The 2017-18 China Games, a two-game slate of NHL exhibition contests in Beijing and Shanghai, wrapped up on Saturday with the league talking up its international expansion as the steppingstone toward long-term partnership with overseas markets.
As NHL.com's Nicholas Cotsonika detailed following two Los Angeles Kings wins over the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL's first-ever China presence could ultimately lead to a new -- and substantial -- fan base.
China has enormous potential because of its population of 1.3 billion, its growing economy and the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The Chinese government wants 300 million to participate in winter sports leading up to those Olympics, and it asked the NHL to help grow hockey by lending its expertise in building hockey infrastructure and a national team, and by playing games in the country.