LA Kings Continue to Grow Hockey in Mexico City Through Zoom Calls

The LA Kings have had their eyes set on Mexico City since a successful trip in October 2018 to hold clinics at a local court with the participation of former players like Steve Heinze and John Tripp.
That is why at the beginning of 2020, they established a partnership with the Ice World Santa Fe rink to broaden their horizons and forge the successful Jr. Kings children's program south of the border, taking advantage of their international experience with a previous expansion in Beijing at the end of 2018.
And just when everything was ready for staff members and former players of the two-time Stanley Cup champions to return to Mexico to formalize the society and hold a camp, COVID-19 made a dent in the world of sports and prevented any opportunities to be able to organize the event at least until 2021.

But this did not stop neither the team nor the Mexican rink to establish means of interaction thanks to technology during these unlikely times.
On September 29, former Kings center Derek Armstrong and Manager of Hockey Development Courtney Ports connected via Zoom with children seeking advice to improve their skills, as well as enthusiastic parents wanting to know the next steps in the athletic development of their children.
"It meant a lot to everyone to get back together and have this virtual call with the LA Kings so parents and children got to know them," mentioned Eduardo Grosso, Ice World Santa Fe hockey club coordinator. "Everyone was very happy and enthusiastic about the topics discussed at the meeting."
Young Mexican players like Santiago Reynoso and Andrés Mosqueira immediately came forward with questions for Armstrong, who in addition to his 13-year NHL experience, serves as Director of Hockey Development for the Kings. Among the main questions were how to improve their skating ability, exercises to stay active at home and which what habits to create in the hours before games.
"I have been in hockey for 44 years and being able to come to Mexico now is an honor," Armstrong said. "We know the necessary techniques and we have a good plan and strategies to make children good athletes and good human beings."

Speaking about the practice sessions and considering that the Ice World Santa Fe player roster consist of different age groups and genders, Armstrong sent a message to the rink's coaching staff.
"Don't take it as a job, make sure the kids enjoy it. Organize fun mini games and activities, as hockey is a creative game," he said.
On the other hand, Ports, who has been working for the Kings for 13 years in different departments and has been part of projects in the United States, Mexico and China, talked about future plans for Ice World Santa Fe players, such as the creation of the Jr. Kings logo and uniforms, as well as implementing more clinics in Mexico and opportunities for children and coaches to go to come train in Los Angeles.
"We don't want to set our conditions, we want to be an asset for you," Ports told the participants. "We want to establish in-depth training on and off the ice. We want that when you travel to tournaments we are well represented and we can win championships."

The head of this expansion project is Chris Crotty, Kings' Sr. Director of Hockey development for the past four years. After a trip to Mexico City to meet potential partners at the end of 2019, Crotty immediately realized that Ice World Santa Fe would be the perfect fit to meet the goals already set.
"The rink is in an excellent location, the facilities are world-class, and the staff is very passionate about hockey," Crotty said.
As a result of that trip almost a year ago, the Ice World Santa Fe U-8 team was invited to a tournament at the Kings' facilities in El Segundo, where they could share the ice with high-level youth teams from Los Angeles and Vancouver. As part of the experience, the children were able to attend a game at Staples Center and meet their favorite players.
And despite the unexpected hiatus due to the pandemic, technology has motivated the Kings to seek new ways to get closer to the Mexican players of the future. It should be noted that the team already has plans for another call in November, but with an additional ingredient: a simultaneous dryland session between children and coaches.
"The goal of these sessions is to help hockey grow in Mexico," Crotty concluded. "Our mission is to give these kids an affiliation to an NHL team, develop their skills and find new fans of the sport."
This article was originally published in Spanish on NHL.com.