KHL Expansion Part VII

Status
Not open for further replies.

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,274
7,723
Ostsee
The NHL is popular in countries like Sweden and Finland, while the KHL is not and will not be in Switzerland.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,274
7,723
Ostsee
The Chinese market is so huge and quickly developing that even a small share of it would benefit the league significantly.
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
The Chinese market is so huge and quickly developing that even a small share of it would benefit the league significantly.
The point is that the KHL will work with European countries to promote the league here. Switzerland & Austria are good starting positions for the league, both countries have traditionally good relationship with Russia. Hockey is not alien sport to their inhabitants. Clubs from both countries have co-operated with the KHL (Red Bull Salzburg in the MHL, the KHL pre-season games in Switzerland, the KHL at Spengler Cup, HC Davos at the KHL pre-season tournament in Astana). Considering the KHL regular season games there is right direction. Makes much more sense than in Sweden. Germany is next in line, all depends on political climate. German (energy) bussiness has traditionally good relationship with Russia and that is the most important (because if there was a KHL GER team, these guys would pay for it). There are Germans with positive feelings towards Russia. To be short, there is a potential for the KHL to grow in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. That does not mean the KHL needs to be more popular there than local leagues. Even the NHL is not more popular in Sweden & Finland than their local leagues.
 

Exarz

Registered User
Jan 1, 2014
2,415
339
Helsinki
Now the league is considering to host two Jokerit´s games in Tallin next season. That would make sense because Finland & Estonia are close each other (not only by location).

They have literally nothing to gain from it. Tallinn is such a small market and having regular season games in Tondiraba jäähalli will just decrease the average attendance by a lot. It’s a stupid move from Jokerit’s side, unless its a demand from the league and they somehow compensate Jokerit for the losses.
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
They have literally nothing to gain from it. Tallinn is such a small market and having regular season games in Tondiraba jäähalli will just decrease the average attendance by a lot. It’s a stupid move from Jokerit’s side, unless its a demand from the league and they somehow compensate Jokerit for the losses.
Yes, therefore I said it does not make sense. As said, Austria & Switzerland are another story for such games.
 

powerplaymaker

Registered User
Mar 5, 2018
86
34
Helsinki
They have literally nothing to gain from it. Tallinn is such a small market and having regular season games in Tondiraba jäähalli will just decrease the average attendance by a lot. It’s a stupid move from Jokerit’s side, unless its a demand from the league and they somehow compensate Jokerit for the losses.

Hartwall Arena is fully booked for a month or so and Jokerit must play even a few "home games" during that period. I think that Tallinn is good choice considering the situation.
 

Alessandro Seren Rosso

Registered User
Jun 21, 2004
5,777
213
Europe
thehockeywriters.com
The point is that the KHL will work with European countries to promote the league here. Switzerland & Austria are good starting positions for the league, both countries have traditionally good relationship with Russia. Hockey is not alien sport to their inhabitants. Clubs from both countries have co-operated with the KHL (Red Bull Salzburg in the MHL, the KHL pre-season games in Switzerland, the KHL at Spengler Cup, HC Davos at the KHL pre-season tournament in Astana). Considering the KHL regular season games there is right direction. Makes much more sense than in Sweden. Germany is next in line, all depends on political climate. German (energy) bussiness has traditionally good relationship with Russia and that is the most important (because if there was a KHL GER team, these guys would pay for it). There are Germans with positive feelings towards Russia. To be short, there is a potential for the KHL to grow in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. That does not mean the KHL needs to be more popular there than local leagues. Even the NHL is not more popular in Sweden & Finland than their local leagues.

It's also a good way to create an "event", people will move there, so not only they will buy tickets, they will go to restaurants and bars, book hotels, and so on. Other leagues should explore this way of doing business too.
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
It's also a good way to create an "event", people will move there, so not only they will buy tickets, they will go to restaurants and bars, book hotels, and so on. Other leagues should explore this way of doing business too.
Of course.

Do you remember a rumor of making KHL ASG 2016 in Zurich or Shanghai or Milan? The Italian city was obvious choice - the club wanted to join the KHL. China was the same case, and KRS joined for 2016/17. The league considered to organise the event on Chinese soil before KRS joining. Zurich was explained as an target market (Switzerland) of the KHL. Then, last summer HC Davos played at Astana pre-season tournament. If I know, HCD was second non-KHL team to travel to (former) Russia for pre-season tournament, the first was Kolner Haie in Chelyabinsk. Russian teams usually travel to Switzeland, Finland & Czech rep. in summer. Kobylyanski said last summer that the KHL will keep inviting European teams to the KHL pre-season tournaments in the future (since 2018). We will see. The trend is clear, Switzerland is a target market of the KHL - for exhibition games or expansion - that is clear. As Chernyshenko said last year, the KHL had an offer for Switzerland´s expansion at the time. We will see what will happen .. if they play a regular season game in Switzeland next season, the KHL´s plans on Switzerland are on good path.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,274
7,723
Ostsee
The point is that the KHL will work with European countries to promote the league here. Switzerland & Austria are good starting positions for the league, both countries have traditionally good relationship with Russia. Hockey is not alien sport to their inhabitants. Clubs from both countries have co-operated with the KHL (Red Bull Salzburg in the MHL, the KHL pre-season games in Switzerland, the KHL at Spengler Cup, HC Davos at the KHL pre-season tournament in Astana). Considering the KHL regular season games there is right direction. Makes much more sense than in Sweden. Germany is next in line, all depends on political climate. German (energy) bussiness has traditionally good relationship with Russia and that is the most important (because if there was a KHL GER team, these guys would pay for it). There are Germans with positive feelings towards Russia. To be short, there is a potential for the KHL to grow in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. That does not mean the KHL needs to be more popular there than local leagues. Even the NHL is not more popular in Sweden & Finland than their local leagues.

