trò chơi between Stars, Coyotes expected to increase interest in sport in non-traditional market
by William Douglas
William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog for the past nine years. Douglas joined nhathocusg.com in March 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of the nhathocusg.com"s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, he profiles the El Paso County Events Center, winner of the Kraft Hockeyville USA 2020 title và the site of a preseason game between the Dallas Stars and Arizomãng cầu Coyotes on Sunday.
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The El Paso County Coliseum Events Center was home lớn rodeos, equestrian shows and cattle auctions.
This week, the former cow palace-turned-skating rink in El Paso, Texas, is the site for Kraft Hockeyville USA 20đôi mươi & a preseason game between the Dallas Stars & Arizomãng cầu Coyotes on Sunday (9 p.m. ET).
Hundreds of communities entered but El Paso, a largely Hispanic đô thị along the United States-Mexico border in west Texas, earned the title as 2020"s most spirited hockey community in America after amassing the most votes online in the Kraft Hockeyville USA 20trăng tròn conchạy thử.
In addition lớn the preseason game, the Events Center won $150,000 in rink upgrades and $10,000 in equipment from the nhathocusg.com Players" Association Goals và Dreams fund.
The preseason game was postponed in 20trăng tròn due to concerns surrounding the coronavirut.
Now the waiting is finished và El Paso, the Stars và Coyotes are ready to lớn celebrate & showcase the Kraft Hockeyville designation as a testament khổng lồ hockey"s growth geographically and demographically.
"That"s one of the biggest reasons when we transformed
Stars & Coyotes officials said El Paso proves that hockey can succeed in so-called non-traditional markets and appeal to fans of color.
El Paso rests on the Rio Grande across from Ciudad Juarez, Mexiteo. The city has 678,815 residents, according lớn 20trăng tròn U.S. Census figures, nearly 82 percent of whom are Hispanic.
"This says that Hispanics in Texas lượt thích hockey," Stars president & CEO Brad Alberts said of the Hockeyville title. "As more Hispanics get access lớn the game, both from kids growing up & playing it in our rinks and having access to lớn starting the game, right on up to adults, & getting them out khổng lồ games, I think that they are going to find that this is a sport they can feel comfortable watching and playing và enjoying."
Coyotes president & CEO Xavier Gutierrez said the game gives the nhathocusg.com "a great opportunity lớn really say that it"s a community, in terms of Latinos, that is very much top of mind, that we"re looking khổng lồ embrace, celebrate và connect with.
"It"s clearly a fast-growing, ever more important community, both a demographic & economic force in America," Gutierrez said.
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Gutierrez became the nhathocusg.com"s first Hispanic president & CEO in June 2020
The festivities begin Thursday, with the Stanley Cup making stops at the Events Center; Fort Bliss, the largest installation in the United States Army Forces Command; & at a community celebration in San Jacinto lớn Plaza that former Coyotes players Shane Doan, Taylor Pyatt & David Scatchard are expected to lớn attkết thúc.
Two Learn khổng lồ Play sessions are scheduled at the Events Center on Saturday, with former Stars and Coyotes players on the ice as instructors, including Al Montoya, who was the nhathocusg.com"s first Cuban American player when he debuted with the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2008-09 season.
"Hispanics want to be part of hockey, và what greater message could you skết thúc to the hockey community than winning Hockeyville?" Montoya said. "I think it"s amazing. Even before accepting the job in Dallas, this was at the top of my danh mục of something I wanted to be a part of."
Corey Heon, general manager of the Rhinos, said he still pinches himself about the Hockeyville designation & what the $150,000 prize has meant lớn the Events Center.
"I never thought in a million years that we"d be in this situation," Heon said. "We"ve sầu just always made the best of everything with what we had."
That"s meant playing in a facility that was originally built with horses và cows in mind, not hockey players. The Events Center didn"t have sầu formal locker rooms when the Rhinos began playing there in 2006, forcing the team lớn initially use small circus tents pitched near the ice as changing facilities.
Locker rooms were eventually built, including one made from a giant metal shipping container.
Large holes in the Event Center"s roof prevented it from having ice during summer months when outside temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. Antiquated lightbulbs illuminated the rink & made the ice sweat.
Still, the Rhinos managed to lớn produce powerhouse junior teams over the years, including back-to-baông xã Western States Hockey League Thorne Cup champions in 2017-18 và 2018-19.
The Kraft Hockeyville prize money went toward expanding the Event Center"s entryways, replacing nearly 67 old lightbulbs with energy-efficient LED lighting, renovating two restrooms và repairing and insulating the roof, Herman said.
The Events Center had ice for the first time this summer, which meant hockey players and skaters didn"t have sầu lớn drive nearly four hours khổng lồ Albuquerque, New Mexiteo, or seven hours to lớn Amarillo, Texas, if they wanted ice time, Herman said.
"We were also able to host all four of our Rhinos tryout camps here rather than going khổng lồ Minnesota, Wisconsin, wherever," Herman said. "That was a huge giảm giá khuyến mãi for El Paso, too, because all these players were coming here to lớn try out and stay in our hotels."
Stars and Coyotes officials hope the El Paso experience leads the nhathocusg.com to cross the border khổng lồ play a game in Mexico. Each organization and the Mexico Ice Hockey Federation have sầu spoken with the League about the idea.
"We"ve sầu had a couple of our clubs express interest in playing games in Mexiteo & we"re certainly evaluating that and expect that we will pursue it at some point in time, whether it will be Mexiteo City or some other city in Mexico," nhathocusg.com Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. "I think that"s certainly on the horizon."
