61-year-old Zhou Yunjie stepped on an ice slit and stood in front of the goal with a focused expression, waiting to end the shooting attack of his old teammates in the sports school. Time suddenly returned to forty years ago. In the cold wind of Beijing Shichahai open-air ice rink, the young "Jiezi" wore simple protective gear and welcomed hundreds of ice hockey hits - he had to firmly guard the door behind him.
In January 2022, the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team was divided into two teams, and the black team goalkeeper was Zhou Yunjie. Photo by Sun Linjing, reporter of Beijing News
This is a dream-fulfilling confrontation in his sixties. Since the sudden disbandment of the sports school ice hockey class in 1979, Zhou Yunjie and his teammates’ dream of joining the professional team was dashed, and the track of life was forced to turn to a different direction. After leaving the ice rink for decades, when he got together again, Zhou Yunjie had become a businessman who "opened the door" for ice hockey.
In 2017, Zhou Yunjie introduced the world's top ice hockey event NHL to China. He built an ice rink, formed a professional ice hockey club, and opened a college ice hockey league, constantly integrating the ice and snow industry into his business territory. Today, many children from four age groups, U6 to U12, are undergoing professional training in his hockey club.
"My goal is to be our own Chinese local players. It is very important for me to be able to stand on the Winter Olympics arena." Now, with five players who have played in his ice hockey club appearing in the Beijing Winter Olympics arena, the "important thing" that Zhou Yunjie was looking forward to has finally begun to fall into reality.
Ice Hockey Goalkeeper
In January 2022, at Beijing Aozhong Ice Rink, 61-year-old Zhou Yunjie was wearing the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team uniform, looking through the glass window on the second floor, watching the children's training on the ice rink.
They are young players of Origin Hockey Club . Under the guidance of two Russian coaches, they practice skating, turning, and hitting. A "fully armed" little goalkeeper is practicing defense. The scene in front of
pulls Zhou Yunjie's thoughts back to forty years ago. In the winter of 1972, at the Shichahai open-air ice rink, he and his classmates from the sports school's ice hockey class were also busy practicing emergency stops, batting, and defense. After the short ice age in Beijing passed, they could only conduct land training in the swimming pool and football field where they drained the water.
In October 1974, while the Shichahai Sports School ice hockey class was training at the Capital Gymnasium ice rink, the team members took a group photo. Photo provided by the interviewee
Zhou Yunjie at that time was 11 years old, tall and thin, with good flexibility and good flexibility and quality. He was designated as a goalkeeper by the coach. Teammates all remember that "Jiezi" Zhou Yunjie was the one who "beaten the most" in the team: a team of more than 20 people was divided into two groups, one shot one by one, and he was "beated" seven or eight hundred times every day.
The training conditions of the sports school were difficult at that time, so I had to make the clubs by myself, and skates and protective gear had to be replaced by my seniors. The galloping ice hockey knocked out swollen bags on Zhou Yunjie's chest, thighs, and arms, and eventually turned into an indelible fibrous lump that could not be eliminated, leaving it under the skin forever.
Like Zhou Yunjie, a group of teenagers from primary and secondary schools in Beijing were selected and formed a youth amateur ice hockey team. They teach at school in the morning and go to the sports school for training after school in the afternoon. Playing games and joining professional teams is what many players look forward to most.
To this day, Zhou Yunjie still clearly remembers the scene of participating in the National Youth Hockey League with the team in 1979. At that time, this amateur ice hockey team from Beijing ushered in a glorious moment - facing the powerful teams from the Northeast, they achieved sixth place without having a home court advantage.
But the news of disbanding came unexpectedly. The players who returned to Beijing after this competition received a notice of the dissolution of the ice hockey class.
Ice Hockey Dream can no longer continue, and they turn to another life arena that has nothing to do with ice hockey. Like most classmates, Zhou Yunjie later embarked on the road to taking the college entrance examination, quit his job and going into business. With a little disappointment, he deliberately hid this teenage ice hockey past. Zhou Yunjie never touched ice hockey again for more than 30 years since then.
To a certain extent, this "flash-of-the-pan" amateur ice hockey team is also a slice of the memory of the Chinese ice hockey era.
61-year-old Zhou Yunjie stepped on an ice slit and stood in front of the goal with a focused expression, waiting to end the shooting attack of his old teammates in the sports school. Time suddenly returned to forty years ago. In the cold wind of Beijing Shichahai open-air ice rink, the young "Jiezi" wore simple protective gear and welcomed hundreds of ice hockey hits - he had to firmly guard the door behind him.
