Julius Honka
FILE - Kunlun Red Star Beijing players look at a scoreboard during the Kontinental Hockey League ice hockey match between Kunlun Red Star Beijing and Amur Khabarovsk in Mytishchi, just outside Moscow, Russia, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. China will take part in the men’s hockey tournament at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing after initial concerns that the team would be embarrassed on home ice against NHL-level competition. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
Without the NHL, Russia emerges as favorite for Olympic gold

By James Ellingworth Dec. 23, 2021 01:03 AM EST