Hockey Night in Beijing
In December of 2015, there was a surprising announcement from the Континентальная хоккейная лига. The Russian professional hockey league was looking to expand to Beijing.
I was excited, tweeting that the "Beijing Whatevers" were about to be my next favorite hockey team. At the time I thought I was partly joking, and that the team wouldn't actually materialize for the 2016-2017 season. Information and news releases were few and far between until summer 2016 and the logo was unveiled. Beijing Kunlun Red Star. It looked like it was a go.
The team had received considerable international press, much of it doubtful of the success of a hockey venture of this magnitude in China. The team management hadn't much helped the team's cause; ticketing is confusing, more than half the "home" games have been moved to Shanghai, and merchandise, either licensed or counterfeit, has been slow to appear.
As my luck would have it, the only regular season match we could attend was the last home game, played against visiting Medveščak Zagreb. Kunlun Red Star had been surging in the second half of the season, and was actually in playoff contention. This was promising, a late season game with something at stake. No one saw this coming, not in Beijing.
More after the jump
We showed up to the LeSports center with plenty of time to buy tickets before the puck dropped at 5:30, but we weren't sure how we were actually going to gain entrance. One of my Beijing tweeps (@modernleifeng) advised that we just find scalpers on the street. Apparently this was the only way because the security guards for the arena would not permit anyone inside the initial screening area at the edge of the parking lot without a ticket. A scalper found us and offered four good seats for a little more than half the printed value on the tickets. This, of course, worried me that we were buying fakes, but we passed through security and no one else tried to claim our seats.
In the foreign press there are lists of some of the things that Kunlun Red Star doesn't do compared to what one might expect at an NHL or even AHL game. I had never been to a KHL game before, so perhaps how the in-game experience was managed was more in the style of the KHL, or at the very least, the KHL with Chinese characteristics. So I would like to point out some of the things I did like. The absence of beer sales and full concessions meant there was less spillage and litter with which to contend. Each fan received a set of Kunlun Red Star thunder sticks. These were particularly popular with my kids. Because noise.
I proudly wore my new Kunlun Red Star sweater, something apparently only a relatively few fans have. These were nearly impossible to purchase in Beijing or Shanghai but again, my Beijing Tweep came through for me with the hook up. The official-ish supplier of jerseys to the KHL, Lutch, was only going to produce fan jerseys for the Beijing team for a very limited time and by pre-order only from their US website. While I was in the US around Christmas I was able to buy one before the deadline. I proudly wore it to the game. I chose to celebrate Zach Yuen, formerly of the Winnipeg Jets system, and the first Chinese player to score a goal in the KHL. I really would have liked to put his Chinese name on the back, 袁俊杰. Even with the Cantonese spelling Beijing fans still pointed at my shirt and yelled, "Yuán Jùnjié!"
The game was fun to watch. Brigid compared it to the NWHL game we saw only a few weeks before in Buffalo, New York, which she naturally preferred (and I should blog about, too, as I try to get caught up). It was especially gratifying to watch Kunlun Red Star shut out the Croatian team that had beat them 1-0 earlier in the month.
Our seats really were quite good, better than any I have had for an NHL game. Not all of the sections were open, and there were no seats behind the glass, usually the best seats in hockey. There was instead a giant walkway circling the rink.
The announcements were in a combination of Russian, Chinese, and English. Hockey is such a fast game, though, that occasionally one of the languages was left out. Sometimes I didn't know who scored or what the penalty was without looking it up on my phone. One fan behind me complained loudly at one point that the Chinese team had fewer players on the ice than the foreigners. I directed him to the score board, where it showed that one of the Beijingers was serving a penalty.
The cheerleaders (yes, cheerleaders because this is KHL or because this is China?) danced on a platform above the right-side goal, far removed from the crowd. They mostly used pom poms but in a fun addition of local color they incorporated 糖葫芦, skewers of candied fruit, into their routine.
There's Zach Yuen! In the 3rd period he scored an assist on a Sean Collins goal.
