Barry's Beck And Call

This is Barry Beck, the former New York Rangers captain who was popular everywhere he played. He was big and strong and played with an offensively flare. He overcame some troubles in his youth to lead a very interesting life, as our bio tells you.

But do you know what Barry Beck is up to these days? I better you'd never guess he is coaching the Hong Kong national hockey team. And he's guided the team back to the world championships (albeit division III) for the first time in 25 years.

“We have only one ice-rink in the country,” Beck said. “But the rink is smaller, not Olympic-size, only NHL-size. The ice is expensive, it costs $1,500 each hour!”

Beck added that the rink is used by both the men's and women's national team, and hosts a hockey league. 

So how did a hockey star who ended his career playing with Wayne Gretzky end up in Hong Kong of all hockey places?

“Friends of mine from Canada were in Hong Kong at a tournament,” Beck told IIHF.com. “They told me that in Hong Kong a hockey academy was being developed. I wrote them and gave them some ideas. Once they asked if I could come over.”