In January 2022, the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team was divided into two teams, and the black team goalkeeper was Zhou Yunjie. Photo by Sun Linjing, reporter of Beijing News
This is a dream-fulfilling confrontation in his sixties. Since the sudden disbandment of the sports school ice hockey class in 1979, Zhou Yunjie and his teammates’ dream of joining the professional team was dashed, and the track of life was forced to turn to a different direction. After leaving the ice rink for decades, when he got together again, Zhou Yunjie had become a businessman who "opened the door" for ice hockey.
In 2017, Zhou Yunjie introduced the world's top ice hockey event NHL to China. He built an ice rink, formed a professional ice hockey club, and opened a college ice hockey league, constantly integrating the ice and snow industry into his business territory. Today, many children from four age groups, U6 to U12, are undergoing professional training in his hockey club.
"My goal is to be our own Chinese local players. It is very important for me to be able to stand on the Winter Olympics arena." Now, with five players who have played in his ice hockey club appearing in the Beijing Winter Olympics arena, the "important thing" that Zhou Yunjie was looking forward to has finally begun to fall into reality.
Ice Hockey Goalkeeper
In January 2022, at Beijing Aozhong Ice Rink, 61-year-old Zhou Yunjie was wearing the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team uniform, looking through the glass window on the second floor, watching the children's training on the ice rink.
They are young players of Origin Hockey Club . Under the guidance of two Russian coaches, they practice skating, turning, and hitting. A "fully armed" little goalkeeper is practicing defense. The scene in front of
pulls Zhou Yunjie's thoughts back to forty years ago. In the winter of 1972, at the Shichahai open-air ice rink, he and his classmates from the sports school's ice hockey class were also busy practicing emergency stops, batting, and defense. After the short ice age in Beijing passed, they could only conduct land training in the swimming pool and football field where they drained the water.
In October 1974, while the Shichahai Sports School ice hockey class was training at the Capital Gymnasium ice rink, the team members took a group photo. Photo provided by the interviewee
Zhou Yunjie at that time was 11 years old, tall and thin, with good flexibility and good flexibility and quality. He was designated as a goalkeeper by the coach. Teammates all remember that "Jiezi" Zhou Yunjie was the one who "beaten the most" in the team: a team of more than 20 people was divided into two groups, one shot one by one, and he was "beated" seven or eight hundred times every day.
The training conditions of the sports school were difficult at that time, so I had to make the clubs by myself, and skates and protective gear had to be replaced by my seniors. The galloping ice hockey knocked out swollen bags on Zhou Yunjie's chest, thighs, and arms, and eventually turned into an indelible fibrous lump that could not be eliminated, leaving it under the skin forever.
Like Zhou Yunjie, a group of teenagers from primary and secondary schools in Beijing were selected and formed a youth amateur ice hockey team. They teach at school in the morning and go to the sports school for training after school in the afternoon. Playing games and joining professional teams is what many players look forward to most.
To this day, Zhou Yunjie still clearly remembers the scene of participating in the National Youth Hockey League with the team in 1979. At that time, this amateur ice hockey team from Beijing ushered in a glorious moment - facing the powerful teams from the Northeast, they achieved sixth place without having a home court advantage.
But the news of disbanding came unexpectedly. The players who returned to Beijing after this competition received a notice of the dissolution of the ice hockey class.
Ice Hockey Dream can no longer continue, and they turn to another life arena that has nothing to do with ice hockey. Like most classmates, Zhou Yunjie later embarked on the road to taking the college entrance examination, quit his job and going into business. With a little disappointment, he deliberately hid this teenage ice hockey past. Zhou Yunjie never touched ice hockey again for more than 30 years since then.
To a certain extent, this "flash-of-the-pan" amateur ice hockey team is also a slice of the memory of the Chinese ice hockey era.Zhou Yunjie and the students in the ice hockey class used "it was once very brilliant" to describe Chinese ice hockey in their youth.
1981, the World Hockey Group C Championship was held in Beijing Capital Stadium . The Chinese team defeated strong enemies in succession and upgraded to Group B. The world ranking of the Chinese men's ice hockey team also reached the 15th highest point in history. However, in the subsequent 1982, the Chinese team did not retain its position in Group B.
After a brief glory, Chinese ice hockey experiences a long period of loneliness.
realizes dream in another way
In 2013, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Zhou Yunjie, who was on a business trip, accidentally watched an NHL (North American Professional Hockey League) game. The atmosphere and enthusiasm on the scene ignited his long-hidden ice hockey complex. He thought, "Why not bring the NHL to China?"
In Zhou Yunjie's view, as the highest-level professional ice hockey game in the world, the NHL shoulders the responsibility of promoting ice hockey, and introduces it into China, "it can give more people the opportunity to see top ice hockey events and drive more people to participate in this sport."
