SUNRISE, Fla. – When Andong Song was a six-year-old boy growing up in Beijing, he kept getting sick. So his mother suggested he try playing a sport.
“Hockey came up as one of the options,” said Song, “and I just fell in love with it.”
On Saturday afternoon in Sunrise, Fla., that love of hockey led to an historic moment for hockey: Song, 18, became the first player born in China to ever get drafted by an NHL team, selected in the sixth round, No. 172 overall, by the New York Islanders.
“It feels great. Unbelievable experience.