After witnessing Manchester United’s business venture into China, the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to mimick their soccer counterpart’s success.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) executives Dave Hopkinson, Bob Hu, and others are going to be attending meetings in China along with Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper (who is there for commercial trade talks).

Hopkinson and his colleagues will be on the national Chinese station, CCTV, as part of a hockey television special, and will also try to build on corporate partnerships to try to take advantage of potential marketing growth in China. People also believe that China is trying to build its profile as a winter sport nation in an attempt to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. They are also rumoured to ice a national team for men’s hockey if Beijing hosts it, so broadcasting games and having ties with the Maple Leafs should help the 38th ranked hockey country in the world (behind New Zealand and Mexico) to be at least somewhat competitive.

If the Maple Leafs are succesful in eventually getting a strong fanbase in China, they will be given huge credit for growing the game to Asia. However, it will not be easy. Unlike other popular Chinese sports like basketball, hockey requires a lot of expenses. Equipment in China likely costs more too because of shipping costs.

The only semi-professional hockey league in China is the Asia League ice Hockey (ALH). It consists of only four teams from China, however, it also includes teams from Japan, Russia, and South Korea. Some notable players who played in the league include Claude Lemieux, Shane Endicott, Tyson Nash, Jamie McLennan, Ric Jackman, and Esa Tikkanen. Ric Jackman, a former Maple Leaf himself, still plays in the ALH for the Nippon Paper Cranes.

Do you think that ice hockey will be popular in China by the time they hope to host the Winter Olympics in 2022?

Yes, there is so much potential in China

No, there are too many obstacles View Results