GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- The puck used in Korea’s historic first goal in Olympic hockey is going to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, an official with the competition‘s organizing committee said Thursday.
Martin Hyun, deputy sport manager for hockey at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, said he secured the “historic puck” on Wednesday after Randi Heesoo Griffin scored for the joint Korean team against Japan in the second period at Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung.
It was the inaugural goal in the Olympic competition by a Korean hockey team, men’s or women‘s. Though Korea ended up losing the game 4-1, the importance of the goal wasn’t lost on Hyun.
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The joint Korean women`s ice hockey team competes against Japan at the Kwandong Hockey Training Centre in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Feb. 14, 2018. (Yonhap) |
And Hyun made sure to stop the referee Drahomira Fialova dropping the same puck at center ice for the face-off after the goal. Hyun ran to the scorekeeper and brought the puck back.
“If the puck was still in play and gone, the historic puck would be gone forever,” Hyun told Yonhap News Agency. “I ran and made my voice heard that the puck has to come and stay.”
Hyun said he handed the puck to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) office here, and an IIHF official will now deliver the puck to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“They already knew this was the historic puck,” Hyun said. “It is a piece of history now.”
Hyun said the Korea Ice Hockey Association asked for the puck, but he told its representatives that the puck belonged in the Hall of Fame.
Hyun also said he felt sorry that Griffin wouldn‘t get to keep the frozen rubber, adding he hoped she would understand the situation.
“It’s very meaningful to score the first goal but this puck is the country‘s puck,” Hyun said. “She can be proud of that.” (Yonhap)
