Front Office Sports: To Grow Hockey In China, Kings Take A Page Out Of SoCal Playbook

Since retiring from the NHL in 2010 after a 17-year playing career, Derek Armstrong has dedicated much of his time to coaching youth hockey.

Working with children in his home country of Canada, he often stresses having fun to ensure that they fall in love with the sport and become lifelong hockey fans, regardless if they become the next Sidney Crosby or Jack Hughes.

Armstrong has been taking that same approach in teaching hockey to children in what many across the NHL feel is the league’s biggest market for growth: China.

“It’s not much different than coaching hockey in Canada – the kids are all hard workers, and they can all skate – which is obviously important,” said Armstrong.

Armstrong has traveled to China six times to help coach hockey as part of the Los Angeles Kings’ efforts in the country – Armstrong spent six seasons with the Kings during his NHL career.

Last year, the Kings launched the first-ever hockey development initiative for any NHL team in China with the Beijing Jr. Kings, a program for kids aged eight-to-10 years old. It was also the Kings’ first hockey development program owned and operated outside of Los Angeles. In 2017, the Kings played the Vancouver Canucks in the first NHL games in China.

This August, the Kings held the first Beijing Jr. Kings Camp, a five-day camp that saw the team host 30 children aged six through 14 that featured both on- and off-ice training and games led by Kings’ alumni and coaches.

The team’s efforts in China have been bolstered by its partnership with Beijing-based ORG Packaging, which has quickly become one of the biggest boosters of ice hockey in the country while looking to copy a bit of what has made the Kings successful in their home state – a place that many once felt ice hockey could or would not work.

“The Kings are very unique – it’s Southern California, it’s warm and sunny; many call it a ‘non-traditional hockey market’,” said Richard Zhang, the president of Ocean 24 Sports and Entertainment Corporation, a sports marketing agency that works with ORG in regards to its hockey relationships.“But to grow the game and find success in a non-traditional market you have to be creative, and that’s what the Kings have done and that is what we want to do in China – attract new fans and grow the sport.”

In addition to its partnership with the Kings, ORG Packaging also has team level deals with the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals. It also has a league-level deal with the NHL, heavily supporting the league’s efforts to grow the sport in China as well.

Josh Veilleux, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for AEG Global Partnerships, said that while the company is technically considered a sponsor, that he views the relationship as “more about doing something different and something that can have a big impact.”

“Our overarching desire is to grow the game of hockey – that’s what we have tried to do across the board here in Los Angeles and California,” Veilleux said. “With ORG, they want to grow the game in complete partnership with our efforts.”

Growing up in a hockey family who lived just outside of Boston, Veilleux compared to where China is now in terms of exposure to ice hockey as not far off from where Southern California had been in the past.

“I remember when I moved here 13 years ago, coming from a place where every town had a rink to here where there weren’t varsity hockey programs,” he said. “It changes your mindset in terms of having to grow the game in a different way when you’re competing with a lot of different things – it’s a similar mindset that we’re trying to have as it relates to China.”

Those involved all admit that hockey does have a lot of room to grow in China, where the NBA is by far the most popular sport. The NBA estimated that of the more than 1.3 billion people who live in China, 640 million of them watched some sort of NBA programming during the 2017-2018 season, and more than 300 million play the sport.

While it’s unclear how much traction the sport of ice hockey has gained in recent years, efforts are continuing. The league first brought two exhibition games to the country in 2017, repeating that in 2018, and it has a deal with the NHLPA to host games in the country in six of eight years. The NHL has broadcasting and streaming deals with CCTV and Tencent. 

This year, while efforts to play exhibition games ahead of the 2019-2020 season were postponed due to scheduling conflicts that arose with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the NHL and the Washington Capitals worked together to send Alex Ovechkin to the country as a league ambassador.

With the NHL’s efforts to grow in China, there is a brand-building benefit for the Kings to be this deeply involved in the country as well.

“The more we can do to get our brand to become more than just domestic and nationally known and ultimately become international, we see that as a whole new way of fandom starting,” Veilleux said.

Still, he noted, the Kings are not losing sight of the ultimate reason for this effort.

