China Dragon

China Dragon
City China Harbin, Qiqihar and Shanghai
League Asia League Ice Hockey
Founded 1954
Home arena 5,000-capacity Sports Center Pavilion, Harbin
Colors Red, Yellow         
Owner(s) Zhao Yinggang
Head coach Araki Keisuke
Captain China Zhang Weiyang
Website http://www.chinaicehockey.net
Franchise history
2004–2006 Qiqihar
2006–2007 Changchun Fuao
2004–2006 Harbin
2006–2007 Hosa
2007–2009 China Sharks
2009–present China Dragon

The China Dragon (Chinese: 中国龙队) are a professional ice hockey team playing home games in three different cities in China, including Harbin, Qiqihar and Shanghai.[1] The team is currently a member of Asia League Ice Hockey. The team was formed in 1954 as two different clubs, Harbin and Qiqihar, as part of the China League. In 2004 the clubs joined Asia League Ice Hockey and in 2007 they merged into a single club, China Sharks, backed by the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks, for financial reasons. The team was renamed the China Dragon in 2009 when San Jose pulled out.

History

The China Dragon began their history as two separate teams, both playing in China.

Qiqihar

Qiqihar Ice hockey team was founded in 1954 and captured 28 championships in the China League. Their mascot was the snow leopard.[2] The team joined Asia League Ice Hockey in the 2004–2005 season. They played out of the Qiqihar Gymnasium. The season was opened in the two Chinese rinks.[3] They played 42 games in their initial season only winning a single game and finished in last place with four points. Their only win came against fellow Chinese team, Harbin. They gave up a staggering 326 goals while only managing to score 53.[4] Fu Nan led his team in scoring with eight goals. Liu Henan had eight assists and 14 points.[5] The team also gave up the most short handed goals while being the only team who didn't score any.[6] The team rotated coaches from game to game rather than have a single coach lead the team for the season.[7] The team had three import players on the roster, but only two of them each played a single game during the season.[5]

As part of the Nordic Vikings entry into the league, Qiqihar sent three players to play on their team for the 2005–2006 season. In return, the Vikings provided three players, a coach and an official to Qiqihar.[8] While improving on their first year's showing, the team still finished in last place with 11 points. With the schedule reduced to 38 games, the team gave up 278 goals while scoring 61. Their success came mainly against Harbin, but they managed an overtime loss to Kangwon Land from South Korea who were playing in their first season.[9] The team stopped fielding their Swedish exchange players after their November 28, 2005 game against Anyang Halla. However, Anders Westerlund continued to coach the team until the end of the season.[10] The team was led in scoring by Jayden Der with 11 goals and 15 points. Guo Xin had the most assists with nine.[11] For the second year in a row the team gave up the most short handed goals while being the only team not to score one.[12]

There were several changes to the team in the 2006–2007 season. The Nordic Vikings left the league which means the player and staff that were exchanged were no longer available to them. The team also gained new sponsorship. Their name was changed to "Changchun Fuao" and they moved to Changchun, the future site of the 2007 Asian Winter Games.[13] The league reduced the amount of games played to 34. Changchun Fuao slid backwards from the previous season and only won 2 games. Both wins came against Hose, formerly Harbin, and they finished with six points.[14] On December 3, Changchun was involved in a bench-clearing brawl against the Nikko Ice Bucks. Five Ice Bucks players received game misconduct penalties while seven Changchun players received the same and one Changchun player, Fu Nan, received a match penalty.[15] The league later suspended all of the penalized players for one game, except for Fu who received a two game suspension.[16] Lie Henan again led the team with 20 points and also led scoring with 13. Fu Nan led with nine assists.[17] Fuao did improve in the short handed goals department. They gave up the most of any team, but managed to score six during the season which put them ahead of the Nikko Ice Bucks who only scored three.[18] With the departure of their year-long coach from Sweden, the team was back to switching coaches during the season.[19] Due to financial difficulty the team merged with Hosa at the end of the 2006–2007 season to form the China Sharks.

