Fans of local junior hockey who took in the 2022 Bejing Olympics men’s hockey competition might have noticed a pair of players with connections to the Moose Jaw Canucks if they were especially observant.
Or in the case of Jieke Kailiaosi, eagle-eyed to the point of perfection.
Kailiaosi is actually Jake Chelios, the son of former Moose Jaw Canucks standout Chris Chelios who suited up for Team China at the event. Team Canada defenceman Mat Robinson was a little easier to pick out -- he’s the son of former Canuck Trevor Robinson and was playing in his second Olympics.
Chelios’ road to the Games was an interesting one.
In order to field a competitive team at the Olympics despite having a fledgling hockey program, China used their Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) team, Kunlun Red Star, to filter players into the country beginning in 2019 and create a semblance of eligibility.
Chelios was one of those. The 30-year-old defenceman and former Michigan State standout played the past three seasons for Red Star, putting up seven goals and 31 points in 129 games.
In order to maintain the appearance of nationality, Chelios took on the name Jieke Kailiaosi for the tournament.
China finished 0-4 in the Olympics, with Kailiaosi putting up two assists and two points in their four games.
Things were far more straightforward for Robinson, who won bronze with Canada at the 2018 Olympic Games. The former captain of perennial NCAA Frozen Four contenders University of Alaska-Anchorage, Robinson has played the last 12 seasons overseas, including the last nine in the KHL.
The 35-year-old defenceman is in his first season with SKA St. Petersburg and has three goals and 10 points in 35 games. He played the previous three campaigns with CSKA Moskva, serving as the assistant captain in 2019-20 and ‘20-21.
Canada was eliminated from the Olympics in the quarter-finals Wednesday morning, losing 2-0 to Sweden.
Robinson finished the tournament with a goal in five games
Trevor Robinson and Chris Chelios were teammates on the 1979-80 Moose Jaw Canucks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, with Robinson putting up 19 goals and 39 points in 44 games in his single season with the team.
Chelios, as we all know, ended up with a relatively decent hockey career.
The Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman played 1,651 National Hockey League games, putting up 185 goals and 948 points over 26 seasons. He won three Stanley Cups, played in 11 All-Star Games, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman three times and played in four Olympic Games.
