Reigniting a passion for pucks

Inspired by Beijing 2022, veteran hockey players chasing their dreams on the ice again

When their ice hockey club was disbanded over four decades ago, no one in the current Team 1979 could have believed they would be lacing up their skates again in retirement age. But thanks to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the veterans are back on the ice.

Although not as quick and competitive as they once were, their enthusiasm for the sport remains the same－and now they are determined to pass on that spirit to the next generation.

"We call our team 1979 because our original team was disbanded that year. Through our story, we want people to know that Beijing has a history of developing ice hockey," team captain Mei Chunhui told reporters.

"We are the same group of players－just with more wrinkles!"

The team's origins date back to the 1970s, when Shichahai Sports School formed an ice hockey squad, selecting players from more than 200 candidates. Back then, indoor training venues were unimaginable for most of the players, so instead they practiced on frozen lakes during winter, and on roller skates during summer.

Success, though, proved elusive at national level, and after funds and interest from the public dried up, the team was disbanded in 1979.

The players, mostly 17 or 18 years old at the time, went off to pursue new lives and quit ice hockey.

"I still remember that time. We had classes in the morning and we headed out for training after school. We would eagerly await for winter to arrive, so we could actually play ice hockey on the frozen lake," recalled team member Huang Yijun.