Chinese men's hockey team facing 500-1 odds to win Olympic medal
When the Chinese men’s hockey team hits the ice at the Beijing Olympics later this week, they’ll be facing incredibly long odds to make any sort of splash.
Ranked 32nd in the world, China is in Group A against Canada, the USA, and Germany, who carry 30 medals throughout Olympic history through them.
Official odds via coolbet.com put China 500-1 to win a medal, and 1000-1 to win the gold.
For comparison’s sake, each of the other 11 teams faces no worse than 50-1 odds to make the podium, and 25-1 odds to win it all.
Germany themselves is an example of how an underdog roster can make a surprise run in a short tournament, winning the silver medal at the 2018 Olympics.
But there’s a difference between a country like Germany, with a long history of high-end competitive hockey, and China, which has never competed higher than the second level of the men’s world championship.
The IIHF debated China’s Olympic status as recently as last December, but ultimately opted for their inclusion.
It’s not the first time a non-traditional hockey country has been lined up at the Olympics. South Korea was outscored 19-3 in its four losses in 2018. Italy faired a bit better in 2006, picking up a pair of ties (along with three losses) while being outscored 23-9 in its five games.
Team China forward Ethan Werek knows that there’s a long road ahead for his squad.
Werek is not alone in the fact that he’s not born in China: the team is comprised of 10 Canadians, 9 Chinese players,Ā 2 Americans, 1 Russian, per Elite Prospects.
Former NHLers Brandon Yip, Spencer Foo, Ryan Sproul, Jeremy Smith, and Jake Chelios round out the roster.
“We really think that we can surprise some teams here,” Werek said on an appearance on TSN 1050 radio last week. “[In the KHL], we didn’t have a very good record. But I think we’ll show a lot better in this tournament.Ā We’re excited for it to get started because some guys in this program has been playing over here for five, six years now. So it’s been a long time coming.”
China’s roster is composed entirely of the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star team, which began play in the 2016ā17 season. Some of their players have Chinese heritage, while some have earned their status on the team due to extended residency within China.
Players like Werek were recruited as part of a plan behind the team’s founding to strengthen China’s national program ahead of their first-ever berth in Olympic men’s hockey.
Kunlun Red Star, which has been based out of Russia the past two years due to COVID-19 related travel concerns, has made the playoffs just once in its six seasons. This season, they’ve won just nine of 48 games, and sit last in the league standings.
But it isn’t all longshots when it comes to hockey for the host nation at this year’s Games. The Chinese women’s hockey team has already put on a strong showing in Beijing, with wins over Japan and Denmark through their first three preliminary games.
Like the men’s side, there are ten players from China, eight Canadians, and five Americans to round out their roster. Richmond, BC native Leah Lum leads the team in scoring, with two goals and two assists through their first three games.
For Werek, he’s said he’s enjoyed his role as an ambassador while having the opportunity to compete at the Olympics.
“It’s been a really great opportunity to grow the game in China,” Werek said. “We can do something pretty, pretty special here.”