Ulaan Baatar Trip Review

Jan. 23, 24 & 25, 1998

Once again, the Men from Beijing traveled to exotic lands to partake in battle, based on ice, using wood, rubber and steel… As with the glorious events of Bangkok, the triumph of Mongolia will be recorded for future generations to revel. We were the bold, the brave, and the first! So let it be recorded.

 The Lead-Up

In the beginning… July 1997, to be exact… Ray Plummer decided to get his Chinese working visa from Mongolia rather than from Hong Kong. Amongst other legendary things which he did in Ulaan Baatar, the most memorable will be that he visited the Mongolian Olympic Committee and the Mongolian National Hockey League head offices, and secured relations which would bring Beijing Hockey and Mongolian Hockey head to head.

… After the successful 2^nd place finish in the Bangkok tournament, the Beijing team was rearing to go and there were 18 players eager to fly off to Mongolia to play in the 1^st UB-Cup. As par for Beijing, though all knew the tournament dates since October, only 10 actually went. Several players must have US college degrees, as they forgot that Mongolia is a country, and that they would need a re-entry visa for the People’s Republic of China. This, and business commitments left 9 of our players in Beijing and Moscow.

 Mr. Plummer… thankfully between jobs… did so much running around to get visas and airline tickets, that he became very good friends with the Gong An, the immigration staff at the Mongolian Embassy, as well as with the ladies at MIAT (Mongolian Airlines). So, it is safe to say that without his dedication to Beijing Hockey, only 4 or 5 would have likely gone. But… as you shall all find out… for those who did go, everything worked out beyond all expectations.

 Day I - Welcome to UB & Game I: 5-7

The 2 hour flight to Ulaan Baatar was ordinary, and once our heroes had arrived and cleared customs, we were whisked to the Edelweiss Hotel (Tel: (976-1) 312-186, Fax: 325-252), and told to get dressed. Within two hours of landing, four hours from leaving Beijing, we were on the ice. The temperature was a balmy –35C, but the sun was bright, the sky blue, and the outdoor rink was ringed with several hundred fans. The ice resembled a pond, which froze during a stiff breeze, and puck control was a serious problem. The skill level of Beijing was superior, giving them a quick 2-0 lead, with goals from Mike Bucking and Mat Nichole. Greg MacIsaac was playing forward, and Robert Pascal was freezing under several layers of clothing in net. The Mongolian bench was filled with almost 30 skaters waiting to get a shot at the 9 foreigners, but Plummer played enforcer (because he couldn’t skate or stick handle on the ice) and laid out any opposition or teammates that ventured into his corner. Our Beijing boys were getting cold and were watching their watches… those that still worked, and the hour mark of the game passed with Beijing in the lead 5-3 from additional goals from Benz and Mat’s 2^nd of the day. But the game kept on going… and going and going… The four players on the bench huddled together to keep warm, snow up to their ankles between shifts, ice frozen to eyebrows, eyelashes, beards and helmets. ITECH was not designed for these temperatures and our players were playing “Old Time Hockey” with no helmets, only toques. And the game kept going and going and going… Finally, exhausted our players gave in to the fierce 30 Mongolians, and our frozen goalie let in one, then another and another two, and the whistle blew and the game ended… 5-7 for Team Mongolia. Like kids, our team picked up our sticks and bags ran across the parking lot with our skates on, and dove into the warmth of the bus fully dressed. We got back to the Edelweiss to change and to take cold showers, which felt like they were burning hot.

 We stumbled down to the hotel restaurant for dinner and compared battle wounds. Pascal, Benz, Lachance, Francis, Plummer and MacIsaac were all frostbitten. Fella’s fingers and toes were black with dead skin. It is rumored that one of the Mongolians slap shots broke off one or more of Fella’s fingers, but you will have to ask him. That night we went to Mad Dog’s of Mongolia for an exhibition of Mongolian culture, and even Denis allowed Mat a few pints of vodka. Hugues decided to demonstrate some St. Catherine’s St. culture, by giving one and all a strip show, ending in a super-wedgie, and looking like a wrestler. After some more fun, we retired early to prepare for the next days match.

Day II – Sightseeing and Game II: 5-2

Beijing’s foreign devils rose early and enjoyed their Mongolian style breakfast. Meat, meat, and more meat, a bowl of salted lamb soup broth, and a glass of Vodka (an orange juice glass and not a Holiday Inn glass… more like a 9oz highball glass) and the day was started.

