Ottawa minor hockey team heads to China for rematch with Beijing squad

An Ottawa minor hockey team is headed to China to rekindle an on-ice rivalry and off-ice friendships with some of the players from a team in Beijing.

It was back in late 2013 when the Kanata Stingers hosted the Beijing Snow Leopards at the Bell Capital Cup.

"We wanted to spend time [with] each other. When we had games they went out and cheered for us, when they had games we went and cheered for them," said Ottawa Firestorm coach Rick Eggleton, who was coach of the Stingers at the time.

"We did a potluck lunch and invited them… they invited us to lunch, to a Chinese buffet dinner that we had with them."

Eggleton said members of the two teams stayed close after the tournament, even though the Snow Leopards beat them 6-0.

Now Eggleton and a couple of his players from that Stingers team are on the Ottawa Firestorm, a team of 13 and 14 year-olds.

Recently their Chinese friends gave them an early heads-up about the 2016 CCM Beijing International Minor Hockey Tournament, which he calls the biggest youth hockey tournament ever held in Asia.

"It's always interesting to return the favour," Eggleton said Wednesday.

"It never occurred to us that we'd have the opportunity."

Cultural bridge

This trip will be the fourth time Firestorm forward Jasper Nie has visited China. The other three times, he was visiting family there.

"I'm mostly excited at the fact I get to bring all my friends to go play hockey, my favourite sport, in a place I've always liked to go to," he said.

Nie, who along with Rick's son Aiden Eggleton were on the Kanata Stingers team, said while the Firestorm "know more of [Beijing's] tricks" this time, the trip is more about strengthening Chinese and Canadian friendships.

"Hockey right now serves as a bridge between the two cultures," he said.

"Canada invented hockey, China loves playing hockey, now we get to bring those two countries together and play in a tournament."

"It's just an amazing experience that I never thought I'd have in my life so I'm excited to go… to see new culture, new people, to sight see and play some hockey with my friends," said goalie Barry Fitzgerald.

Teams from across Canada, Europe, Asia

Firestorm players, coaches and parents take off Thursday morning for Beijing after a stop in Vancouver.

After a combined 16 hours in the air, they'll land and start getting ready for the start of the tournament on Sunday at Beijing's Ice Star Ice Sports Centre.

Besides Monday's rematch with the Snow Leopards, they'll play teams from elsewhere in China, along with Taiwanese and Korean teams in the first round.

If they move on in the tournament, they could face Canadian teams from Toronto and Langley, B.C., and European teams from Germany or Belgium before returning home Aug. 9.