It also works out that he's here at the same time as the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins are preparing to play two preseason games as part of the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games.
Gretzky was on the ice in the practice rink shortly after the Bruins and Flames finished their first practices here on the main rink in the Sports Center. He sees the opportunity the NHL sees in China, a chance to create further global growth in the game, to get more kids playing and maybe, one day, have a Chinese-born NHL player.
"With the people of China hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, we're trying to give hockey a little bit of a jumpstart, a little bit of a boost," Gretzky said. "With the NHL here and this country having a team in the KHL, hockey seems to be on the rise and it's great for everyone."
Gretzky added that he thinks the sky is the limit for hockey in China once the people here get accustomed to the game and more kids start playing. He was impressed by the kids he was on the ice with Friday.
"The first thing you notice with kids is if they can skate, and all these kids skate really well," he said. "If you can skate well at a young age then you learn everything else about the game -- how to handle a pass, how to shoot. Skating is so important, and if you look at all the kids, they all skate really well."
Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 created a swell in kids playing in California and across warm-weather states, leading to the NHL putting teams in Florida, Texas, Tennessee and two more in California. He's hopeful that one day a parallel can be drawn to that in China, with his hockey schools and the NHL's presence here serving as the match that lights the flame.