Attracting new fans requires a little advanced preparation

Judging by the mixed signals at Wednesday's finale of the NHL China Games at Beijing's Cadillac Arena, you'd never know the clock is ticking on the league's plan to attract a mainstream following in Asia ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

On one hand, the preseason clash between the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins, coming on the heels of last Saturday's shootout in Shenzhen, gave fans that stayed for the full 60 minutes plenty to cheer about as the Bruins eked out a 3-1 victory.

An announced crowd of 12, 933 spectators at the 17,000-seat venue waved towels, roared at every collision and howled with delight when the team mascots were shown interacting with fans on the giant video screen.

The down side was that about half the throng went streaming to the exits during the second intermission because nobody thought to announce that a hockey game consists of three periods, not two halves.

Another bonehead move was not having a printed program available for fans who wanted to know the lineups and what the players look like under their helmets and padding. A slick 50-yuan program would've made a nice souvenir－especially for parents not thrilled about shelling out 260 yuan for a cheap hat or twice that much for a flimsy T-shirt.

The lame "entertainment" between periods left much to be desired, too.

Rather than having 50 kids chase five pucks for 10 minutes before resurfacing the ice, why not have members of the national men's and women's teams square off in a skills competition? At least that would give neophyte fans something to talk about.

The much-hyped "Hockey Day in Beijing" festivities also fizzled out. There were no interactive activities outside Cadillac Arena to entice fans to show up early, and the Stanley Cup－the oldest championship trophy in pro sports－was nowhere to be seen. How many folks would have wanted a selfie with it?

These kind of lapses make the NHL's effort look decidedly uninspired and second-rate compared to the lengths to which the NBA and European soccer clubs go in selling their brands in China.

If the league hopes to achieve an Asian breakthrough at the 2022 Olympics, it's going to have to do a much better job of connecting.

But that's not the biggest obstacle on the horizon.

Lockouts wiped out the NHL's entire season in 2004-05 and reduced it to 48 games in 2013.

The threat of another labor stoppage could doom any possibility of the world's best players being showcased at the Beijing Games.

While the current collective bargaining agreement cannot be terminated until September 2020, the league and the Players' Association both have the option of withdrawing from the pact next fall.

NHLPA executive director Don Fehr told Associated Press this week he "didn't necessarily expect" either side to reopen labor negotiations, "but that's what you plan for, and you sort of assume it's going to happen because otherwise you're not ready.

"So is going to the Olympics definitely going to be a subject of collective bargaining? I can't say that yet. Is it possible? Of course."

Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, who owns more than 60 NHL records, weighed in on the Olympic experience during a visit to Beijing last week in his capacity as global ambassador for China's Kunlun Red Star club.

"I think it's a real special stage; there's something really unique and special about playing for your country and there's nothing bigger than playing for your country in the Olympics," said Gretzky, who captained Team Canada at the 1998 Nagano Games.

"So, you know with the Winter Olympics being here in China, it would be so wonderful for our sport worldwide and for the people of China to see the best players in the world on center stage."

Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick.

The writer covered the NHL for Canadian newspapers from 1984-2012.