Hockey In the Land of the Olympics

With the Summer Olympics nearly underway, forgive us hockey fans for not yet being fully in the spirit of the Games.

Michael Phelps is impressive and all, but we prefer our water frozen and skated upon. Field hockey? Close, but no cigar. And while the NHL is not without its divers, we prefer our reverse three-and-a-half somersaults to be accompanied by unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. "8.8.08" may have meaning to most sports fans, but to puckheads it's just "the day after Sidney Crosby's 21st birthday."

With a little finesse, however, there are hockey tie-ins, even in Beijing in August. And come September? Well, Shanghai will become Hockeytown, China as the Sharks open their season at the end of the month.

Did I say the Sharks? Indeed. But this isn't another one of Gary Bettman's attempts to grow the game abroad. Not blatantly, at least. I'm talking about the China Sharks, a team in the Asia League Ice Hockey, a seven team league comprised of four Japanese teams, a pair of squads from South Korea and the Sharks. [For much more on the League, check out this dated but nonetheless interesting read, and for more on East Asian youth hockey, check out Isles owner Charles Wang's Project Hope.]

By now you're probably wondering about these Sharks, with their teal, black, gray and white color scheme and familiar logo, and assuming it's yet another case of Chinese intellectual property theft. Not so fast, Matlock. These Sharks are licensed:

As a result of negotiation between the Chinese Association and the San Jose Sharks [prior to the beginning of the 2007-08 season], the NHL team agreed to send five players and three coaches to the Chinese team, in exchange for the team naming rights.

And so the China Sharks were born (and given this unbelievable story, it's a fitting name, though I'd still vote for the China Grove), with San Jose Sharks über-blogger P.J. Swenson providing the details on the coaches and players sent to the Far East:

Derek Eisler, a Jr Sharks head coach, and Tom Lenox, a junior coach from Minnesota, are 2 of the 3 coaches heading east. Keegan McAvoy, Kevin Korol, Jason Beeman, Dan Knapp and Zach Sikich are the players that will suit up for the China Sharks. McAvoy has played right wing for the University of Saskatchewan (CIS), and also has WHL and ECHL experience. Left wing Kevin Korol also has WHL, ECHL and CIS experience. Right wing Jason Beeman scored 24 points and racked up 143 PIMs for the Texas Wildcatters of the ECHL last season. Zach Sikich is a 6-foot-2, 205 pound goalie who has played for St. Thomas College (NCAA), as well as for teams in the UHL, SPHL, and ECHL.

Armed with North American talent on the ice and behind the bench, and matching up against Prince Rabbits and Paper Cranes, the Sharks were poised for much success... or not. The Sharks finished the 2007-08 campaign at the bottom of the ALIH standings with a 3-26-3 record (which is far better than their predecessor Qiqihar's 1-40-1 record in 2004-05), but appear undeterred -- a trio of China Sharks attended San Jose Sharks rookie camp last month.

So hockey is on the rise in China, and, with an unbelievable amount of luck, you could even see the Chinese men (currently ranked 27th in the world) or more likely the women (currently ranked seventh in the world) at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. After all, to paraphrase A. Whitney Brown, in a country where even a one-in-a-million talent is common -- there are 1,300 of 'em -- it's only a matter of time before they can ice a competitive hockey team.

As for the upcoming Summer Games in the Sharks' backyard? I'm afraid catching a glimpse of Alex Ovechkin at a Russian women's basketball game might be the best us hockey fans can do.