*By Michael Teich*
The NHL is taking a page out of the NBA's international playbook, planning a Chinese expansion to develop a hockey culture in the world's most populous country.
"It's a content play," said New Jersey Devils President Hugh Weber in an interview on Cheddar Monday. "There are 300 million people in China alone who play basketball. We're seeing this also in hockey."
China's population of 1.4 billion presents a massive opportunity for growth, but hockey has been slower to catch on than others sports such as basketball. The NBA will play its 25th and 26th games in the country early in October.
Last year, China asked the NHL for help building hockey infrastructure and a national team ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Chinese government [reportedly](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-sees-bright-future-in-china-after-preseason-games/c-291287606) sees 300 million citizens competing in winter sports before the games.
NHL teams will play seven games overseas this season. In addition to China, there will be match-ups in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and Finland. That's more than the NBA and the NFL, which each will play four games overseas.
While China is a main expansion target of the league, the Devils may have found a sweet spot in Europe, Weber said.
With 60 percent of players on the team born outside the U.S., Weber said he sees a big opportunity to connect with fans, particularly in Nordic countries already familiar with the sport.
"We have a lot of young European stars. This is why the team will be featured live in prime time in Europe 12 times this year."
The New Jersey Devils kick off the preseason Monday night against the New York Rangers. Their first regular season game will be in Sweden on October 6, when they'll go up against the Edmonton Oilers.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/nhl-taking-a-page-out-of-the-nba-s-business-playbook).
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The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
