Meet the Canadians behind hockey night in Hangzhou, China
Poets have celebrated the beautiful Chinese city of Hangzhou for millennia, praising the temples, pavilions and pagodas that ring its tranquil West Lake.
But when Canadians see a lake, some think of only one thing: hockey.
Recently, three Canadian English teachers living in the ancient Eastern city started hockey night in Hangzhou with the city's very first amateur hockey league. It's called the Zhejiang Hockey League, named for the province of which Hangzhou is capital.
Kyle MacNeil, a 34-year-old from Sydney, N.S., says the league comprises three four-on-four teams: Lords of the Rink, Maple Buds and Red Stars. Collectively, they're the Westlakers.
"There are about 15 Chinese players who participate in the league and we have players from all over the world — Canada, U.S.A., China, New Zealand, Russia, France, Finland and Korea," he tells CBC.
Hockey in a shopping mall
Frank Ienzi, a 30-year-old from Ottawa, says some of the players come from northeast China, where hockey has established a foothold.
"Some are brand new to hockey and want to get better," he adds.
The third Canadian is Will Lefebvre, a 28-year-old man born in Middleton, N.S., and raised in Ottawa (all three spoke to CBC via email).
Two years ago, he and Ienzi found a family skating rink in a shopping mall and arranged to rent it after-hours.
"They wanted to bring a part of Canada to China," says MacNeil.
Hangzhou is building three new ice rinks and they do have resurfacing machines, but the ice quality isn't always NHL-ready. MacNeil compares it to skating on a roller-coaster.
"Sometimes the ice is great, other times it's a swimming pool, or the corners have big ruts, so there are times when safe play is paramount," he says.
Creating new hockey fans
The hockey players must wait for the mall to close before they're allowed to lace up.
"There aren't any change rooms, showers or player benches, and the ice surface is about two-thirds the size of typical rink back home. And on top of that, the rink charges about double," Lefebvre says.
But they're drawing fascinated fans. Parents and kids especially enjoy the fast-paced game.
"They enjoy watching us and taking photos. Many of them inquire about playing and getting involved. They always say how cool it is and it is awesome to have this sport getting more popular in Hangzhou," Ienzi says.
"There are a handful of people who have no idea what it is, but when we tell them to come watch they always have positive feedback."
Hockey gear is hard to come by in China, so they started with just gloves, helmets and sticks.
"We had no goalies — we just flipped the nets down," MacNeil says. They looked at Taobao, a giant Chinese company that sells hockey gear, but found it twice the price it would be in Canada.
Ienzi says by chance they befriended a local man who runs a factory called IBX and makes his own hockey equipment. He is now their main supplier, offering league players a good discount and occasional donations.
Beijing 2022
Chinese people interested in winter sports usually pick figure skating or curling, and many play and follow non-winter sports like badminton, table tennis, basketball and soccer.
But Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics and the country is investing in winter sports. In 2015, Andong Song became the first Chinese-born hockey player drafted into the NHL.
"I saw him get drafted and was very excited for him and the potential he has," says Ienzi. "I know many locals have high hopes for him so I hope he improves and puts himself on the map worldwide."
Song got his hockey start as a six-year-old boy dazzled by the first game he saw — in a Beijing shopping mall. So perhaps the next Song has already laced up with the three Canadians.
"There is some interest from the public towards playing hockey. People watch us play and they enjoy it, and there are now hockey lessons at our rink for children — but I don't feel hockey in general will become a nationwide phenomenon any time soon," MacNeil says.
Ienzi notes that the NHL makes its China debut this fall, when the Vancouver Canucks and L.A. Kings will play the first NHL games in the country in Shanghai and Beijing.
"You can bet the Hangzhou Westlakers will be at that game, decked out in all our team apparel," he says.
