World Hockey Magazine
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2019 World Junior Ultimate Guide WORLD HOCKEY MAGAZINE WORLD LEADERS PREVIEWING THE WORLD JUNIORS CAN CANADA REPEAT? Plus TOURNAMENT FAVOURITES AGAIN FUN IN DAVOS PREDICTING THE SPENGLER CUP EXTRA: WORLD JUNIOR A CHALLENGE AND WOMEN’S WORLD U18 COVERAGE miami’s latin influence By George Da Silva get their programs moving along. made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. to Bogota on a business trip for @NTofIceHockey For the third time in their ex- It was an incredible experience my day job, which is for a phar- istence, Colombia would win the that I will never forget. maceutical company located in or the first time ever, the gold medal, becoming the second Miami that I have worked at for Latam Cup — known previ- team other than Mexico to win a GDS) How did you hear about over 25 years. I met with the Fously as the Pan-American medal at the five Pan-Am/Latam the Pan American ice hockey nephew of Marlio Fierro, because Ice Hockey Games — moved Cup tournaments. tournament and why did you get they were out of the country at north of the Mexican border for We Spoke with Latam Cup involved? NARCH (roller hockey tourna- the first time and was played in organizer and general manager of ment) in Estero, Florida. I asked Miami, Florida instead. The five- the University of Miami hockey JCS) If I remember correctly, I a lot of questions and learned a team event, featuring Argentina, team, Juan Carlos Otero, about came across a picture of the lot about their program, and even Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and new his motivation to organize the Colombian yellow hockey jersey watched a game of U12s, I was hockey nation Venezuela, marked Latam Cup. online. I thought it was one of the very impressed. I returned home the first hockey action for every- nicest hockey jerseys I had ever and a week later, I was able to body but Mexico since the Pan- GDS) Coming from Colombi- seen, so I started looking to meet in person with Fierro and Am event back in the summer of an decent and living in South find out what team wore those his family, along with a represent- 2017. Florida, how did you become a jerseys and if they played ice ative from the Florida Panthers While the quality of competi- hockey fan? hockey. My research led me to and University of Miami head tion isn’t great, the event itself the Bogota Hockey Center and coach Wayne Whitmore. The features hockey clubs that use it JCS) A supplier from New York the Fierro family. I reached out to meeting was great, and everyone as the biggest event of the year. It invited me to a (Florida) Panthers them in July 2016 and told was very excited about the pos- may have been a footnote during game in 1994 and that was all it them that I was interested in sibility of having an event here in the second international break of took to get hooked on hockey. meeting with them to discuss the South Florida. the IIHF season, but the tourna- The folowing season, I became a possibility of having a tourna- The next step was to talk to the ment, held at the Florida Pan- season ticket holder. In the 1995- ment in South Florida. I explained other countries and see if they thers IceDen, did exactly what it 96 season, I attended all 41 home to them that I was the general were interested in participating. promised: it helped develop and games, plus three road games. manager for the University of Fast forward to April 2017, when give ice time to teams looking to That was the year the Panthers Miami’s hockey team. I flew out I received an email from Marlio team argentina asking if I could put together a training camp for about 20 Co- lombian players the week before the Pan American in Mexico. I was able to put the camp togeth- er and the players trained twice a day for 90 minutes during each session with Wayne for a total of four days. Wayne, my son Chris- topher and myself flew to Mex- ico and watched the semifinals and finals of the men’s division, women’s’ division and the men’s B division. We were completely blown away with how exciting the games were, the passion they played with. I can’t forget to men- tion the fans, who were loud and engaged in all of the games. We met with the representa- tives from all the teams to discuss the possibility of having an event in South Florida. We started the ing to Joaquin. I told everyone hours. What I can share with you and that they look to invest in Amerigol Miami International that I would put the tournament now is that in addition to some of these countries. The Hockey Association with the mis- together and cover all of the the number of countries increas- NHL would only benefit to having sion to provide players through- expenses, plus provide each of ing, we will be adding a women’s, some Latin and Caribbean flare out Latin America and the Carib- them with a couple of hours of men’s B and two youth divisions in the league. We all know it bean an opportunity to showcase practice ice at no cost. All they to the 2019 Latam Cup. There takes a long time to develop tal- their talent and raise awareness had to cover was airfare, hotel, was a lot more discussed and we ent for this game, so it’s time to that hockey is a growing sport in food and transportation. The will be releasing more informa- plant those seeds. these countries and that there is tournament in Mexico was great tion as it is finalized. possibly an opportunity to play and I think Joaquin did a good job GDS) Before this tournament, ice hockey in North America. putting it together and it was very GDS) How will you help fund the nobody had ever heard of Ven- helpful for the other countries South American and Latin Ameri- ezuela playing ice hockey. How GDS) The Latam Cup follows in that don’t have ice rinks yet. As can countries, which lack funding did this come about? the footsteps of the Pan-Amer- I told them during the meeting, and infrastructure to take part in ican Ice Hockey Games, which and I strongly continue to feel this event in the future? JCS) It was almost last minute. was played previously in Mexico. that, in order for the sport Chile tried hard to bring a team Why was it moved it to Florida? to grow throughout Latin Ameri- JCS) As much as I wish we could but finally informed me that due ca and the Caribbean, it must be help each country immediate- to several reasons, they weren’t JCS) The intent and what we dis- showcased in the United ly, it is not realistic. It will be going to be able to participate cussed in the meeting in Mexico States and what better location a process that must start with this year, but that they would be was never to move the Pan than the gateway to Latin Ameri- roller hockey rinks and eventually ready for next year. I was con- American Tournament, but to add ca, South Florida. grow into ice rinks. This year’s tacted by Juan Singer from the to it. Instead of just one ice tour- winner of the inaugural Latam Venezuelan roller hockey team nament for these countries, GDS) Will you have more coun- Cup, Colombia, doesn’t have any and he asked if we would con- we would be adding a second tries involved in the future and ice in their country. Most of the sider them for the following year tournament in South Florida. The will there be a women’s compe- players they have developed have and based on the news I received president of the Mexican Ice tition in the future? been through roller hockey. The from Chile, it was perfect timing. Hockey Federation, Joaquin Angel same can be said for most of the Of course, due to the situation de la Garma, discussed moving JCS) Absolutely, we are working other countries that participated. in their country, all of the play- the Pan-American to January on having Jamaica, Puerto Rico, As our tournament continues ers are living throughout the or February and the Latam Cup Costa Rica, Chile and possibly to grow, it will open new doors United States. They played hard would be in October or Novem- others. The assistant general for all of these programs. We at and picked up a lot of fans and a ber. At no time was the intent to manager of the Jamaican Olympic Amerigol are committed to put couple of players for next year. replace the Pan American Tour- ice hockey team, Lester the right people in contact with There are many Venezuelans liv- nament in Mexico. Unfortunately, Griffin, attended the Latam Cup the different countries to make ing in the US that play ice hockey the only way to have the and was very impressed with things happen. and as they find out that there is Mexican national team partic- what he saw. We had a meeting Overall, my hope is that the a Venezuelan team, they want to ipate in the Latam Cup was for during the Latam Cup with repre- NHL will take notice that there is play for them.