“It’s all about the growth of the Beijing Jr. Kings, and getting that group from 40 to 100 to 500 over the next few years,” Veilleux said. “We know everything we’re doing might be baby steps, but from our long-term viewpoint it’s all about constant growth and progress.”

The Kings are looking to further bolster the Beijing Jr. Kings effort, which has three coaches stationed in the country year-round. Veilleux said the team will be creating more content this season specifically for the Chinese-language audience and is planning on bringing more Chinese players to Los Angeles to experience hockey in the U.S. The team also hosts a Chinese heritage night at a home Kings game at the Staples Center, which includes a large fan festival in LA Live celebrating Chinese culture.

Zhang said ORG is still working with the teams and the league to build a “base, a foundation” for the sport in China.

“For hockey to grow, people need to learn and they need to understand it first – that will come through camps like this and when they can experience NHL games,” Zhang said.

That will come through deeper activation with ORG’s team partners, potentially bringing more players and coaches over to help grow the game in China on a year-round basis, as well as developing grassroots promotions in schools and residential areas.

From Armstrong’s point of view, he sees the same opportunity for the sport.

“You can’t go over for one week and expect things to change – we need to be pushing the game, and pushing the growth of it,” Armstrong said. “Once you play the sport of hockey, you tend to fall in love with it, so we just need to find the kids who want to play.”

ORG Bruins Global 2016 Kicks Off in Beijing

The Bruins’ first-ever official visit to China kicked off in Beijing on July 13, with current Bruins David Pastrbak and Matt Beleskey joining Bruins alumni Andrew Raycraft and Bob Sweeney, and members of the Boston Bruins Youth Hockey Development Team for “Bruins Global: China 2016.”

The crew will be in China from July 13-July 23, hosting several youth hockey clinics in Beijing and Shanghai for more than 150 Chinese youth hockey players. The clinics will consist of both on and off-ice training.

The trip came about through a partnership with Ocean 24 SE client: O.R.G. Packaging to help grow the sport of hockey in China, while also strengthening the connection between the Bruins and the local Chinese community in New England and educating North American residents about the growth of hockey in China.

O.R.G. Packaging Chairman Zhou Yunjie grew up playing hockey in Beijing and is passionate about working with the Bruins to cultivate the sport in China.

The trip is unique on a number of different levels, mainly because the players have never been that far overseas, and also because of the cultural experiences the group will encounter. There is something about hockey, though, that transcends. The Black & Gold work to grow hockey around New England, and now that approach is being taken abroad.

“I never even thought about going to China, and because I always thought it was so far,” smiled David Pastrnak.

“And it was a nine hour flight [from the Czech Republic], so I don’t know what I was thinking,” he laughed. “But it’s cool. Obviously we are here on the second day, so we didn’t get much to see and hopefully we’re going to see some good stuff and bring some memories home.”

“Bruins Global” began with a ceremony and press conference announcing the partnership with O.R.G. Packaging. But it wasn’t your typical Claude Julien post-game press conference.

The event was held at the “Bird’s Nest,” the main stadium built for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. The city will also host the Winter Olympics in 2022.

The red carpet was rolled out for the Bruins and local leaders.

There was an emcee and round-table to discuss growing the sport of hockey in China with Chinese officials, state media and industry insiders, with hundreds in attendance. The event featured Bruins highlight videos, a Q&A on-stage with Pastrnak (who is now featured on cans of milk in China — more on that later), and even a local children’s choir singing a beautiful rendition of Josh Groban’s “Raise Me Up.”

“It’s been great. It shows how passionate they are about this partnership,” Beleseky said of the big-time media event.

“They put on a great ceremony here — and we saw that David Pastrnak has his own beverage here now too,” he laughed. “So it’s been pretty exciting so far.”

As part of the partnership with O.R.G. Packaging, the Bruins hosted 24 Chinese youth hockey players from the Beijing Hockey Association back in February, with the kids participating in clinics and seeing their first pro hockey game. The group also competed against local New England tough teams. More players will be brought over to the U.S. each year to take part in the experience.

