Big picture comes into focus as China is introduced to NHL hockey
Canucks and Kings, however, bemoan rash of stick penalties in L.A. victory
The first stick infraction in the NHL’s first game in China went to the L.A. Kings’ Derek Forbort at the 48-second mark of the first period.
The second came just over four minutes later, the third three minutes after that, the fourth ... never mind, you get the picture.
The first roar for no apparent reason from the sparse but enthusiastic crowd of 10,088 came at the two-minute mark when Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom gloved an eye-high wrister from outside the blue-line. There would be almost as many of those this night as ticky-tack stick penalties.
The first goal you ask? That came from the Kings’ Adrian Kempe at 7:06 of the first period and hands up if you had him in the pool.
Now one day, knowing all this might win you a drink in a bar. As it is, the NHL’s great experiment got underway Thursday night in this magnificent city and while the full impact of the NHL China Games won’t be known for another five years, it still felt like the start of something at the 18,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Arena.
“We know why we’re here,” said Canucks captain Henrik Sedin. “It’s more about the big picture and that’s something that’s been on our mind from the day we found out we were coming here.
“Hockey isn’t going to change starting tomorrow. It’s going to happen down the line. But I’m guessing this isn’t the last time we’re coming here as a league.”
Thursday night — at least it was Thursday night on this side of the international dateline — the Kings downed the Canucks 5-2 in a penalty-filled affair in the least significant development of this game.
As for the more important aspects, the two teams, the league and the NHL Players’ Association scored a qualified success with its first foray into the Asian giant, engaging a crowd that didn’t seem terribly educated on the game’s finer points, but did seem willing to learn.
Especially about power plays. “They’re very fresh in their hockey knowledge,” said the Canucks’ Erik Gudbranson, who arrived at the rink sporting a magnificent red, dragon-festooned topcoat. “Sometimes they cheer for things they wouldn’t normally cheer for (in North America). But they were loud and they had a lot of fun.
“They took to the game really well. I’m hoping they had fun and appreciated what we had to offer.”
Well, they were able to appreciate special-teams play, a lot of special-teams play. With the NHL’s newest crackdown on stick fouls, both real and imagined, the two teams combined for 17 power plays with the Canucks sporting a whopping 12. Alas, their power play conjured up nightmarish images of last season’s dumpster fire, counting one goal by Sven Baertschi and giving up a shorty to Tanner Pearson. Markus Granlund also beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who stopped 31 of 33 shots, but wasn’t in a celebratory mood after his performance.
“It kills the game,” Quick said of the penalty parade. “There’s no rhythm, no flow.”
“When there’s that many power plays and penalty kills and you’re trying to evaluate guys in their five-on-five play, it’s hard,” said Canucks head coach Travis Green. “The flow of the game isn’t what it normally is.”
The larger Olympic-sized sheet of ice also contributed to the disjointed quality of play, according to Henrik Sedin. The Canucks captain was asked big-picture questions a couple of times in his post-game presser, but seemed preoccupied with the impact of the bigger ice surface on the play.
“It becomes a whole different game out there,” he said. “You’re trying to play with pace and speed, but it’s more about finding space away from the puck. You saw a lot of open ice, but it didn’t lead to a lot of chances.”
Still, this event was about something much bigger than the size of the rink and power plays, something that has the power to change the game and the business of the game dramatically and permanently.
“When you put skates on at a young age, you don’t really expect hockey’s going to bring you around the world like it has today,” said Gudbranson. “I think it’s an amazing experience. I’m glad it happened.”