BEIJING — All the Russian athletes were kicked out of the Paralympics before the Games began last week, but there is still a Russian here, and he has a chance to win a medal.
Nikolay Sharshukov, the little-known Russian coach of China’s national para ice hockey team, has transformed the fledgling squad into a contender in less than five years on the job, molding it in the image of the old Soviet hockey powerhouses.
Players like Shen Yifeng, the leading scorer in the tournament, crisscross in front of teammates as they speed up the ice, control possession, use drop-back passes in classic Russian style and play a tight, disciplined game.