. “The skill levels of Chinese and Canadian players at this age group look pretty even. However, Chinese youth players tend to lag behind as they grow older, for various reasons. We have a lot to learn from Canada in sustaining players’ development. They must be doing something right.”
Despite losing all but one game, Cameron said it was a special experience. “I had lots of fun with my friends, with my Chinese friends… We played ping pong, we walked around the arena, we played pass with our sticks. It was fun.”
The visit was organized by the 2022 Group, a private winter sports consultation business headed by John Furlong, former VANOC president and CEO. “Our group is proud of sponsoring the tournament, and I’m proud of being part of this great international event,” said Vernon Hu, VP of 2022 Group.
The Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association, BC Hockey and Hockey Canada supported the event and Sunshine Coast Regional District staff assisted in rescheduling ice time to accommodate the tournament. Coast TV broadcast the finals.
“I think sometimes we forget the value of volunteerism and what it can bring to a community… This really was above and beyond. We’re just entering playoffs, which is a really busy and can be stressful time for hockey teams, but everybody put that aside to be involved in this experience,” Rowe said.
