Goalie Dalton a rising star among Korean fans

Men's ice hockey team goalie Matt Dalton, right, shakes hands with cheering fans after the preliminary round game against Canada at Gangneung Hockey Center, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Just as his hero Admiral Yi Sun-sin defended Joseon Dynasty from Japanese invasion five centuries ago, the men's ice hockey team goalie Matt Dalton has stopped ruthless shots against South Korea's net.

His Olympic saga, however, was understated as South Korea's low shooting efficiency has led to its losing streak in the preliminary round of the Olympic Games.

On the internet, the Canadian-born goalie is a rising hockey star among South Koreans.

He earned several nicknames after the Olympic hockey games aired on mainstream broadcasters. Some internet users call him "Dalton, Our Savior." Some describe him as a guardian angel helping the men's hockey team save face in their Olympic debut.

After South Korea's game against Canada on Sunday, an internet user with the ID "Practitioner" wrote: "Thanks Dalton for your work. I'm sure Admiral Yi would be very proud of you were he still alive."

Dalton planned to wear a goalie mask featuring the imagery of Admiral Yi (1545-1598), the national hero of the Joseon Dynasty. It was a brand-new mask he had prepared for the Olympics. However, his mask was banned by the International Olympic Committee.

According to the IOC, Dalton's mask was in violation of the rule against political statements. Dalton was disappointed, but said he would follow the rule. The imagery of Admiral Yi has been unseen on his mask as it was painted with darker color.

Dalton said he would "revive" Admiral Yi on his mask once the Olympics is over.

He joined the Anyang Halla hockey club in 2014 after playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) and then in the Russian league. Anyang Halla won the Asia League Ice Hockey championship twice since Dalton became part of it.

In an interview, Patrick Martinec, head coach of Anyang Halla, said Dalton is a very important asset to the club. "In today's hockey, goalies are very important," he said.

Halla defensive player Kim Hyun-soo said foreign-born players, including Dalton, helped their team become stronger. "There're a lot we, South Korean athletes, can learn from them because they've had experience in the big leagues. Practicing together with them, I realized our overall competitiveness has significantly improved," he said.

Ahead of the Olympics, Korea Sport and Olympic Committee encouraged Dalton to consider becoming a naturalized Korean, because Korean nationality is a requirement to play for the national team at the Olympics. Dalton followed the call and became a naturalized Korean in 2016. He is a double citizen with his Canadian citizenship still valid.

Dalton said he was determined to become a Korean national because he was intrigued by the fact that he would represent Korea in the Olympics. "I had no opportunity to represent Canada," he said. "South Korea is my second home. I thought the opportunity to be able to grow hockey in South Korea was something that to me was intriguing."

He said he hopes 50 or 60 years from now South Korea will be as good as Canada in hockey.

Dalton joining the national team made a lot of difference.

He is one of the key players who lifted the South Korean men's hockey team to the top-tier International Ice Hockey Federation Championship last year.

Dalton was a shootout star in the crucial game against Ukraine. South Korea won 2-1 in the overtime shootout and finished second in the IIHA Championship Division II Group A. South Korea was promoted to the IIHF Division I Group A championship tournament, 38 years after the country started competing in international championships.

The media described it "A miracle in Kiev." Dalton was the hero of the miracle men's hockey team pulled together last year.

Jim Paek, director of the Korean hockey program and head coach of the men's hockey team, said Dalton is a very important part of the national team. Paek said goalie is the leader of the ice and a lot of pressure is put on him. "So we're very proud to have him. I'm sure he will do extremely well during the Olympics," he said before the Games.

Peak turned out to be right. Dalton stopped many shots from opposing teams South Korea faced in the past three games in the Olympics.

South Korea has been on a losing streak in three games against Czech Republic, Switzerland and Canada in the preliminary round of the Olympics, which will determine the winners to advance to the playoffs.

A close look into the quality of three games, however, indicates there was progress made on the men's hockey team.

Canada and Czech Republic, once described as two of the top six teams which, according to hockey experts here, are so strong that South Korea has almost a zero chance to beat them. The rest of the four are the United States, Russia, Sweden and Finland.

Although the men's hockey team lost to Czech Republic and Canada 1-2, and 0-4, respectively, their play in the two games was far better than Korean experts predicted prior to those games.

Goalie Dalton's outstanding performance was behind the improvement of the men's hockey team. In the game against Canada, Dalton saved 45 out of 49 shots against Korea's net. His save rate is 91.84 percent. In the showdown against Czech, his save rate (95 percent) is even higher.

According to Kim Jeong-min, a publicist for the Korea Ice Hockey Association, goalies who have a 92 percent or higher rate of saves are considered high-performing. Dalton is a great goalie, according to the criterion.

A low shooting rate, however, hindered South Korea from posting their first Olympic win. South Korea was scoreless in their defeat against Canada, despite attempting 19 shots at Canada's net. Canada, meanwhile, scored four out of 49 shots at South Korea's net. Earlier, the men's hockey team had another scoreless defeat against Switzerland, although the South Koreans attempted 25 shots against the European country.