 We piled into the bus and were given the 90-minute tour of Ulaan Baatar and surrounding area. Highlights were Sukkbaatar Square (the Mongolian version of Red Sq., and Tiananmen Sq.); the Russianesque buildings and wide empty streets, the temples, and the beauty of the city being ringed with white snow covered hills. Then came lunch, starting with vodka, and side dishes of lamb, mutton, and a bit more lamb. All washed down with vodka. Thankfully, we had an “afternoon” game.

 Mostly sober, we preferred to think of it as anti-freeze, we made sure that the referee understood what 3 20:00 periods meant. We also had our bus park behind our player’s door, so that we would wait in the bus between shifts. We went out and gave it our all. Hitting, skating, hard shots, and we proved to the 30 Mongolians that in a normal game, we could win, and we did. About 400 fans circled the rink cheering both teams, enjoying the spirit of the foreigners who would come so far to play outside in such cold weather. Mike Bucking was red hot, scoring a hat trick, with other goals to Plummer and Francis. The game ended and the series was tied.

 That night was magical. For dinner we went to a huge “Ger” (Yert - Mongolian round tent), for Mongolian Theatre, Throat Singing, Rubber Woman Acrobatics, Traditional Music, and food. The ger could seat at least 60, and the 30 there filled it nicely. A 5-foot high, 6 by 6-foot iron furnace centered in the tent heated us all by being fed logs all night, and when opened, flames would leap 5 feet from the opening with a blast of heat felt by all. All of our hosts and the waiters and artists wore traditional Mongolian dress, and we felt as though this could have been in the time of Chingis Khan. The evening actually started with a prayer to him. For beverages, we drank udders of fermented mare’s milk and bottles of vodka. Gervais reminisced about his days in Inner Mongolia doing his Ph.D. research on Mongolians in China, and tried to show us just how much “Arrak” he could drink. After what was truly a feast, we clambered out of the tent and onto the cold bus. Next stop – Top Ten Disco!!! All I will say is that we left around 3 or 4… or 5am, and I am only sure of one thing, I don’t think any of us will drink that much Arrak again.

 Day III – Black Market & Game III: 3-5

Our day started a bit later, as no one was eager for another Mongolian breakfast and vodka. We went straight to the “Black Market,” where carpets, rugs, fox skin hats, traditional clothes, imported goods, stereos, frozen milk (chipped away and sold by the gram) and anything and everything are sold. We had been warned about the expertise of Mongolian pickpockets, and Pascal learned the hard way when a couple of thousand “tugricks” were liberated from his pocket. There was something there for everyone, and on this crisp day we filled our hockey bags with booty.

 We went back to the Edelweiss to dress, got on the bus, and went for our final game. To our dismay, the team of the past two days was not there, and we were informed that this was the “Mongolian All-star Team,” the best 10 players in Mongolia, and a shift of 5 Russians from Siberia who came down for the chance to play against the “Westerners.” Beijing International rose to the occasion, with Bucking blasting in another two goals. Benz finessed another, but the Russians were too much. Accustomed to the rough ice, they could stick handle much better than us, and were responsible for 4 of their team’s goals. It was a hard fought series, with a traditional jersey exchange at the end in front of 600 fans, ringing the rink, standing on cars and trucks, hanging out of apartment windows. The tour was magical. The tour also dominated the Mongolian press, being the front-page story in 3 local rags that were at the airport the next morning.

 Our final evening, we had a Russian banquet and Plummer had to memorize and pronounce correctly all the officials and dignitaries: Purevdavaa, Baasandavaa, Khokhoogin Balsandorj, Shineah, Surmaajav Chimbat, Batbold, Natsagdorj, Munkhjargal, that was almost worth the trip in itself. More vodka was served along with raw chicken, and more and more vodka. Mike Bucking was named the tournament MVP, edging out Mat Nichole, who was honoured for being the youngest ever to play against the Mongolians. Vodkas continued to flow as we changed venues, and danced to Mongolian disco tunes in Matice Bar.

 The team was safe and sound, and all were present for role call in the morning, and all made it to the airport for the flight back to Beijing. Plummer stayed behind to play with the Ulaan Baatar team for 3 days of games against the Russians and other city teams. It was an experience he will never forget. 3 more Mongolian breakfasts, and too much vodka, but the foundation was laid for future tournaments, and which would hopefully be expanded to other teams in the Asian circuit.