The style of hockey Du’s Chinese teammates played was a product of that second lost era. The Sharks could pass and shoot, Du says, but the fundamental understanding of team systems just didn’t exist. They had to practice their pre-game warm-up routine, because the players weren’t familiar with shooting drills like the horseshoe — standard fare for minor-hockey teams in North America. Concepts like back-checking didn’t exist, says Flaherty. But slowly Eisler helped bring structure. A month into training camp, Du says it felt like the team was starting to develop a unique chemistry on and off the ice.

Still, the revamped lineup and NHL-style systems took some time to catch. The Sharks opened their second season on the road and arrived in Shanghai for their home opener deep in the hole, after going winless during a six-game trip through Japan.

Management had put a great deal of effort into marketing the Sharks in Shanghai. When the team took the ice at Songjiang Stadium, they were surprised by the size of the crowd cheering for them. Even though the arena was only a quarter full, the rink thundered with excitement as the Sharks battled the Paper Cranes. Flaherty, who had expected to coach more than play, made 40 saves in the game. The Sharks won 3-1 and the players went wild. It felt like a turning point. Until that second, disappointing home game. It seemed the team could draw a crowd as a one-off spectacle, but sustained interest would be much harder to achieve. Somewhere around $4-million USD had been pumped into the Sharks to help build the product, says Collins. And while the effort generated some loyal fans, the team didn’t have enough time to develop a large, passionate base.

The loss of fans was discouraging; the Sharks apparently state-of-the-art facility quickly became even more of a downer. A basketball stadium built without hockey in mind, the interior’s warm climate created constant problems. Fans could watch the game wearing shorts, which was great for them but really bad for the ice. Part of the roof was kept open, McKenna recalls, apparently to draw humidity out of the rink. Instead, it caused a wall of fog to form on the ice, preventing players from seeing what they were doing. The ice itself was also a problem. The refrigeration system broke regularly, causing fissures to open in the surface. Once, Du says, a game was postponed when an enormous crack stretched across the ice. It took a couple of hours to fill, then officials decided to continue the game and the players tentatively returned. Another time, Flaherty watched as the Zamboni driver crashed into the end boards while cleaning the surface. The impact cracked a pipe, flooding the ice with warm water and causing it to melt. Several times that year, Du found himself wondering: How did this happen?