The Kunlun Red Star goalie, Tomi Karhunen, was an absolute wall. The NHL notices the "Three Stars" of every game, which is really just for fun. The KHL has Mastercard Бесценный Игрок, which they translate into English as Mastercard Priceless Player. I have to admit I like the commercial tie-in, using the sponsor's jargon. It is how the NHL's Three Stars began as well. Blocking all 24 shots on goal for the shut-out, Karhunen was my vote for Priceless Player for sure.
In the foreign press articles above, and elsewhere, there is inevitably a discussion of the crowd. Since this was the first day of the Chinese New Year, and the last regular season home game, we likely were treated to a much more spirited audience than other games journalists have attended. It was not nearly as riotous as an NHL game, or even the NWHL game we attended where Buffalo fans were banging on the glass to protest Kelley Steadman's ten minute major penalty late in the 2nd period. However, there was a great deal of cheering, more than some of the articles from earlier in the season reported.
There was one fan in attendance who in particular is of note. In the pre-game activities, he was shown on the Jumbotron. Brigid and I were also on the Jumbotron then, and during the second intermission he came all the way over to our section to greet us and take pictures. From the Kunlun Red Star Weibo I discovered his name was 刘文东. He attended every home game, both in Beijing and Shanghai. After the game, he was brought down to the ice for recognition by the team and included in their pictures.
The game was only just over when the guards pointed us to the exits. I wanted to linger, bask in the team's victory, and show my vocal appreciation for their last homestand. But, no. "The event is now over," the announcement came in English.
There had been merchandise for sale during the game, but not after. The LeSports center was serious about getting us out of the venue.
I hope I will have more Hockey-in-China blogging in my future. Kunlun Red Star has made the playoffs, though as the number eight seed in the Eastern Conference. They are matched up with last year's Gagarin Cup winner Metallurg Magnitogorsk, a team I haven't thought much about since Evgeni Malkin made his escape. The first game went in the Russian team's favor, 4-2. There is one more away, and then the teams come back to Beijing for the first KHL playoff hockey games in China. It should be very exciting. Hopefully we will be able to take in at least one of the games.
Beyond the KHL in Beijing, there is going to be an increase in skating and hockey activity at all levels in China. Beijing and Zhangjiakou will be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the country wants to make a strong showing at the Games. This means more ice in more places, even in Changping.
I was excited, tweeting that the "Beijing Whatevers" were about to be my next favorite hockey team. At the time I thought I was partly joking, and that the team wouldn't actually materialize for the 2016-2017 season. Information and news releases were few and far between until summer 2016 and the logo was unveiled. Beijing Kunlun Red Star. It looked like it was a go.
The team had received considerable international press, much of it doubtful of the success of a hockey venture of this magnitude in China. The team management hadn't much helped the team's cause; ticketing is confusing, more than half the "home" games have been moved to Shanghai, and merchandise, either licensed or counterfeit, has been slow to appear.
As my luck would have it, the only regular season match we could attend was the last home game, played against visiting Medveščak Zagreb. Kunlun Red Star had been surging in the second half of the season, and was actually in playoff contention. This was promising, a late season game with something at stake. No one saw this coming, not in Beijing.
More after the jump
We showed up to the LeSports center with plenty of time to buy tickets before the puck dropped at 5:30, but we weren't sure how we were actually going to gain entrance. One of my Beijing tweeps (@modernleifeng) advised that we just find scalpers on the street. Apparently this was the only way because the security guards for the arena would not permit anyone inside the initial screening area at the edge of the parking lot without a ticket. A scalper found us and offered four good seats for a little more than half the printed value on the tickets. This, of course, worried me that we were buying fakes, but we passed through security and no one else tried to claim our seats.
In the foreign press there are lists of some of the things that Kunlun Red Star doesn't do compared to what one might expect at an NHL or even AHL game. I had never been to a KHL game before, so perhaps how the in-game experience was managed was more in the style of the KHL, or at the very least, the KHL with Chinese characteristics. So I would like to point out some of the things I did like. The absence of beer sales and full concessions meant there was less spillage and litter with which to contend. Each fan received a set of Kunlun Red Star thunder sticks. These were particularly popular with my kids. Because noise.
