For an initiative shy of a year old, the Vegas Golden Knights completed the goal of getting LosVGK to Mexico. The four-day trip, consisting of clinics and fan activations in Mexico City, Metepec, and Monterrey, aimed to grow the game and the Vegas Golden Knights brand and get more children excited about hockey.
“We launched LosVGK in October of 2023 and then not even a year later hosted our first international camps, clinics, and Fan Fest. I think it speaks to the momentum that we have as an organization, specifically with the LosVGK brand,” said Benjamin Thomas, Director of Latino Marketing and Outreach for the Vegas Golden Knights.
The trip kicked off with a media day in Mexico City, followed by off-ice ball hockey and typical on-ice clinics in Metepec that went through to Monday, September 9. The LosVGK crew, comprised of 15 members of the Golden Knights business staff, traveled to Monterrey on September 10, hosting a ball hockey clinic and an open skate with children from Fundación Dr. Sonrisas. The turnout exceeded all expectations, with around 50 children on the ice at a time.
The trip to Mexico was based around building a VGK Hockey community. The goal was to grow the sport and create connections that last a lifetime.
“There was one woman who we spoke to, both of her kids had come to Las Vegas and done tournaments and clinics over here in Las Vegas. There's an existing Vegas Golden Knights fanbase in Mexico City. Part of the reason for us even going out there was to connect with those fans,” said Thomas. “We're building these community relations and alliances. With the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation and ice hockey workshops, we had Diego de la Garma.”
Diego de la Garma is the Technical Director for the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation and the head coach of the men's and women’s national teams. Diego was a former goaltender in Mexico and started his career as a goalie coach. He always wanted to showcase that hockey existed in Mexico and create lifelong memories that would continue to inspire children in Mexico to play hockey. The LosVGK en México trip was able to assist him in achieving that goal.
“It's amazing because they are already playing hockey, but that motivation they got out of it is amazing because now they’re super pumped up to do whatever they need to do to get to the next level and get better. It was huge for Mexican hockey because it opened a new window of opportunities,” said de la Garma. “I'm still getting WhatsApp messages saying that was amazing. The kids were still talking about it and telling their parents they wanted another one.”
The final day of the trip was spent with the Dr. Sonrisas Foundation, a foundation for young children with cancer and other terminal illnesses. Children with the foundation got the opportunity to experience hockey for the first time, playing ball hockey before an on-ice skate.
“For a kid that is fighting against cancer, I think that it's even more impressive, more important because the more positive they get, the more energy they're going to have to battle against cancer and hopefully beat cancer. It was just amazing,” said de la Garma.
For the staff, they were able to show these children a good time and give them the experience of a lifetime.
“Everyone on our team knew their role, knew that if one kid showed up, we were going to put on a show and make it fun for that one kid. It was cool to see that,” said Thomas.
LosVGK was created to build a bigger bond between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Mexican community that surrounds the city.
“All the Mexicans that live in Vegas need to know that there's hockey there, that VGK is a great team and a great organization. VGK has shown before, and they're doing it again, that they do care about the people, and that's something that goes beyond the sports side of it. Once you are successful, share it with everybody. That's how we create a better world,” said de la Garma.
With the first trip to Mexico in the books and the next one in mind, the Vegas Golden Knights are hopeful to keep LosVGK growing.
