SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey hall of famer Chris Lee ’04 has been named to Canada’s 2018 Olympic Team. Lee made his case for the Olympics after an impressive performance for Team Canada at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Paris last spring.
Lee is currently in his fifth season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Lee is a KHL All-Star and has won two Gagarin Cup Championships since his career took him to Russia.
Lee solidified his spot on Team Canada’s roster after a another strong showing at the Karjala Cup Tournament in Helsinki, Finland in November. This is the fourth time the MacTier, Ontario native has represented his country. Lee played for Canada at the 2012 and 2016 Deutschland Cups as well.
Lee has put together a 14-year professional hockey career that has taken him across North America and Europe. This fall, he nearly became the oldest rookie in the history of the National Hockey League during a tryout with the Los Angeles Kings, before ultimately returning to Magnitogorsk.
While at Potsdam, Lee compiled 41 goals and 74 assists for 115 points in four seasons as a defenseman and a forward for the Bears. He ranks 10th on the program’s all-time scoring list and became Potsdam’s fifth hockey All-American after the 2003-04 season. He helped guide the Bears to the 2001 SUNYAC Finals. He was inducted into the SUNY Potsdam Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
The world’s finest winter athletes head to Pyeongchang, South Korea to open the 2018 Olympic Games on February 9. Lee and the Canadians open up their tournament against Switzerland on Thursday, February 15. The game is schedule for 7:10 a.m. EST.