I proudly wore my new Kunlun Red Star sweater, something apparently only a relatively few fans have. These were nearly impossible to purchase in Beijing or Shanghai but again, my Beijing Tweep came through for me with the hook up. The official-ish supplier of jerseys to the KHL, Lutch, was only going to produce fan jerseys for the Beijing team for a very limited time and by pre-order only from their US website. While I was in the US around Christmas I was able to buy one before the deadline. I proudly wore it to the game. I chose to celebrate Zach Yuen, formerly of the Winnipeg Jets system, and the first Chinese player to score a goal in the KHL. I really would have liked to put his Chinese name on the back, 袁俊杰. Even with the Cantonese spelling Beijing fans still pointed at my shirt and yelled, "Yuán Jùnjié!"
The game was fun to watch. Brigid compared it to the NWHL game we saw only a few weeks before in Buffalo, New York, which she naturally preferred (and I should blog about, too, as I try to get caught up). It was especially gratifying to watch Kunlun Red Star shut out the Croatian team that had beat them 1-0 earlier in the month.
Our seats really were quite good, better than any I have had for an NHL game. Not all of the sections were open, and there were no seats behind the glass, usually the best seats in hockey. There was instead a giant walkway circling the rink.
The announcements were in a combination of Russian, Chinese, and English. Hockey is such a fast game, though, that occasionally one of the languages was left out. Sometimes I didn't know who scored or what the penalty was without looking it up on my phone. One fan behind me complained loudly at one point that the Chinese team had fewer players on the ice than the foreigners. I directed him to the score board, where it showed that one of the Beijingers was serving a penalty.
The cheerleaders (yes, cheerleaders because this is KHL or because this is China?) danced on a platform above the right-side goal, far removed from the crowd. They mostly used pom poms but in a fun addition of local color they incorporated 糖葫芦, skewers of candied fruit, into their routine.
There's Zach Yuen! In the 3rd period he scored an assist on a Sean Collins goal.
The Kunlun Red Star goalie, Tomi Karhunen, was an absolute wall. The NHL notices the "Three Stars" of every game, which is really just for fun. The KHL has Mastercard Бесценный Игрок, which they translate into English as Mastercard Priceless Player. I have to admit I like the commercial tie-in, using the sponsor's jargon. It is how the NHL's Three Stars began as well. Blocking all 24 shots on goal for the shut-out, Karhunen was my vote for Priceless Player for sure.
In the foreign press articles above, and elsewhere, there is inevitably a discussion of the crowd. Since this was the first day of the Chinese New Year, and the last regular season home game, we likely were treated to a much more spirited audience than other games journalists have attended. It was not nearly as riotous as an NHL game, or even the NWHL game we attended where Buffalo fans were banging on the glass to protest Kelley Steadman's ten minute major penalty late in the 2nd period. However, there was a great deal of cheering, more than some of the articles from earlier in the season reported.
There was one fan in attendance who in particular is of note. In the pre-game activities, he was shown on the Jumbotron. Brigid and I were also on the Jumbotron then, and during the second intermission he came all the way over to our section to greet us and take pictures. From the Kunlun Red Star Weibo I discovered his name was 刘文东. He attended every home game, both in Beijing and Shanghai. After the game, he was brought down to the ice for recognition by the team and included in their pictures.
The game was only just over when the guards pointed us to the exits. I wanted to linger, bask in the team's victory, and show my vocal appreciation for their last homestand. But, no. "The event is now over," the announcement came in English.
There had been merchandise for sale during the game, but not after. The LeSports center was serious about getting us out of the venue.
I hope I will have more Hockey-in-China blogging in my future. Kunlun Red Star has made the playoffs, though as the number eight seed in the Eastern Conference. They are matched up with last year's Gagarin Cup winner Metallurg Magnitogorsk, a team I haven't thought much about since Evgeni Malkin made his escape. The first game went in the Russian team's favor, 4-2. There is one more away, and then the teams come back to Beijing for the first KHL playoff hockey games in China. It should be very exciting. Hopefully we will be able to take in at least one of the games.
Beyond the KHL in Beijing, there is going to be an increase in skating and hockey activity at all levels in China. Beijing and Zhangjiakou will be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the country wants to make a strong showing at the Games. This means more ice in more places, even in Changping.
Comments