Wong’s opportunity came when the Flames tapped him to do features to promote two preseason games against the Boston Bruins, played in Beijing and Shenzhen on Sept. 15 and 19, 2018.
“The ownership, the management, thought it would be great to open the door to the Chinese community when it comes to promoting the brand,” Wong said. “So my very first assignment was to tell people that the Flames were traveling to China to play a couple exhibition games.”
Wong also accompanied the team on the trip and captured the flavor of what it was like over there that, in his words, “connected the conversation locally when I came back.
“Management thought it would be great to continue. “So literally, it’s from a promotional campaign, to talk about the Flames going to China, to become a fixture on Flames TV.”
Wong, who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, said he’s proud to be a bridge between the hockey and Chinese communities.
“I think we need to realize that hockey is more than just a game, more than just a sport,” he said. “I’ve heard many stories, including mine, when you meet strangers, sport is an equalizer. And in Canada, when you talk about hockey, you tend to make new friends right away.”