AP: KHL looking to expand in China
- Thread starter LadyStanley
- Start date
If there was a club that was a potential candidate in China, it'd already be playing in the Asian ice hockey league. If they're talking about China Dragon (which do play some home games in Shanghai), then wow. They're just brutal. And why a team in Shanghai? That's almost as far away from Eastern Europe as you can get. How would travel work? I'm all for improving ice hockey in eastern Asia, but I don't see how they can make this particular scenario work competitively or financially.
tigervixxxen
Optimism=Delusional
saskriders
Can't Hold Leads
This is pretty pie in the sky. Shanghai is going to be way out of the way for all of the KHL Eastern Conference teams. Harbin makes a lot more sense. It's got 5 million people and is home to several of China's winter sport national programs. It's got a lot of connection to Russia as well, seeing as well, they built the city. Dalian (also first settled by the Russians), Shenyang and Beijing would be somewhat reasonable as well.
It seems to me that the guy quoted in the article is just some talking head who knows next to nothing of China, and may understand the logistics of a pro sports league even less.
Hockey IS growing in China, and actually pretty quickly considering the cost of the sport and Chinese people's traditional lack of interest in team sports. CCTV5, the national sports broadcaster carries a few live NHL games every week. I saw a girl on the street in a Dustin Byfuglien Blackhawks jersey just last week, and I live in a pretty small town.
Recently the national government announced plans to open 500 new full-sized rinks in the next 5 years and are beginning a university league as well.
The KHL is definitely the most viable option for pro hockey in China, but starting with a team in Shanghai is just stupid. There's no other word. Stupid.
It seems to me that the guy quoted in the article is just some talking head who knows next to nothing of China, and may understand the logistics of a pro sports league even less.
Hockey IS growing in China, and actually pretty quickly considering the cost of the sport and Chinese people's traditional lack of interest in team sports. CCTV5, the national sports broadcaster carries a few live NHL games every week. I saw a girl on the street in a Dustin Byfuglien Blackhawks jersey just last week, and I live in a pretty small town.
Recently the national government announced plans to open 500 new full-sized rinks in the next 5 years and are beginning a university league as well.
The KHL is definitely the most viable option for pro hockey in China, but starting with a team in Shanghai is just stupid. There's no other word. Stupid.
If were going to be honest here, what the KHL is doing might be amazing for Hockey 50 years down the line.
China and India are growing at very high rates and in about 30 years they're going to look very different (China does already esp) and with the NBA and MLB already with a footprint in those countries, they sports are gaining popularity in schools and leagues are developing right now.
I can promise if China gets the Olympics and actually gets into hockey, they will find a way to make decent equipment and will sell it for a fraction of the price and mass market it worldwide over the next 50 years and make Hockey a truly global sport. The way they build things are becoming more innovative.
China and India are growing at very high rates and in about 30 years they're going to look very different (China does already esp) and with the NBA and MLB already with a footprint in those countries, they sports are gaining popularity in schools and leagues are developing right now.
I can promise if China gets the Olympics and actually gets into hockey, they will find a way to make decent equipment and will sell it for a fraction of the price and mass market it worldwide over the next 50 years and make Hockey a truly global sport. The way they build things are becoming more innovative.
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saskriders
Can't Hold Leads
I don't think a winter sport could ever truly be a global sport. Also, even if they make cheap equipment, they can't make cheap rinks
I see what you saying. I think also that in 50 years we will see more effcient and elaborate ways of bridging that gap. With a billion plus people and their economy moving ahead of the US in the next 30 years if all follows through, anything can happen! But I see the NBA dominating for some reason lol
vorky
@vorkywh24
- Jan 23, 2010
- 11,413
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cutchemist42
Registered User
I do think that if I had to do KHL in China, a few other cities like Harbin or Beijing seem like better fits.
Not really familiar though with China overall, though I do love authentic Sichuan food.
Not really familiar though with China overall, though I do love authentic Sichuan food.
This whole China venture freaks me out. I don't want to see that.
Putting a team in Krasnoyarsk would be a lot better than putting a team in freaking China.
Putting a team in Krasnoyarsk would be a lot better than putting a team in freaking China.
It's all politics through sport... When Medvedev was in charge Russian interest was going west, after Ukraine crisis and with arrival of Chernyshenko Russian interest turns east. Very simple...
They want to focus on expanding eastwards... okay... but why can they not do it in a rational manner? If they have to go east, let it go to a big city in a hockey country where there is already some established hockey. Namely... Krasnoyarsk which as a VHL team, or Almata/Alma-ata, which has a team in the Kazakh league.
I mean, suppose they replaced that joke Yurga by Krasnoyarsk? That would be a big improvement.
zeropotentate
Registered User
I hope the KHL does expand to China and succeeds, it would be great to see hockey expand in East Asia.
Because it is just silly and not necessary to expand the KHL to China.
If they were good at hockey, and if hockey was popular there, hey, maybe it might not be a bad idea. But just look man, look at this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014–15_Asia_League_Ice_Hockey_season , they have ONLY ONE team in the Asian league, and it's in very last place. From just common sense, if a team were to be added to the KHL, wouldn't it be a bit absurd to expect that it is from China instead of South Korea or Japan? I mean, look at the performance of the Asian league... the Chinese team is clearly by far in last place. Doesn't bode well for expansion if one's at the bottom...
A long time ago there was some discussion about a team from Sakhalin island joining the KHL. Well, lol, good luck. But, a team from the island joined the Asian league as we can see on the page. So, let the Chinese focus on going somewhere in the Asian league before they focus on the KHL. That's plausible, I think? Is it?
Then expand the Asian league? That's more sustainable.
Jussi
Registered User
China's growth has actually stagnated. They currently face a lot of environmental problems which are going to be very costly.
By innovative do you mean child labour?
There could be a twofold benefit of opening up a franchise in China: (1) As the world's largest economy, and still growing at a faster rate than anyone else, a Chinese franchise wouldn't be going broke anytime soon, and (2) proximity to Khabarovsk and Vladivostok would it make it more attractive financially to fund those long road trips. The only downside - expansion itself, since that to some extent requires diluting talent. But as expansion projects go, that sounds attractive.
Not necessarily. The Chinese spending power is FAR FAR FAR less than anything in Russia. And that's saying a lot. They will make the Russian teams very financially viable.
Also, don't get wrapped up in a false impression that the Chinese want to waste countless millions on having a non-Chinese group of players playing hockey in China.
I don't think so.
varsaku
Registered User
The KHL may not be stable financially but they have done a lot more than the NHL to grow the sport internationally.
Jussi
Registered User
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