At this time, Zhou Yunjie was no longer the boy who left the ice rink passively with loss. From "Jiezi" to "General Zhou", the packaging company he founded successfully led the negotiations on the strategic cooperation between Red Bull and NBA in 2003. He felt that this time, he might be able to do something for his favorite ice hockey.
"Many things are indeed coincidental, but more often they need to have opportunities to achieve opportunities and coincidences." This year, Zhou Yunjie, who has accumulated experience in business sports, began to seek cooperation with the NHL. The negotiations lasted for four years, and the two sides eventually became strategic partners. In 2017, the NHL China Championship was officially launched.
Zhou Yunjie (right) and NHL President Gary Bateman. Photo provided by the interviewee
Zhou Yunjie still remembers that the first stop of the NHL China Championship was held in Shanghai. At that time, details such as whether the competition venue was standard, whether the ice-watering technology was mature, and even whether the dehumidifier were installed. Because of the lack of experience, "it was necessary to constantly run-in with the NHL official." After overcoming various difficulties, the competition was successfully held and received nearly 80% attendance.
does not care about introducing NHL events. During this period, Zhou Yunjie, who has been waiting for the next sports trend, also saw a more rare opportunity - in 2015, Beijing successfully bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. He has accelerated his layout in the hockey industry.
In November 2015, Zhou Yunjie's Aurikin Packaging Co., Ltd. signed a cooperation contract with Boston Bruins , one of the six founding teams in the NHL League, becoming its only marketing partner in China, and is committed to jointly promoting the development of ice hockey and youth hockey training in China.
At the same time, Zhou Yunjie began to build an ice rink and form a professional ice hockey club. In July 2017, the Aozhong Ice Sports Center was completed; in August 2018, the Kunlun Hongxing Origin Ice Hockey Team was established, jointly built by Aozhong Sports, a subsidiary of Aozhong and Kunlun Hongxing Ice Hockey Club , with Aozhong Ice Rink as the main stadium.
"Silk Road Cup" During the 2018-2019 season of the Super League, Kunlun Hongxing Orikin Ice Hockey Team took a photo at home. Photo provided by the interviewee
recalled the original intention behind this "big move". Zhou Yunjie told Beijing News reporter, "At that time, my goal was to be our own Chinese local players. It was a very important thing for me." Huang Yijun, team manager of
, was Zhou Yunjie's teammate in the ice hockey class of Shichahai Sports School. Nearly forty years, he adjusted his career focus from the China Representative Office of a well-known chemical company to the professional ice hockey field. For Huang Yijun, everything is new, and for the startup professional hockey team, it is also "no experience, and everything must be learned from scratch." The most convenient source of experience is the Kunlun Hongxing Ice Hockey Club, which has a close cooperation.
to the second season, in addition to player swaps, the Origin hockey team has begun to operate independently. In 2019, in addition to more than a dozen Russian players and five American players, the team also had more than a dozen Chinese players. Huang Yijun admitted, "At that time, we didn't even have a working language, and at least three languages were speaking at the same time in the locker room."
But compared to the youthfulness of the start-up period, Huang Yijun said that when he participated in the "Silk Road Cup" Hockey Super League in the second year, the team's performance had improved greatly. "He played 54 games, earned 44 points, and was 2 points away from playing in the playoffs. "In 2020, due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, the Origin Ice Hockey Team was disbanded.
"Silk Road Cup" The Super League 2019-2020 season, Orijin Ice Hockey Team played against Russia's Ryazan team at home. Photo provided by the interviewee
But for Zhou Yunjie, the layout of the ice hockey industry has just begun, and his gains are also outside the ice hockey. He hopes that he can "become the person behind China's ice hockey industry" and accompany it further.
Time and patience
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Ying Rudi , Guoning, Zhang Zesen , Zhang Pengfei , and Xiang Xudong Five players who once played for Orijin Ice Hockey Club appeared on the court. Zhou Yunjie was looking forward to it. That "important thing" was achieved.
With the craze of "300 million people participating in ice and snow sports", the ice hockey culture that advocates tenacious struggle and teamwork has blossomed in many places. In recent years, more and more children have practiced and played ice hockey games on ice rinks of all sizes in Beijing. Zhou Yunjie firmly believes that a complete youth training and ice hockey competition system is an important support for the sustainable development of the ice hockey industry.