Harbin

Like Qiqihar, Harbin Ice hockey team was also founded in 1954 and took part in the China League. They had the most championship wins in Chinese hockey. Harbin took their name from Harbin City and played out of the Harbin Ice Hockey Rink. They joined Asia League Ice Hockey in the 2004–2005 season.[2] In their first season of 42 games they finished in seventh place with 26 points. They had seven wins, including two against the Nikko Ice Bucks. They scored 91 goals while allowing 225.[4] Unlike Qiqihar, Harbin used import players on their team. Tomas Hruby finished sixth in the league and led the team with 23 goals, 19 assists and 42 points.[5] Harbin also led the league in short handed goals with nine.[6] Captain Yin Kai was absent from two games on December 4[20] and 7[21] during which time the team played with no captain on the ice. On December 11, 2004 Wang Dahai began filling the position of captain.[22] In contrast to Qiqihar, Harbin maintained the same coach through the season.[7]

In their second season, 2005–2006, Harbin again won seven of their 38 games. Including three games against new Korean entry, Kangwon Land. They scored 68 goals while allowing 198.[9] They also received three players, a coach and official from the Nordic Vikings organization.[8] The Swedish coach took over for the year and their coach from the previous year worked as an assistant coach.[2] Yin Kai returned to the Harbin line-up on November 23, 2005[23] and after a couple of games he resumed the position of captain on December 1.[24] Harbin removed the Swedish players from their roster after the December 13 game against the Nippon Paper Cranes.[25] Du Chao was the team leader with 13 goals and 18 points. Wang Dahai recorded 13 assists.[11] After the previous year's strong showing in short handed goals, Harbin finished near the bottom with only 2.[12]

Harbin was sponsored by the Hosa sporting goods company in the 2006–2007 season. As part of the sponsorship deal the team moved to Beijing and changed their name to Hosa. It was announced that they would still play some home games in Harbin. Their new home was the Hosa Skating Center.[26] Of the 34 games that Hosa played they won six and finished in seventh place with 19 points, scoring 86 goals while allowing 188. They were swept by three of the four Japanese teams.[14] With the departure of their Swedish imports, Hosa brought Tomas Hruby back to the roster. He led the team with 22 goals again finishing sixth in the league. Juri Hubacek finished sixth in assists with 35 and eight in points overall with 51. Hruby finished in eighth place with 50 points.[17] For the second time in their three-year history in the league the team was leading in the league in short handed goals, tied for 10 with two other teams.[18] The team played six of their 17 home games in Harbin.[19] At the end of the season they merged with Chanchun Fuao to form the China Sharks.

China Sharks

Under the management of the Chinese Ice Hockey Association, players were selected from the two teams to form the new team, originally sponsored by Hosa Sports. As a result of negotiation between the Chinese Association and the San Jose Sharks, the NHL team agreed to send five players and three coaches to the Chinese team, in exchange for the team naming rights. The team's logo is similar to the Cleveland Barons, a previous affiliate of the Sharks.

By merging the only two professional hockey clubs in China, the China Sharks essentially became the Chinese national team which would compete in the Asia League Ice Hockey and eventually in the Olympics. Since this sounded like a truly unique experience to teach and spread the game of hockey into Asia while expanding into a new market, the parent company of the San Jose Sharks, Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, made a decision to send players and coaches to China prior to the 2007–08 season.[27]

The partnership between the San Jose Sharks and China’s national team happened largely through the work of China Sharks’ GM Chris Collins. While working for the San Jose Sharks, Collins investigated China’s athletic market and was able to convince San Jose Sharks’ President Greg Jamison that the club should invest in China. After the partnership became official, Collins soon moved to China and became GM of the new club.[28] The team now has two major offices in Shanghai which employ marketing and operations professionals.[29]

China Sharks goalie Wade Flaherty prepares to make a stop in a game against the Anyang Halla on November 15, 2008. Flaherty is wearing the team's away jersey.

Though the team played its first season in Beijing, it moved into a new arena called Songjiang Stadium in the Songjiang District of Shanghai for the 2008–09 season. On October 11, 2008 the China Sharks played the first home game in their new arena, beating the Seibu Prince Rabbits by a score of 3–1. Prior to this, the team held its 2008–09 training camp in the northern Chinese city of Suihua.[27] Also before the 2008–09 season, three China Sharks players trained in the United States at the San Jose Sharks rookie training camp in Oakland, California. Cui Zhinan, Lui Heenan, and Wang Jiang, all came to spread awareness of the team and skate with the club each afternoon. The men stayed for different periods of time, with some staying as long as ten days.[28]

The San Jose Sharks’ decision to partner with the Chinese national team was not the first initiative by an NHL team to spread hockey into Asia. In 2006, the New York Islanders helped launch Project Hope, an initiative which included building several rinks, providing hockey equipment, coaching, and providing English classes to those living in the Heilongjiang Province of China.[27] Like the New York Islanders, the San Jose Sharks plan to work with the Chinese government and local investors to build youth and industrial leagues across China. Also a part of this plan would be to help develop rinks and other hockey venues to encourage the game.[29] While the game has been somewhat popular in northern China, the game is relatively unknown in southern parts of the country. Part of these initiatives will be to help spread hockey throughout all of China.[28] At the current time, the New York Islanders and the San Jose Sharks are the only two NHL teams with a presence in China.

