China’s Foreign-Sourced Ice Hockey Team Suffers Crushing Defeat to US on Olympic Debut

USA's Nathan Smith (C) celebrates after the team scored a goal on China's goaltender Jeremy Smith during the men's preliminary round group A match of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games ice hockey competition, at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Feb. 10, 2022. Matt Slocum/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

China had put its Olympic hockey hopes on a team composed of mostly foreign-born players. But reality hit hard during its debut.

On Thursday night before 1,000 spectators, the Chinese hockey squad, packed with recruits from the United States and Canada, was beaten 8-0 by a fresh-faced U.S. team.