Sports

Bruins, Flames going to China as NHL continues outreach

02 of May 2018

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2017, file photo, Los Angeles Kings' Jonny Brodzinski, second from right, and the Vancouver Canucks' Derek Dorsett battle for control of the puck during the second period of their NHL China exhibition game at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing. The NHL is going back to China for two exhibition games this fall between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames. The league announced Wednesday, May 2, 2018, the Bruins and Flames will face off Sept. 15 in Shenzhen in southeast China and then again Sept. 19 in Beijing.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File),FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2017, file photo, Los Angeles Kings' Jonny Brodzinski, second from right, and the Vancouver Canucks' Derek Dorsett battle for control of the puck during the second period of their NHL China exhibition game at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing. The NHL is going back to China for two exhibition games this fall between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames. The league announced Wednesday, May 2, 2018, the Bruins and Flames will face off Sept. 15 in Shenzhen in southeast China and then again Sept. 19 in Beijing.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The NHL is going back to China for two exhibition games this fall between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames. The league announced the Bruins and Flames will face off Sept. 15 in Shenzhen in southeast China and then again Sept. 19 in Beijing. The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks played preseason games in Shanghai and Beijing last September. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, though it is unclear if the NHL will allow its players to participate.

The NHL is going back to China for two exhibition games this fall between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames.

The league announced Wednesday the Bruins and Flames will face off Sept. 15 in Shenzhen in southeast China and then again Sept. 19 in Beijing. The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks played preseason games in Shanghai and Beijing last September, the NHL’s first foray there.

China represents an as-yet untapped resource for the NHL, especially ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Commissioner Gary Bettman has so far been noncommittal about the NHL going to the 2022 Games after skipping South Korea this year, but the work is already underway to make serious inroads in China where the NBA has had a presence for decades.

The league is working with local authorities to develop grassroots hockey programs as the government of the country with a population of 1.3 billion aims to have 300 million participants in winter sports by 2022.

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Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

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