The China Sharks’ eventual goal is to prepare its young Chinese players to eventually compete in the winter Olympics. However, the level of play in China is still significantly lower than in other countries. In 2008–09, the China Sharks finished near the bottom of the Asia League Ice Hockey, winning only five of their thirty-six regular-season games.[30]

China Dragon (2007– )

The team was renamed the China Dragon in 2009 when San Jose pulled out its financial backing.

To say the club has not been competitive in the AIHL is a massive understatement; since the merger of the two teams (in 2007) through 2014, the team won only 11 out of their 258 games. In the 2008–09 season, it appeared Dragon was making limited progress: they won seven of their 36 contests, good enough for 23 points, three more than the last-place Nikkō Ice Bucks of Japan. In 2009–10, however, China managed only one win – the only victory the club would get in their next five seasons, a span of 192 matches. Dragon would compile a imperfect record in 2013–14, losing all 42 matches in regulation and being outscored 340–58.

Finally, Dragon snapped their long losing streak on September 23, 2014, with a 4–3 overtime win over High1.[31] Brett Parnham scored a hat trick, including the game-winner. China finished the 2014–15 season still deep in last place, but they did manage eight wins on the season against 40 defeats.[32] In 2015-16, Dragon's record was about the same, seven wins in 48 matches and another last-place finish; Brett Parnham's 21 goals was good enough to place in the AIHL top 10.[33]

Roster

As of 2013 – 2014 season[34]

China Dragon goalie Daisuke Sakai trying to make a stop in a game against the Oji Eagles.
Goaltenders
# Country Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
33 Japan Sakai Daisuke L 2011 Nagano, Japan
36 China Sun Zehao L 2013 China
39 China Xia Shengrong R 2013 China
Defencemen
# Country Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
5 China Na Yungang L 2013 China
7 Japan Kazumoto Imajo R 2013 Hokkaido, Japan
8 Japan Shuji Kikuchi L 2011 Tokyo, Japan
10 Russia Roman Pantyukhov L 2013 Yakutsk, Russia
12 China Yang Mingxi 2013 China
19 China Liu Qing R 2013 China
23 China Wen Chao L 2012 China
27 China Li Ning L 2013 China
86 China Liu Longtan L 2013 China
97 China Guan Tianyi L 2012 China
Forwards
# Country Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
1 China Chen Ling F R 2010 China
11 JapanUnited States Miles Beason F 2013 Edmonton, Canada
14 China Li Hang F L 2013 China
15 Japan Rick Soo F R 2013 Tokyo, Japan
22 Japan Shō Tanaka RW R 2009 Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan
24 China Xia Tianxiang F L 2012 China
61 China Li Zhengyu F L 2013 China
79 China He Yin F R 2012 China
89 China Zhang Hao F L 2009 China
90 China Ji Peng F R 2013 China
93 China Bao Jiachang F L 2012 China
99 China Zhang Cheng F R 2012 China

Year-by-year record

complete records for previous seasons[35]

Qiqihar (AL Hockey 2004–2007)

Season GP W W(OT) T L(OT) L GF GA PTS Finish Playoffs
2004–05 42 1 0 0 1 40 53 326 4 8th/8 –
2005–06 38 3 0 1 1 33 61 278 11 9th/9 –
2006–07 34 2 0 0 0 32 41 235 6 8th/8 –
Totals 114 6 0 1 2 105 155 839 – – –

Harbin (AL Hockey 2004–2007)

Season GP W W(OT) T L(OT) L GF GA PTS Finish Playoffs
2004–05 42 7 2 1 0 32 91 225 26 7th/8 –
2005–06 38 7 1 1 0 29 68 198 24 8th/9 –
2006–07 34 6 0 0 1 27 86 188 19 7th/8 –
Totals 114 20 3 2 1 88 245 611 – – –

