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KHL to expand into China for 2016.


Sean Monahan

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God dammit my laptop won't let me right click right now (only on this tab apparently?) so I can't copy the link. I'l just type it out. 

 

www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/khl-to-expand-into-china-next-season 

So the KHL plans on expanding into Beijing. Is the KHL still in the financial hard times they were not so long ago? Given the price of oil I'm thinking yes. To me, this is a terrible idea for a league already struggling financially. Look to the NHL to see that non-hockey markets haven't worked, even with the comparatively larger (potential) markets. Even KHL teams with traditionally strong fanbases (like SKA, Helsinki, etc) are struggling.

 

Debate the merits of this idea please. Just got into a very heated argument with my brother about it, with him on the side of (using North American examples) "I'll take the risk of a ~10% chance of success with higher reward in Florida" and me on the "I'll take the greater bet for success in a smaller market like Winnipeg" side. 

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10 minutes ago, Wild Sean Monahan said:

 

God dammit my laptop won't let me right click right now (only on this tab apparently?) so I can't copy the link. I'l just type it out. 

You know about Cntrl-C and Cntrl-V, right?

 

On topic, it seems like the KHL intends to dominate the eastern world of hockey.

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4 minutes ago, thejazz97 said:

It ain't about the money, money, money...

 

Oh wait.

I understand it's about money but at s time when some of your traditionally stronger teams and fanbases (SKA, Dynamo, Helsinki) are struggling and the economy is in the can, is it a good idea? I read on Hfboards that many teams could barely half-fill their arenas.

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7 minutes ago, Wild Sean Monahan said:

I understand it's about money but at s time when some of your traditionally stronger teams and fanbases (SKA, Dynamo, Helsinki) are struggling and the economy is in the can, is it a good idea? I read on Hfboards that many teams could barely half-fill their arenas.

Yeah, but it's China.

It's something new.

We'll see what happens.

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Need more than a glowing puck-can't see the desert for the haze. Mandatory gas masks included, presumably?

A few yrs back Jamie (Noodles) McClennan had the most hilarious account(Hockey News article; anyone see it?) of playing some games in China..short tourney(he & Tyson Nash played a yr together in the Japan League). He said some bloke was smoking away in the goal judge booth, so all one could see was smoke-you couldn't hardly see the guy. He also thought two guys were gonna start brawling at the Beijing airport, at least until the interpreter informed him that was how people communicated in China. Man, that was a funny blog.

So hockey in China? Send McLennan to cover it pls...

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It's an interesting thought. I actually think it's a smart more for the KHL.

Markets like China, South Korea, and Japan are all on the rise in terms of the popularity of hockey. With the KHL entering that market, it could create even more of a popularity gain. What I think the KHL is trying to do here is longterm. It might hurt them for a while but, if hockey takes off in China, there's that chance that the KHL could find themselves that much closer to the NHL.

Of course, there's a lot of "ifs" with this. We don't know how much interest the China population will have in the end with hockey. We also don't know if the KHL will be able to financially support this in the long run. However, it is a step into a country with over a billion people. That's a lot more potential hockey fans than there are in North America....

EDIT: Thinking about it further, I could also see this backfiring pm the KHL if hockey becomes very popular in China. China would then be able to have their own league which could move the KHL back to where they were before this. lol

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9 minutes ago, Wild Sean Monahan said:

It's a lottery ticket of sorts. The reward could be huge but I think the risk is huger 

Pretty much. China's IIHF ranking is 38. Teams like Israel, Spain, and Mexico are actually ranked higher than China at the moment. However, like I said earlier, they have a huge population to make up for "interest" and interest could be created on their arrival.

This also allows the KHL to consider South Korea and Japan, who are ranked 23rd and 20th respectively, which is higher than quite a few European countries such as Lithuania, Poland, and the UK.

 

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4 hours ago, Losing With Pride said:

Knowing how much money the Chinese have...

 

Could be the best team in the world.

 

Stamkos 5 Year $100,000,000

Kopitar 5 Year $100,000,000

 

Would you pass up $20,000,000 a year?

 

 

Do they even play hockey in China?  I'm thinking it will be more like soccer is here - a lower level sport that has a very few fans, and All foreign players.  None of our top players will want to live in China, for even twice their current pay.  

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I can already imagine the Chinese government throwing millions of dollars in training athletes like those who are gymnasts, etc., to prep for the Olympics. 

Unfortunately, they'll still get crushed by any hockey country, lol.

 

I still think the KHL should have expanded to Tokyo first.  Just hire the Kariya family as spokes people.  Devon Setoguchi probably could be a token Japanese descendant player as well.  Plus, lets not forget Taro Tsujimoto, lol. 

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ummm.... no one even watch hockey in China....  

 

I moved to this country when i was 10 and go back to China every summer.....  Never heard of anyone talk about hockey and majority of the population doesnt even know what hockey is.  

I started to play hockey when i arrived, its extremely fun sport and i love it to death!  And my Chinese grandma thinks im crazy and every single time I have a conversation with her she try to make me quit hockey because she think the hits and fight would kill me:P

 

So if they do decided to expand there..........   Its would be just like Florida Panthers....   no one cares, no one knows and no one would pay to watch 

 

Heck.... they can even hire me as their GM or something....

 

 

 

 

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12 hours ago, Alflives said:

Do they even play hockey in China?  I'm thinking it will be more like soccer is here - a lower level sport that has a very few fans, and All foreign players.  None of our top players will want to live in China, for even twice their current pay.

They do.  They even have a National Team...that isn't very good.

If Toronto FC or the Whitecaps offered Ronaldo $104,000,000 a year I think he would take that.  I believe he is making $52,000,000 in salary alone.

 

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