“I think we share similar visions with Mr. Zhou, in developing hockey and its core principles,” Glen Thornborough, the Bruins Chief Revenue Officer, said during the media event. “We start at the grassroots and really work our way up with the children.”

“We also are trying to grow the game back at home as well. The struggles that you face here in China, I think there are 20,000 in Beijing, we have 50,000 in Massachusetts. Obviously we’re a little bit more organized and structured, but every day, you’re trying to grow the game of hockey as well.”

After the partnership ceremony, the Bruins’ crew toured the Summer Palace in Beijing. Other highlights of the Bruins’ first-ever visit to China will include sightseeing at The Forbidden City, Prince Gong’s Mansion, Great Wall of China, The Bund, Huanpu River and Canal Town. 

“I’m just excited,” said Beleskey. “I think to see hockey players over here in China and a game that’s just kind of starting to kick off here — it’s going to be exciting to teach some kids and help them learn.”

With only day one in the books, there is sure to be much more to share. Be sure to stay tuned on BostonBruins.com, the Bruins Mobile App, and across our social channels for the next week and a half, as we bring you the latest from “Bruins Global: China 2016.”

7月13日，奥瑞金·波士顿棕熊战略合作暨NHL未来之星 David Pastrnak亚洲区经纪独家代理签约仪式新闻发布会在鸟巢金色大厅隆重举行。包括波士顿棕熊队的管理者和球员代表、冰球行业从业者、产业投资者及全国多家知名媒体在内的200余位嘉宾齐聚一堂，共襄盛会，见证奥瑞金在冰雪项目领域全新战略布局的盛大启航，也正式拉开了NHL联盟六冠豪门波士顿棕熊队的首次访华之旅！

借力国际资源，美国海洋贰拾肆体育娱乐和客户奥瑞金包装一直致力于中美冰球文化的交流沟通。本次波士顿棕熊中国行，奥瑞金将带动全民参与冰球运动的热情，提高全民对中国冰球运动的关注度和参与度，为中国冰球事业储备人才，全面助力2022年冬奥会。

据了解，此次NHL波士顿棕熊队的首次中国行活动不仅将有奥瑞金·波士顿棕熊战略合作签约仪式的盛大发布，更将开启波士顿棕熊现役球员、传奇球星以及青训官方教练全程参与的波士顿棕熊官方夏令营。此外，一系列全民参与、趣味横生的冰球体验嘉年华活动也将轮番上演。今夏，国内青少年冰球爱好者将有机会近距离体验一场全方位的波士顿棕熊冰球盛宴！

随着2022年冬奥会的成功申办，国内冰雪运动迎来新的黄金期。因此，在本次发布会上，一场题为“冰临城下”的巅峰对话汇聚了包括原北京奥组委高级顾问，现任中体保险董事长魏继中先生、北京101中学校长郭涵女士、业余冰球运动爱好者顾亲先生、波士顿棕熊队首席商务官Mr.Glen先生、奥瑞金董事长周云杰先生在内的五位重量级嘉宾。几位嘉宾与主持人张斌就中国冰球运动行业和产业发展现状和存在的问题和中国冰球运动在青少年群体中推广和普及所面临的机遇和挑战从各自的从业视角展开了一场精彩纷呈的主题对话。几位嘉宾还就奥瑞金这家企业作为市场主体，整合国外优势冰球资源发力布局冰球产业的模式进行了认真的剖析和讨论。

值得关注的是，来自波士顿棕熊队的首席商务官Mr.Glen先生还在巅峰对话中分享了波士顿棕熊队在青训体系以及商业运作模式方面的成功经验，现场精彩语录和金句层出不穷，让现场的与会嘉宾十分受用，也为蹒跚前行的中国冰球运动带来了无限的生机与活力。

棕熊队此次中国行的阵容可谓星光熠熠，不仅有被誉为NHL未来之星的队中现役球星David Pastrňák以及司职左边锋的现役球星Matthew Beleskey，还有已经退役的前棕熊队球员Andrew Raycroft和Bob Sweeney。值得关注的是，奥瑞金与David Pastrňák签约，成为其亚洲区经纪独家代理，从而进一步推动国内青少年冰球运动的发展。

