The NHL is constantly trying to expand their reach around the globe, and China is next on the agenda. The Vancouver Canucks will be a part of that.
The Vancouver Canucks will begin the 2017-18 season with two preseason games against the Los Angeles Kings. Unlike most seasons, this won’t be a home-and-home, but a Shanghai-and-Beijing. Yes, the Canucks will play preseason games in China.
As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Wednesday, the Canucks will meet the Kings in preseason games on Sept. 21 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai and on Sept. 23 at Le Sports Center in Beijing.
International games have a long history in the NHL, with the first international game dating back to April 21, 1938 — as part of a nine-game series between the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in England and France.
Since then, there have been many, many more in Europe, Japan and Puerto Rico.
Most recently, the NHL had introduced the NHL Premiere series, with games being played all over Europe between 2007 and 2011.
Now, it looks like the league is going on a new expansion spree, starting with the 2017 NHL Global Series, where the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators will face off twice in Stockholm, Sweden.
Why China?
When the NHL announced the Global Series, there was some talk that this kind of event would not make sense in Sweden. Instead, the games should be played in a non-traditional hockey country like the United Kingdom or even Australia. That would make sense, as there are many NHL fans in Sweden already, and the Global Series is unlikely to do much for customer acquisition.
But does China really make more sense?
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
In 2016, the Russian KHL expanded to China, introducing Kunlun Red Star, a team from Beijing. The 2016-17 season was a bit of a disaster for the team, but it is improving now.
At the beginning of the year, Beijing’s arena wasn’t available, so the team had to play their home games in Shanghai instead. There, they averaged an attendance of 1,103 spectators through 14 games. One game had an attendance of just 721 — which is crazy for a KHL club.
Things got better once the team returned to Beijing, but the numbers still weren’t great. An average of 5,137 attended the games in Beijing, resulting in a total average of 2,952 on the year.
So, will they be able to fill an arena of 18,000, especially in Shanghai?
One would think they could. After all, Shanghai has a population higher than 24 million — that is two thirds of Canada. It shouldn’t be too hard to find 18,000 people that would watch two of the world’s best teams even in a sport they might not care about — yet.
That “yet” is important here. Because that’s how this whole even makes sense.
Not only the NHL is trying to expand their reach, but China is simultaneously trying to improve their hockey programs. Or rather create programs and grow the sport’s popularity in the first place.
Hockey in China
First of all, I’ll advise you to read this Vice Sports article by Sheng Peng, who will explain everything you need to know about hockey in China.
According to that article, Shanghai had just 200 kids registered to play hockey three years ago. That number is now said to be much higher, but even if it has reached 1,000, that is still nothing relative to the population.
But, the article also states that Beijing had three hockey rinks in 2009 and has since gone up to 15. In addition, several NHL clubs — the Canucks and Kings among them — have held youth hockey camps in China in the summer.
China is investing a lot of money into the sport that is currently rather unpopular over there. Meanwhile, the NHL wants to make as much money as they can, all over the world.
Next: Gudbranson Will Make or Break Benning's Summer
So, this is a perfect match. The NHL signed a multi-year deal with Bloomage International who will try to grow the sport in China together. With that, we can expect many more NHL games in China soon.
What does it mean for North American fans? Probably nothing — you’ll just have to travel to China if you want to see the Canucks play preseason hockey against the Kings.