China Games Buzz: Bruins superfan thrilled to see favorite team in person

Welcome to the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games. The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames will play the second of two games in Beijing on Wednesday (7:30 a.m. ET; NBCSN, SN). NHL.com staff writers Dan Rosen and Amalie Benjamin are there to provide the sights and highlights for the weeklong trip.

Bruins superfan thrilled to see favorite team in person

Monica Chen could have been mistaken for any Boston Bruins fan from Charlestown or Hingham, Swampscott or Southie. She wore black-and-gold nail polish and a Bruins T-shirt with a bag slung over her back that said "Bruins Forever." She made a sign that read, "37 + 63 = 100," the uniform numbers of linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and slung it over the railing at Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen on Saturday.
But she's not from Massachusetts. Chen comes from Zhangjiakou, a city that borders Beijing to the northwest. She traveled from Xian, where she lives now, about 1,100 miles to Shenzhen, for Boston's 4-3 shootout win against the Calgary Flames, and she'll be in Beijing at the second game.
So how did this happen?
"It's hard to describe," Chen said. "One day I just saw a post on Instagram. It was Zdeno Chara holding hands with a little girl before a charity event, and I thought the scene was heartwarming."
She had already followed other Boston sports teams, though she has never been to Boston and wasn't a hockey fan. Still, she fell in love.
"It's more exciting than any other game I have followed before," she said,
And now she has seen the Bruins -- and Marchand (No. 63), her favorite player -- in person. That was a thrill.
Chen hopes hockey will continue to grow in China; the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing.
"Hockey is still not big, but since we can watch NHL on TV and through the network, it's getting bigger," she said. "I know the NHL and the Bruins have been growing the game in the past years. … The NHL has been doing a lot to promote this game." -- Amalie Benjamin

Emergency goaltender for Bruins has Chinese connection

Derek Dun is living a dream.
Dun, a Canadian of Chinese descent, signed a pro tryout contract with the Bruins last month and is participating in two days of practices with the Bruins. He'll be Boston's emergency goaltender Wednesday.

The Bruins signed Dun in anticipation of the trip to China. It was a goodwill gesture, but also a practical measure. They did not have an emergency goalie in Shenzhen on Saturday - and they could have used one. Tuukka Rask would not have dressed and would not have been forced into the game cold when Jaroslav Halak's skate needed sharpening in the third period.
Dun, 24, who played three seasons at Northern Michigan and one at the University of British Columbia, got a chance to take some reps during Boston's lengthy practice Monday at AZ Ice Sports Club in Beijing. Wearing red-and-white pads, the 24-year-old from Surrey, British Columbia, got to live out his NHL dreams.
"It was fast. Quick," said Dun, who plays for the top minor league affiliate of Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. "It's pretty much everything you expect. It's some of the best players in the world out there. Got to keep sharp and had to be on my toes."
Bruins president Cam Neely said signing Dun could boost fan interest in China.
"When you see athletes that have the heritage of your country, it gets you excited about watching them and learning about the sport and maybe getting involved in the sport," Neely said. "So someone like Derek who's got the Chinese heritage, whether it's here in China or Chinatowns across North America, [could get people] excited about seeing someone with that heritage in the sport." --Amalie Benjamin