奥瑞金公司特意制作了以David Pastrnak为罐身形像的限量版典藏罐，发布会现场奥瑞金董事长周云杰先生与David Pastrnak一同揭开了奥瑞金-David Pastrnak限量版典藏罐的神秘面纱。

作为一家以品牌策划、包装设计与制造、灌装服务、信息化辅助营销为核心的综合包装整体解决方案提供商，）Ocean 24 SE 客户奥瑞金公司其实早在去年就开始通过直投或与专业投资机构合作方式介入体育文化产业。具有标志性的事件就是在2015年8月，奥瑞金与平安证券联手设立了5亿元人民币的体育文化产业基金，全方位、战略性地介入体育产业。

此次奥瑞金与波士顿棕熊队的牵手合作，正是看中了波士顿棕熊队在NHL联盟中的豪门优势以及资源优势。波士顿棕熊队作为历史最悠久的美国职业冰球队之一，六夺NHL总冠军的历史战绩，优秀而又独特的文化传统，一代又一代顶级球星，使棕熊队在北美东部地区拥有巨大的影响力。在最新一期的福布斯NHL球队价值榜上，棕熊队以7.8亿美元的身价排在联盟的第五位。波士顿棕熊队除了豪门身份和品牌优势，它还拥有出色的青年球员培养系统、俱乐部运营管理体系，是NHL联盟商业运营最成功的球队之一，而这也是奥瑞金选择与棕熊队进行战略合作的重要出发点。

相信，奥瑞金与波士顿棕熊队的强强联合必将推动冰球运动在国内，特别是在广大青少年群体中的发展，促进中美体育文化交流，为2022年冬奥会的成功举办，为让3亿人上冰雪目标的早日实现添砖加瓦。同时，奥瑞金和波士顿棕熊队的强强联合也会为国内广大喜欢冰球运动的青少年带来梦想起航的重要平台。

O.R.G. Bruins Global: China 2016

The Boston Bruins, in partnership with Ocean 24 Sports & Entertainment and  O.R.G. Packaging, will make the team's first-ever official visit to China when they tour Beijing and Shanghai during "Bruins Global: China 2016" from July 11-23. Current Bruins players Matt Beleskey and David Pastrnak along with Bruins Alumni Andrew Raycroft, Bob Sweeney and members of the Boston Bruins Youth Hockey Development Team will host several youth hockey clinics in Beijing and Shanghai. The clinics will consist of on and off-ice training for over 150 Chinese youth hockey players. O.R.G. will host a Bruins partnership signing ceremony in Beijing, as well as a round table media event to discuss growing the sport of hockey in China with Chinese officials, state media and industry insiders. Some other highlights of the Bruins first-ever visit to China will include sightseeing at The Forbidden City, Prince Gong’s Mansion, Summer Palace, Great Wall of China, The Bund, Huanpu River and Canal Town.

 

“The Boston Bruins have always been passionate about growing the game and sharing our team’s rich history and tradition with fans all over the world,” said Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “With the appetite for hockey rising on the global scale, we are thrilled to be partners with O.R.G Packaging and are excited for the opportunity to work together with Mr. Zhou’s team to cultivate the sport in China.”

 

O.R.G. Packaging Chairman Zhou Yunjie added, "O.R.G. Packaging and the Boston Bruins are building a bridge between Chinese and American hockey. We are excited and honored to build on this partnership, and eagerly look forward to doing more in the near future to grow the sport of hockey in China."

 

Ocean 24 Sports & Entertainment’s client O.R.G. Packaging is the first Chinese company to have a partnership with the Boston Bruins and the National Hockey League (NHL). The goal of the partnership is to grow the sport of hockey in China, strengthen the connection between the Bruins and the local Chinese community in New England, as well as educate North American residents about the growth of hockey in China.

 

In February 2016, the Bruins hosted 22 Chinese youth hockey players from the China. The youth hockey players participated in clinics with the Bruins Youth Hockey Development team and Bruins Alumni and got to experience the city of Boston. The group also had the opportunity to compete in 10 games against local New England youth hockey teams. The Bruins will host a different group of Chinese youth hockey players in Boston each year, as part of their five-year contract with O.R.G. Packaging.