On January 24, in Beijing, Yu Baiwei (fourth from left), captain of the Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing women's ice hockey team, celebrated winning the championship with his teammates in the locker room. On the same day, the 2023-2024 China Women's Ice Hockey Professional League (WCIHL) finals were held in Beijing, and the Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing women's ice hockey team won the championship. This is the first Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Professional League.
China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Li Junhui Photography Liu Ying Li Junhui wrote.
The 35-year-old is the captain of the Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing women's ice hockey team and the Chinese national women's ice hockey team, having competed in Vancouver 2010 and Beijing 2022.
On January 24, in Beijing, Yu Baiwei kissed the 2023-2024 Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Professional League championship trophy.
From last year to this year, she and her teammates competed in the 2023-2024 China Women's Ice Hockey Professional League (WCIHL). After winning the semi-finals, Yu Baiwei, who wore the team's lucky hat, told his teammates in the locker room that he hoped the team would win the championship in the first two of the best-of-three finals. A few days later, they defeated the Harbin women's ice hockey team with an aggregate score of 2 0 to lift the championship trophy.
On January 24, in Beijing, after winning the 2023-2024 China Women's Ice Hockey Professional League Finals, Yu Baiwei (second from right) and his teammates wore the prepared championship caps in the locker room of the Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing team.
Although Chinese women's ice hockey participated in the Winter Olympics as early as 1998, the Chinese women's ice hockey professional league was the first one. In fact, even in a region like North America, where ice hockey leagues are well developed, the professionalization of women's ice hockey has only been around for a decade. For the past six seasons, Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing Ice Hockey Club, which is based on the national women's ice hockey team, has been competing in professional leagues in North America and Europe. There is no doubt about the benefits of international experience for the players: the skills of the top opponents, the different tactical systems, the efficient operation of professional teams, and the fanatical reaction of fans in each city to the sport of ice hockey, ......These factors are subtly changing the perception of ice hockey among Chinese players.
On January 24, in Beijing, after the finals of the 2023-2024 Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Professional League, two foreign players of Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing team lay on the ground to celebrate the victory.
In the process of "going out", Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing has gradually become an international powerhouse. In the 2018 Canadian Women's Hockey League, the team made it all the way to the finals, but lost 1 2 in overtime. In 2020 and 2022, Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing twice reached the finals of the Russian Women's Ice Hockey League with a best-of-five system, both with a total score of 3 0.
On January 24, Beijing, in the second game of the 2023-2024 China Women's Ice Hockey Professional League Finals, Yu Baiwei (first from left) communicated with his coach on the sidelines.
In recent years, the women's ice hockey national team has also achieved remarkable results. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the Chinese women's national ice hockey team defeated Denmark and Japan successively, and was only one step away from reaching the quarterfinals. In the World Championships (Group B of Division A) after the Winter Olympics, the Chinese team won all the championships and was promoted. In August 2023, at home in Shenzhen, the national team won the World Championships (Group A) and rose to the top group. After returning to the top group of the World Championships after 14 years, they will go to the United States to compete on the highest stage of the World Championships in April this year.
On January 24, in Beijing, Yu Baiwei (left) helped teammate Zhu Rui tie a bracelet. Many times, she is like a big sister in the team, taking care of the younger players.
Seeing the outside world, Chinese women's ice hockey players began to look forward to a professional league that truly belonged to them. Thanks to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the popularity of ice hockey in China continues to grow. In 2023, the Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Professional League will begin to take root. Seven teams, including Beijing, Hebei, Shanghai, Sichuan, Shenzhen, Harbin and Qiqihar, formed the league and opened the road to professionalism in domestic women's ice hockey.
On January 24, in Beijing, before the start of the finals of the 2023-2024 China Women's Ice Hockey Professional League, Yu Baiwei and several veteran players warmed up in the equipment area. These fixed processes are boring and require the self-discipline of the athlete to adhere to them.
On January 24, the first women's ice hockey professional league in China ushered in the "Championship Day". Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing had won 21 consecutive games before that, and as long as they win the 22nd game, they will be crowned champions. In the gymnasium, located outside Beijing's North Sixth Ring Road, there were not many people in the audience. Among them, there were fans who had come all the way from Guangdong and brought flowers to celebrate the victory. Yu Baiwei's father also rushed to the scene from his hometown in Harbin to cheer for his daughter.
On January 24, in Beijing, on the ice rink next to the final venue of the 2023-2024 China Women's Ice Hockey Professional League, young players attend classes at the ice hockey training camp.
In the second game, Yu Baiwei fell down due to ice blade damage, and some fans in the stands nervously shouted: "Sister, don't get hurt!" Yu Baiwei has experienced a lot of injuries, big and small, but self-discipline has always kept her competitive state at a high level. At the award ceremony on the day of the championship, Yu Baiwei was awarded the title of "Most Valuable Player of the League". In the team, Yu Baiwei is the most reliable "Sister Baiwei" of her teammates, and she still maintains a good competitive condition on the field, and her technical statistics are in the forefront. Having been selected for the national team at the age of 17, the 35-year-old is still preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On January 24, on the wall of the locker room of the Kunlun Hongxing players in Shenzhen, Beijing, a small morale-boosting poster reads "work as one".
Talking about the first women's ice hockey league, some fans at the scene suggested whether the schedule could be changed to a home-and-away system and increase the number of games to attract more attention. Although it is still far from other mature professional leagues, 7 teams, 4 cities, and 71 games are still a series of statistics that hockey people can be proud of. You must know that even the NHL (National Hockey League) (National Hockey League), which is the most professional, was founded a century ago with only "original 6 teams". Today, the Chinese Women's Ice Hockey Professional League has taken the most difficult step of "from zero to one".
Yu Baiwei said after the final that at his age, he felt lucky to be able to participate in the Chinese league, "I hope that through the platform of the league, young players can get space for development, and more girls can participate in the professional league." ”
In the final, there is a detail: while the two teams are battling, on another ice rink across the wall, 12 children from all over the world are participating in the ice hockey camp, and they are meticulously practicing the most basic technical moves under the guidance of their coaches. Like the big sisters in the Pro League next door, they are passionate about the sport of ice hockey. The difference is that these kids can start their training with hockey as a possible future career choice.
*: China Youth Daily.