Yes, but no amount of promotion will make the KHL interesting in Switzerland because it's not much better than their domestic product. There are no Swiss players in the KHL, just Russians and other foreigners that they've never heard of and do not really care about. The Spengler Cup is a decent window available for Russian teams to play in Switzerland, but Russian teams playing other Russian teams outside that tournament will just inevitably fall short. The best outcome they could gain by massive promotion and cheap tickets is to not to totally embarrass themselves, and that's not worthy of going at all.
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
Yes, but no amount of promotion will make the KHL interesting in Switzerland because it's not much better than their domestic product. There are no Swiss players in the KHL, just Russians and other foreigners that they've never heard of and do not really care about. The Spengler Cup is a decent window available for Russian teams to play in Switzerland, but Russian teams playing other Russian teams outside that tournament will just inevitably fall short. The best outcome they could gain by massive promotion and cheap tickets is to not to totally embarrass themselves, and that's not worthy of going at all.
That is your opinion.

There is a reason why the KHL considers it. Generally speaking, Swiss people are traditionally positive towards Russian hockey. And even the greatest hockey league ever - the CHL - has had attendance problems in Switzeland.
 

Alessandro Seren Rosso

Registered User
Jun 21, 2004
5,777
213
Europe
thehockeywriters.com
Russian teams playing other Russian teams outside that tournament will just inevitably fall short.

As long as it happens like once a year and the marketing is well done, it will be a huge success. As vorky said, Russian hockey is taken into good consideration in Switzerland, moreover, in Switzerland there are a lot of hockey fans, there are many Russians, all the ingredients are there to create a great recipe. You should also considerate that Switzerland has a great geographical position, such a game will be surely attended by people from Italy, France, Germany, and Austria.
Creating an "event" is not hard if you have the good marketing campaign. I'm sure that in Switzerland (just like elsewhere) they are selling things considerably worse than a KHL game.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,274
7,723
Ostsee
BTW in 2010 Spartak - SKA was played in Davos, 6900 spectators (arena with 7000 places)

SKA paid a lot of money for that game with cheap tickets, and still their attendance claim is laughable:

8208217559_4a6d86eae6_b.jpg
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
Just to collect all rumors here despite not so good credibility of the source. Journalist Shevchenko said here that the KHL likely to expand with Dynamo St.Peterburg and one club from Germany or Sweden. He did not say if DEL/SHL side or brand new one. Take it with grain of salt because ... it is Shevchenko.

Dynamo has been rumored by various sources, no suprise here. Germany makes sense since day 1. Sweden is doubtful according to available open sources.
 

Alessandro Seren Rosso

Registered User
Jun 21, 2004
5,777
213
Europe
thehockeywriters.com
Swiss media for one gave the attendance as 4,600 or around 5,000:

KHL in Davos: St. Petersburg schlägt Moskau

It's the same attendance reported by the KHL btw, I took that figure from an article. So it's my mistake, but the attendance is not bad.
That doesn't change the fact that it's enough for the SKA conspiracy theories. Especially since Ak Bars won
 

Alessandro Seren Rosso

Registered User
Jun 21, 2004
5,777
213
Europe
thehockeywriters.com
Just to collect all rumors here despite not so good credibility of the source. Journalist Shevchenko said here that the KHL likely to expand with Dynamo St.Peterburg and one club from Germany or Sweden. He did not say if DEL/SHL side or brand new one. Take it with grain of salt because ... it is Shevchenko.

Dynamo has been rumored by various sources, no suprise here. Germany makes sense since day 1. Sweden is doubtful according to available open sources.

I have no time to watch the video. Does he mean this season? It is May already
 

vorky

@vorkywh24
Jan 23, 2010
11,404
1,269
I have no time to watch the video. Does he mean this season? It is May already
Watch at 13:30, it is just 30 sec section. Not about 2018/19, but later. There is nothing special in his speech, only a confirmation of all rumors ..... that there is still a work behind the doors. If he is right, based on his not so big credibility, there is two destination for a team - Germany and Sweden. I will speculate here, do not take it too seriously, Sweden may be connected to Torbjörn Törnqvist or Crowns guys. And Germany may be connected, no suprise, to Gazprom.
 

Toro2017

Registered User
Sep 14, 2017
189
71
Sweden is doubtful according to available open sources.

I don't know if it is relevant in this context, but apparently in Sweden SHL will get a new tv-deal for next season. Because of this the gap between SHL and Allsvenskan teams tv-money will increase and some of the Allsvenskan teams are very unhappy with the situation. Six of them declared last winter that they would withdraw from swedish hockey system if the situation will not be fixed somehow. AIK from Stockholm is one of those teams.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->