China Dragon (AL Hockey 2007–Present)

Season GP W W(OT) W(GWS)* T L(GWS)* L(OT) L GF GA PTS Finish Playoffs
2007–08 30 3 0 — 0 — 1 26 63 159 10 7th/7 –
2008–09 36 5 1 1 — 3 1 25 60 129 23 6th/7 –
2009–10 36 1 0 0 — 0 0 35 64 218 3 7th/7 –
2010–11 36 0 0 0 — 1 1 34 46 248 2 7th/7 –
2011–12 36 0 0 0 — 0 1 35 53 251 1 7th/7 –
2012–13 42 0 0 0 — 1 1 40 67 297 2 7th/7 –
Totals 216 9 1 1 0 5 5 195 353 1302 – – –

*prior to the 2008–2009 season, there were no shoot-outs and games ended in a tie

Team leaders

Wang Dahai was one of two captains for Hosa and was also a captain of China Dragon

Qiqihar

Captains Coaches
Player Season Coach Season
Liu Wen 2004–2006 Varied 2004–2005
Anders Westerlund 2005–2006
Zhou Yudi 2006–2007 Varied 2006–2007

Harbin

Captains Coaches
Player Season Coach Season
Yin Kai 2004 Wang Guocheng 2004–2005
Wang Dahai 2004–2005 Yari Armas Koskinen 2005–2006
Yin Kai 2005–2007 Wang Benyu 2006–2007

China Dragon

Captains Coaches
Player Season Coach Season
Zhou Yudi 2007–2008 Derek Eisler 2007–2009
Adam Taylor 2008–2009
Wang Dahai 2009–2010 Andrei Kovalev 2009–2010
Zhang Weiyang 2010–present Evgeny Lebedev 2010–2011
Araki Keisuke 2011–present

Past import players

Sources

  1. ↑ "2014–2015赛季亚洲联赛主场比赛时间表". 中国冰球协会. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "2005–2006 Team Profile". Alhockey.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  3. ↑ "Asia League Ice Hockey 2004–2005 has started!". Alhockey.com. 28 September 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  4. 1 2 "2004–2005 Regular Season Standings". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "2004–2005 Individual Records". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  6. 1 2 "2004–2005 Powerplay/Shorthanded rankings". Alhockey.com. 13 December 2009.
  7. 1 2 "2004–2005 Schedule Results". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009., individual game records show various coaches for Qiqihar taking turns throughout the season, Harbin's remains constant
  8. 1 2 "Asia League Ice Hockey 2005–2006 To Have 9 Participating Teams". Alhockey.com. 22 July 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  9. 1 2 "2005–2006 Regular Season Standings". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "2005–2006 Schedule Results". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009., individual game records show consistent use until this game. After this they are no longer on the roster. Except for the head-coach.
  11. 1 2 "2005–2006 Individual Records". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  12. 1 2 "2005–2006 Powerplay/Shorthanded rankings". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  13. ↑ "Game Schedule of Asia League Ice Hockey 2006–2007". Alhockey.com. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  14. 1 2 "2006–2007 Regular Season Schedule". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  15. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 3 December 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  16. ↑ "日本勢がホームで韓国・中国チームを迎え撃つ". 5 December 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  17. 1 2 "2006–2007 Individual Records". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  18. 1 2 "2006–2007 Powerplay/Shorthanded rankings". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  19. 1 2 "2006–2007 Schedule Results". Alhockey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  20. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 4 December 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  21. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 7 December 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  22. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 11 December 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  23. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  24. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  25. ↑ "Official Game Sheet". Alhockey.com. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  26. ↑ "2006–2007 Team Profile". Alhockey.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  27. 1 2 3 "San Jose strengthens ties to China Sharks". National Hockey League. August 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  28. 1 2 3 Harmanci, Reyhan (July 2008). "San Jose Sharks tutor China Sharks on ice". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  29. 1 2 "China Sharks Locate Team and Operations in Shanghai". Marketwire. September 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  30. ↑ "ALIH Standings". Asia League Ice Hockey. 25 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  31. ↑ http://www.alhockey.com/popup/23/game/prompt28.html
  32. ↑ http://www.alhockey.com/popup/23/standings.html
  33. ↑ http://www.alhockey.com/popup/25/point_rank.html
  34. ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=5128&year0=2013
  35. ↑ "Archive Record". Alhockey.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.

External links

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