Red Star set for Canada challenge

China's women embrace chance to face off against 'best of the best'

Joining the Canadian Women's Hockey League has stoked Kunlun Red Star's confidence for realizing its golden dream at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Two weeks after the CWHL announced a five-year deal to include China's national club teams starting in the 2017-18 season, more details were made public at a July 14 media conference in Beijing.

"From the very beginning, our goal has been to win the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics," said Zhao Xiaoyu, chairman of Kunlun Red Star.

"It is a national duty for us to train the team in a more competitive international environment. We want to build our hockey team into another women's volleyball team of China, which is considered the role model of sportsmanship in China.

"We officially announced two teams will play in the CWHL. They are both national club squads - the Red Team and the Golden Team. Twenty-three national team players are included in the two lineups, along with other top international-caliber players. The two teams are well-matched in strength"

Kunlun Red Star will add new players through the draft and free agency, but the rosters are expected to consist of players from China and players from North America who are of Chinese heritage, as well as non-Chinese.

Red Star will also be forming youth girls' teams this year.

"We are so excited because there is no way to accomplish our goals unless we play in the CWHL," said Robert Morgan, associate head coach of Kunlun Red Star.

"We need to be surrounded by the best. We have to compete against the best of the best to achieve our ultimate dream."

Yu Baiwei, captain of the national team, said: "We are heading to a better future. As players, we have the simplest task, which is to train hard and make us stronger before the next season of CWHL."

Earlier this month the CWHL announced a five-year deal to expand into China next season. Kunlun Red Star's home games will be played in Shenzhen.

Red Star is the sixth club in the CWHL, which also includes four teams in Canada - Calgary Inferno, Toronto Furies, Brampton Thunder and Les Canadiennes Montreal - and the US-based Boston Blades.

"We always plan to move forward, " said league commissioner Brenda Andress.

"This expansion opens North America and China to new fans. It is important that we continue to expose the game to many different fans, and this will have a significant impact on women's hockey around the world."

The CWHL's burgeoning professionalism is another plus.

"Before the Chinese team joined, the women were not paid for playing hockey," said Red Star chairman Zhao.

"Now the players are earning salaries, which can offer them more opportunities for future development. This is a historical and revolutionary change for women's hockey around the world.

"We want to cultivate the culture of hockey in China. We've seen parents send their young sons to play international hockey, and this has started a wave of patriotism among Chinese around the world.

"Now lots of parents want to send their children to play hockey as a way to serve their country."