HC Red Star Kunlun 2016/17 Thread

[Rigafan]

It's true that I am not patient at all but me writing off Amur was more about expectations and predictions based on the team and players - I would've written them off even before the season began. While it's possible for a team to have a good run and beat the odds at the end of season, it's very unlikely for a huge project like this to turn out great unless some serious improvements are made. I mean, a professional hockey team can get better even after a lucky win which improves morale and brings one or two wins more afterwards. For extra 15pts in 60 games, you don't need years of planning. On the other hand, Red Star Kunlun needs serious commitment in order to become a marketable team. When I call this project a failure, I'm not speaking about on-ice success. Theoratically speaking, you can just bring in 25 NHL guys and put a team in İstanbul which could storm KHL. However, this team would not generate income since there would be little to no interest from fans and such a team is what KHL needs the least.

I always say that: I want the best for KHL and under normal circumstances I have nothing against a Chinese team. If I knew it would work, I would even want additions from India or Uzbekistan. KHL needs to decide what it is: an established, strong league or an experiment? It has been almost 10 years since creation and while it's surely acceptable to experiment at early stage, I think they need to stick to a plan sooner than later. Because as things stand now, Kunlun provides no "fun" at all, which is the essence of all professional sports organization around the world.

I don't like what I've seen so far. Of course I am aware that the Chinese will not be hockey fans overnight. No problem with that. The tricky part is the lack of projects and solutions. I mean, this team was supposed to play in Beijing in a modern, big arena yet they played so many games in Shanghai with very little attendance.

Patience yields results only when you work toward them while being patient. As far as I can see, nobody is interested in Kunlun and no work is done to change the picture. In this case, being patient would mean an endless wait. I'm ready to be patient when I see good work. My only concern is that I don't see it. I've waited for so long for so many things. I would also wait for Kunlun... OK, not going too poetic here.

It was a rushed addition that probably didn't have time to schedule all their games in Beijing. I'm sure that arena is used for other events? Hopefully next season they will be more stable.

However maybe they want to become a type of 'China's team' and are testing the water in Shanghai? Probably not but we don't know.

 

[vorky]

It was a rushed addition that probably didn't have time to schedule all their games in Beijing. I'm sure that arena is used for other events? Hopefully next season they will be more stable.

However maybe they want to become a type of 'China's team' and are testing the water in Shanghai? Probably not but we don't know.

bold is true - arena planned other events before it was announced that Kunlun joining KHL.

 

[Swedish KHL fan]

It was 674 (!) in the audience the last game in Shanghai.

http://en.khl.ru/game/405/49865/resume/

Luckily, Kunlun will just play one more game there before moving back to Beijing.

 

[Rigafan]

It was 674 (!) in the audience the last game in Shanghai.

http://en.khl.ru/game/405/49865/resume/

Luckily, Kunlun will just play one more game there before moving back to Beijing.

Which is shocking... but ultimately doesn't matter.

Sure Kunlun are playing in the wrong city, have no fans ect but then we have Riga.. with a hardcore fanbase and are dead last and have zero hope this season!

The teams aren't funded by fans on seats, so while it looks bad on TV i'm sure the Chinese owners don't really care at the moment

 

[hansomreiste]

Yuen with a great interception and then his first goal!

 

[Swedish KHL fan]

721 saw the game today, little improvment from last game:

http://en.khl.ru/game/405/49880/protocol/

 

[Acallabeth]

Yuen with a great interception and then his first goal!

Good for him! Though I don't know whether the KHL should pay so much attention to a Vancouver-born named Zachary scoring a goal

 

[hansomreiste]

Good for him! Though I don't know whether the KHL should pay so much attention to a Vancouver-born named Zachary scoring a goal

Gotta make the Chinese look relevant in KHL somehow. Or, the Asian American guy in particular (I wish this smiley looked more like a funny face rather than a pervert wishing to lick people as hard as he can)

 

[Swedish KHL fan]

The China Dragons of the Asia league Ice Hockey occasionally plays a few games each season in Shanghai. In the 2016-17 season they will play 6 games there. In the 2015-16 season they played 3 games in Shanghai, with an avarage audiance of 128 (!).

Find game sheets here:

http://www.alhockey.com/popup/25/scores.html

Considering that it lives approx. 25 million people in the city, you can't blame them to be hockey-maniacs.

I assume that it lives at least a few thousands of Canadians, Swedes, Finns etc in Shanghai, why don't they come and watch Kunlun (or China Dragon) play?

 

[Acallabeth]

I assume that it lives at least a few thousands of Canadians, Swedes, Finns etc in Shanghai, why don't they come and watch Kunlun (or China Dragon) play?

Most people in the stands on that Yuen goal video look suspiciously non-Chinese, so I think some of them do come

 

[Swedish KHL fan]

I am not shore, but i believe that the number of games that Kunlun have planned to play in Shanghai are increasing. I earlier thought that they had just one more game left in Shanghai, but checking the link below, its three more games. Have they increased the the number of Shanghai-games steadily, or am I just confused?

http://en.khl.ru/calendar/405/00/568/

 

[vorky]

It was me who wrote that Kunlun had just a few games in Shanghai, but this changed. Kunlun´s december home games against SKA, Severstal, CSKA will take place in Shanghai. Beiijing´s arena is reserved for another events.

http://rsport.ru/hockey/20161026/1111356326.html

 

[hansomreiste]

What a joke... Why did they put a team in Beijing if their precious arena is nowhere near suitable?