At present, children from four age groups of U6 to U12 are training at Aozhong Ice Hockey Club. In Huang Yijun's view, in the past 30 years, there has been a situation of players being out of place in the Chinese ice hockey field. Now, he said with relief, "Youth training can be filled in four to five years. "
The National College Hockey League, which is exclusively operated by Aozhong Sports, has also been held for three sessions. Zhou Yunjie said that the original intention of the College Hockey League was to give children who play ice hockey many ways out. He told the Beijing News reporter that the first College Hockey League "is ugly, and the level of playing is very low", but by the second session, the situation is obviously much better. "Some things must be done. This is a necessary stage. You cannot stop doing it because of your low level. "
In Zhou Yunjie's view, the dissolution of the Shichahai Sports School ice hockey class in 1979 and the many years of China's ice hockey have since been weakened because of the failure to form an industry, and then it has fallen into a trough in the face of twists and turns. Therefore, he believes that in the development of the ice hockey industry, the government, schools, parents, and all sectors of society need enough patience to tolerate and tolerate its bumps and bumps in growth. At the same time, he also hopes that more people will focus on the ice and snow industry and Put strength into it to maintain a continuous "ice and snow heat".
After 40 years, some of the ice hockey teams of Shichahai Sports School reunited and formed the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team. Every Wednesday and Saturday, they are over 60 years old, and will wait for the teenagers to finish training and play a game at the Aozhong Ice Rink.
In January 2022, the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team. Beijing News reporter Photo by Sun Linjing
February 2022, one Saturday night, 61-year-old team goalkeeper Zhou Yunjie put on protective gear, helmet, and changed into ice skates, preparing to play again. His youngest son walked forward, pinched the protective gear on his father's arm, and exclaimed "like Transformers".
Ice hockey rushed through the field of time, and Zhou Yunjie was still standing in front of the goal, trying his best to block it, and waiting to put it in his hands.
Beijing News reporter Zhao Min
Editor Li Binbin Proofreading Liu Yue
"But compared to the youthfulness of the start-up period, Huang Yijun said that when he participated in the "Silk Road Cup" Hockey Super League in the second year, the team's performance had improved greatly. "He played 54 games, earned 44 points, and was 2 points away from playing in the playoffs. "In 2020, due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, the Origin Ice Hockey Team was disbanded.
"Silk Road Cup" The Super League 2019-2020 season, Orijin Ice Hockey Team played against Russia's Ryazan team at home. Photo provided by the interviewee
But for Zhou Yunjie, the layout of the ice hockey industry has just begun, and his gains are also outside the ice hockey. He hopes that he can "become the person behind China's ice hockey industry" and accompany it further.
Time and patience
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Ying Rudi , Guoning, Zhang Zesen , Zhang Pengfei , and Xiang Xudong Five players who once played for Orijin Ice Hockey Club appeared on the court. Zhou Yunjie was looking forward to it. That "important thing" was achieved.
With the craze of "300 million people participating in ice and snow sports", the ice hockey culture that advocates tenacious struggle and teamwork has blossomed in many places. In recent years, more and more children have practiced and played ice hockey games on ice rinks of all sizes in Beijing. Zhou Yunjie firmly believes that a complete youth training and ice hockey competition system is an important support for the sustainable development of the ice hockey industry.
At present, children from four age groups of U6 to U12 are training at Aozhong Ice Hockey Club. In Huang Yijun's view, in the past 30 years, there has been a situation of players being out of place in the Chinese ice hockey field. Now, he said with relief, "Youth training can be filled in four to five years. "
The National College Hockey League, which is exclusively operated by Aozhong Sports, has also been held for three sessions. Zhou Yunjie said that the original intention of the College Hockey League was to give children who play ice hockey many ways out. He told the Beijing News reporter that the first College Hockey League "is ugly, and the level of playing is very low", but by the second session, the situation is obviously much better. "Some things must be done. This is a necessary stage. You cannot stop doing it because of your low level. "
In Zhou Yunjie's view, the dissolution of the Shichahai Sports School ice hockey class in 1979 and the many years of China's ice hockey have since been weakened because of the failure to form an industry, and then it has fallen into a trough in the face of twists and turns. Therefore, he believes that in the development of the ice hockey industry, the government, schools, parents, and all sectors of society need enough patience to tolerate and tolerate its bumps and bumps in growth. At the same time, he also hopes that more people will focus on the ice and snow industry and Put strength into it to maintain a continuous "ice and snow heat".
After 40 years, some of the ice hockey teams of Shichahai Sports School reunited and formed the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team. Every Wednesday and Saturday, they are over 60 years old, and will wait for the teenagers to finish training and play a game at the Aozhong Ice Rink.
In January 2022, the "Beijing 1979" ice hockey team. Beijing News reporter Photo by Sun Linjing
February 2022, one Saturday night, 61-year-old team goalkeeper Zhou Yunjie put on protective gear, helmet, and changed into ice skates, preparing to play again. His youngest son walked forward, pinched the protective gear on his father's arm, and exclaimed "like Transformers".
Ice hockey rushed through the field of time, and Zhou Yunjie was still standing in front of the goal, trying his best to block it, and waiting to put it in his hands.
Beijing News reporter Zhao Min
Editor Li Binbin Proofreading Liu Yue
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-