Why NHL Chose LA & Vancouver for China

Why NHL Chose LA & Vancouver for China
March 30, 2017, 2:21 PM ET [14 Comments]
Sheng Peng
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Yesterday, the NHL announced that the Los Angeles Kings will take on the Vancouver Canucks in Shanghai and Beijing this September 21st and 23rd.

This is the league's groundbreaking foray into China, but not its first into Asia. Most recently, the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins skated in Saitama City in October 2000.

Shanghai and Beijing will actually be the NHL's fifth visit to Asia. Each previous excursion was in Japan.

This will also be the league's 25th official trip out of the United States/Canada -- by that, for example, I'm counting 2011 NHL Premiere, which featured four NHL teams in nine European cities as one event.

They will take their 26th this November when the Ottawa Senators face off against the Colorado Avalanche in Stockholm.

The league's first expeditions were much different. Before 1980, an overseas visit meant a spring jaunt after the end of the regular season.

In April/May 1938, the Montreal Canadians and Detroit Red Wings traveled through London, Brighton, and Paris for nine contests. This was the NHL's first-ever international action.

In April/May 1959, the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers embarked on a tour of London, Geneva, Paris, Antwerp, Zurich, Dortmund, Essen, Krefeld, Berlin, and Vienna. They played a staggering 23 games in 26 days. Of note, Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks suited up for the Rangers during these exhibitions.

In April 1976, the Kansas City Scouts and Washington Capitals met in Sapporo and Tokyo for a four-game set.

There's something sensible about an after-season jaunt, right? A vacation, if you will.

It wasn't until September 1980 when the Capitals and Minnesota North Stars participated in a five-game tournament in Stockholm against Swedish sides AIK and Djurgarden -- all 23 NHL trips abroad since have been autumn affairs.

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There's been significant grousing about what these trips take out of a team, in terms of their finish in the standings.

These complaints are unfounded. They seem to forget that these are some of the better athletes in the world -- such a journey might affect them early in a season, but in the long run, the effect on a team's success appears to be negligible.

Of the 48 teams who have taken part in early-season matches in Europe, Asia, and Puerto Rico, 29 of them have made the postseason. Amazingly, 16 have reached the Conference Finals:

1980-81 North Stars, 1989-90 Capitals, 1990-91 North Stars & Oilers, 1992-93 Canadiens, 1993-94 Rangers & Maple Leafs, 1998-99 Sabres, 2000-01 Penguins, 2001-02 Avalanche, 2008-09 Penguins, 2009-10 Blackhawks, 2010-11 Bruins & Sharks, 2011-12 Kings & Rangers

From this sweet 16, three Stanley Cup runner-ups (1980-81 North Stars, 1990-91 North Stars, 1998-99 Sabres) and six champions (1992-93 Canadiens, 1993-94 Rangers, 2008-09 Penguins, 2009-10 Blackhawks, 2010-11 Bruins, 2011-12 Kings) have emerged.

As they say, the cream rises to the top.

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Why are the Kings (and Canucks) doing this?

Growing the game is obviously one aspect, but Jon Rosen did an excellent job of breaking things down further yesterday:

This is not a partnership based solely on sheer goodwill. Obviously there are branding opportunities that appeal to NHL teams, and the Kings, who sent multiple delegates to China this week to take part in meetings in advance of the announcement, also held clinics overseen by alumni Derek Armstrong and Brandon Convery last summer...

With the interest in winter sports and professional hockey expected to grow in advance of the 2022 Games – including a partnership between both the private sector and the Chinese government, which, according to Fortune.com, is “pushing to boost participation, predicting the country’s sports industry should grow five-fold to $780 billion by 2025” – the NHL is stepping in at an opportune time to build access to ice rinks and equipment and ultimately hopes to come to an agreement on a more comprehensive broadcast platform.


Money, money, money.

People have also wondered why Los Angeles and Vancouver, two teams not exactly on the upswing. Why not, say, Pittsburgh and the game's most marketable star?

I addressed this in December, when I first reported the likelihood that there would be two exhibition games played in China:

Los Angeles and Vancouver work as the league's choices too, as both cities have large Chinese populations to potentially stir interest on both sides of the Pacific.


Of course, they aren't the only NHL cities with a lot of Chinese. And the league may not use that criteria for future games in China.

But for a start, stirring interest on both sides of the Pacific, along with the "name-brand" recognition of the cities of Los Angeles and Vancouver in China, help answer the question.

To put it another way, for the Chinese who are unfamiliar with the sport, which is most, the city of Los Angeles is a much bigger star than Crosby.