 

[cave troll]

Will there be a bigger attendance in Beijing? I don't think so.
Nobody gives a damn about hockey in China.

 

[vorky]

What a joke... Why did they put a team in Beijing if their precious arena is nowhere near suitable?

- Beijing is capital and host of Winter Games
- Arenas plan events for many months & club was created just late June (of course they had to negotiate with arena earlier, but still it was not sure if they join)

Lets hope next season will be better from this point of view.

 

[vorky]

new website http://www.hcredstar.com/

 

[Rigafan]

new website http://www.hcredstar.com/

That's more like it! Hopefully the English language link actually works at some point though.

 

[MaxV]

Maybe it was already mentioned, but Red Star has yet to play a game in OT. Every game they have played ended in regulation.

That they are currently 15-15.

 

[hansomreiste]

Maybe it was already mentioned, but Red Star has yet to play a game in OT. Every game they have played ended in regulation.

That they are currently 15-15.

I mentioned it earlier in the season thread if I recall correctly. It's really annoying and impossible not to see for me. And now they're comfortably sitting in play-off zone. They are ahead of Sibir, which is the 9th placed team now, with 6pts and two games in hand. Even if Lada or Neftekhimik wins next two games, Kunlun still leads 4pts with two more games to play. Maybe play-off can generate some interest...

 

[Stockyard]

Kunlun is in Shanghai until December 5. I went to the last two games. It was actually a lot of fun. Sanlin Sports Center is a lot more free than an NHL arena. There are very few in attendance so you can choose whichever seat you like and you can bring in as much outside food and drink as you can carry. Some Chinese fans had full set meals with them. I can't wait for the game against SKA St. Petersburg. I will be there to see Datsyuk and Kovalchuk play professionally in China.

 

[forp]

Kunlun is in Shanghai until December 5. I went to the last two games. It was actually a lot of fun. Sanlin Sports Center is a lot more free than an NHL arena. There are very few in attendance so you can choose whichever seat you like and you can bring in as much outside food and drink as you can carry. Some Chinese fans had full set meals with them. I can't wait for the game against SKA St. Petersburg. I will be there to see Datsyuk and Kovalchuk play professionally in China.

can't wait to see SKA and CSKA games too! can't wait to see Datsyuk play in person, after seeing all the highlight reel videos.

 

[Sheng Peng]

I wrote about Kunlun's first game in Beijing for VICE, let me know what you think:

CHINA WANTS TO BE THE NEXT HOCKEY HEAVYWEIGHT

 

[malkinfan]

Kunlun is in Shanghai until December 5. I went to the last two games. It was actually a lot of fun. Sanlin Sports Center is a lot more free than an NHL arena. There are very few in attendance so you can choose whichever seat you like and you can bring in as much outside food and drink as you can carry. Some Chinese fans had full set meals with them. I can't wait for the game against SKA St. Petersburg. I will be there to see Datsyuk and Kovalchuk play professionally in China.

Just out of curiosity is there any buzz around the community, or any presence at all in terms of banners, ads, people talking about it etc.?

 

[Stockyard]

Just out of curiosity is there any buzz around the community, or any presence at all in terms of banners, ads, people talking about it etc.?

Nothing. My friend lives next door to the arena. He didn't even know there was a hockey team there. The Chinese ticket website damai.cn doesn't publicize it at all. The Red Star tickets are 3-4 clicks away from the main page. Most of the attendees are curious expats and students on school trips.

Has anyone noticed how strange their ticket pricing is?

http://pimg.dmcdn.cn/perform/project/1090/109083_seat.jpg

All prices are in Chinese yuan. The arena is so small that there is little point in buying anything but the cheap seats (especially since no one actually stops you from sitting in another section). Knowing China, I'd say that most of the expensive tickets are being given away for free to people with connections.

 

[forp]

Nothing. My friend lives next door to the arena. He didn't even know there was a hockey team there. The Chinese ticket website damai.cn doesn't publicize it at all. The Red Star tickets are 3-4 clicks away from the main page. Most of the attendees are curious expats and students on school trips.

Has anyone noticed how strange their ticket pricing is?

http://pimg.dmcdn.cn/perform/project/1090/109083_seat.jpg

All prices are in Chinese yuan. The arena is so small that there is little point in buying anything but the cheap seats (especially since no one actually stops you from sitting in another section). Knowing China, I'd say that most of the expensive tickets are being given away for free to people with connections.

i guess it's just the KRS doesn't care about it. a good example of successful advertising campaign is the once in a year hockey night event, which always created a lot of buzz locally, and had the arena easily fully seated. the game that night was not to the level of KHL games.

the KHL games in Shanghai could have been the best opportunity to attract more ppl to the game of hockey, but they just let go of it. my only wish is that the KRS can still have some games here in Shanghai the next season.

p.s., there are a few junior teams there, but technically, not a professional one. the KRS team only shows up when they have home games here. The rest of time, i haven't seen them even practicing in the rink.