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Former Coach recalls first Chinese NHL draft Song Andong as calm, polite, quick learner

BEIJING, China - Song Andong made sports history last week as the first Chinese player selected in the NHL draft. To his old coach, though, he's just a nice kid who keeps his head and shows the proper respect.

Fu Lei, who coached Song from 2003 to 2007, says in an interview Monday that Song was clever and learned fast while also being polite to his coaches and teammates.

Fu says he had no doubt Song would go far, even though the 18-year-old who goes by the name "Misha" started out playing on a smaller-than-normal rink in Beijing when his mother was trying to find him a sport.