Yu won Lee - Serving his team and country

At the age of 29, Yu won has been around the Asia League for quite awhile. He played five years with Anyang Halla then moved to High1 a couple years ago. Last year he had to leave for his compulsory military service. So this year with the formation of Sangmu, he was chosen as the team captain.

To date he's played 192 games in the Asia League and managed 114 points. His best year came in his first year with High1 where he had 35 points in 36 games. He also plays for the national team where he's averaged close to a point a game. He'll finish his service next year, so he is likely to only play for Sangmu for a single season.

EH: You played for Halla for several years and then moved on to High1, and now you're on Sangmu. Do you expect to rejoin High1 after your service is finished?
Yu won: At this stage, I think I'm going back to High1. I really don't know the details yet.

EH: What is it like being both in the military and on a hockey team? Do you get a lot of practice time? Do you have to do regular soldier duty as well?
YW: I usually get regular ice time but I get less duty in the army.

EH: A lot of the players will finish their service just at the beginning of next season, is there a plan to keep this team going for awhile and putting more people through their service?
YW: Next April Sangmu will receive 10 new hockey players for preparation for next season. You can get more details from the Minister of Defense

EH: Is it hard to face off against the guys you've played with for years, especially now that you're on a third separate team?
YW: On the ice it is really not a big issue, I just focus on the game.

*Yu won is the inaugural captain for Sangmu
EH: Do you feel any kind of advantage when you play against High1 or Halla since you know them so well?
YW: I don't really get an advantage because they know me so well as well. Sometimes its kind of tricky, not really an advantage.

EH: Even though this is the Halla rink, the Sangmu team has a lot of fans and support. Did you feel like you were the visiting team?
YW: Not at all, I was kind of surprised because it felt like a home game. When we missed a scoring opportunity the crowd was really disappointed, so it felt like we were at home.

EH: Your team is a little smaller than the other teams, do you worry about getting too tired during the games?
YW: Of course it is a very tough tough situation. We went to check aggressively and we need a lot of physical strength so we try keep our energy up during the game. It was a little difficult to press them yesterday so that's why we let them score. Definitely it's very hard.

EH: Are there any benefits to joining an athletic team in the army? Do you get some extra time away from regular duties?
YW: Since we've joined the team, we get to keep playing hockey even during our army service. That really helps us a lot to keep our rhythm as a hockey player. There is a little less duty, and some travel as well.

EH: What is one thing you want people to know about the Sangmu team?
YW: With army spirit, we want people to see our team as well organized with good team chemistry that we have.

EH: Thank you for your time!

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