Dwight Mullins, Dallas' director of hockey development, said Mexico’s participation in the Silver Stick is the result of the deepening relationship between the Stars and the Mexican hockey federation.
“Basically, the fact that we have this amount of teams coming and they have this kind of presence really culminated because of the outreach efforts that we worked with the NHL, NHL Learn to Play and the NHL/National Hockey League Players’ Association’s International Growth Fund has allowed to do things in Mexico to create this kind of relationship,” said Mullins, a retired forward who was selected by the Minnesota North Stars in the fifth round (No. 90) of the 1985 NHL Draft but never played in the League.
Silver Stick organizers said they’re excited about having Mexican teams at the tournament for the first time because it reflects the tournament’s mission of fostering inclusion and international goodwill through hockey.
“It all comes back to what we feel about diversity and inclusion,” said Scott McDowell, Silver Stick’s international director for the Dallas and Las Vegas regionals and a former commissioner. “International Silver Stick is an opportunity for us to offer our friends from Mexico the opportunity to participate in the tournament and then, hopefully, allow them to advance to our finals in which they would compete against the best teams in America and Canada.”
More than 100 Mexican players and coaches will take a break from competition Saturday to be guests of the Stars when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at American Airlines Center (4 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSW, TVAS-D).
“I think it’s massive for Mexican ice hockey players,” said Al Montoya, the Stars’ director of community outreach who was the first Cuban American player in the NHL when he debuted in goal for the Phoenix Coyotes against the Colorado Avalanche on April 1, 2009. “It’s showing how much the Mexican hockey federation is growing and our participation is growing. The fact that they’re able to travel with seven teams and they don’t have to go to Canada or go up north, it’s wonderful.”
It's also all part of the Stars wooing Mexican fans to the sport. Dallas believes the country is part of the geographic fan territory that includes areas like Austin and Houston, Texas, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and Shreveport, Louisiana.