Pucksters back in the big time

Long and winding road

As one of the first Asian countries to develop women's hockey, China had enjoyed consistent success in the 1990s, highlighted by three fourth-place finishes at the 1994 and 1997 top-tier worlds, as well as at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

The shrinking talent pool in the State-run sports system and a lack of facilities, however, began to take a toll on the women's national program, resulting in a slump on the international stage beginning in the late 2000s.

To improve in time for the home Winter Olympics, China's winter sports governing body, supported by professional club Kunlun Red Star, approved a naturalization policy in 2017 to incorporate North American-born players with Chinese heritage into the national program, eventually building two teams — on both the men's and women's sides — heavily reliant on overseas reinforcements for Beijing 2022.

Seven out of the total 22 players on Team China's roster in Shenzhen were born in Canada or the United States and developed their early careers in the North American system, including Lin and star goaltender Chen Tiya.

After doing the country proud with a brave fight to finish ninth at the home Olympics last year, Team China's back-to-back promotions have drawn increasing attention to the sport, which is gaining popularity at the junior level in major cities. Ice hockey is even flourishing in warmer southern cities such as Shenzhen, which was once considered a wilderness in terms of winter sports.

The city's commitment to developing facilities and promoting the sport landed it the rights to host the I-A worlds for three editions in a row, from 2023-25.

"We had a long discussion with the high sport authorities (in China), and they really want to continue and push further the development of ice hockey. It's really good for women's hockey globally," Luc Tardif, IIHF president, said during the Shenzhen tournament.

"When the Chinese people jump in the sport, they don't go halfway. We want to be by their side to participate in this development."