Cuban American team 'very emotional' in Amerigol LATAM Cup debut

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Earle Barrington said he couldn’t have been prouder after his Cuban American Division III men’s team lost 9-1 to Central America at the 2024 Amerigol LATAM Cup on Thursday.

“I actually cried in the locker room because I was so happy,” said Barrington, the coach and founder of the men’s Division I and Division III teams competing in the tournament. “You got guys that came over here in boats that were born in Cuba. Even though our tier III team is getting the [heck] kicked out of them, they’re playing. It was very emotional.”

The Cuban American teams made their LATAM Cup debut after Barrington watched other teams play while selling hockey merchandise during the tournament at the Florida Panthers IceDen.

“I always wanted to do a Cuban team, because the tournament is just so awesome,” said Barrington, whose son, defenseman Max Barrington, will play on the Division I team. “We live in the land of Cubans being here in South Florida. Like everybody else, Cubans play hockey too.”

This year’s LATAM Cup features 52 men’s, women’s and youth teams and more than 1,100 players representing 17 countries, including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Barrington, a defenseman for the Panthers Warrior hockey team, began recruiting last year and came up with 179 players eager to represent their heritage and former homeland.

“We do have four players who were born in Cuba, but everybody is an American and loves America,” he said. “But just the Cuban flavor, the spirit of the team. I understand that every team feels connected because of the heritage of their countries ... but because of what either themselves or their parents or grandparents have gone through to be here, it’s a different togetherness. In Spanish, it’s called ‘juntos,’ we’re together.”

That’s what motivated forward Chris Galante to play for the men’s Division I team, which is 2-1-0 after a 5-2 loss to Greece on Friday.

“I was born and raised here and proud to be an American, but my roots are obviously from Cuban culture,” Galante said. “We’ve played elite hockey for many years, and I think it’s time that we came out and show what we've got.”

Alejandro Ortiz said he never thought he’d have a chance to play on a team with fellow Cuban Americans.

“To be a part of something that’s not beer league is meaningful,” Ortiz said. “It’s meaningful when you score. It’s not just, ‘Gonna play hockey, hang out with the boys and have a beer after.’ There’s a little more to it this time, and it means a lot to me.”

It means enough to Randy Hernandez that he’s helping Barrington coach at the LATAM Cup.

The 25-year-old forward is one of South Florida’s Hispanic hockey success stories.

The son of Cuban immigrants, he played two seasons for the USA Hockey National Team Development program (2015-17), two seasons for Sioux City and Lincoln of the United States Hockey League (2017-19), two seasons for Brooks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (2018-20), and four seasons for NCAA Division I Robert Morris University and Canisius University (2020-24). He’ll begin his professional career with Fort Wayne of the ECHL this season.

“It’s crazy to think we have a Cuban American team now and we’re playing against so many other countries,” Hernandez said. “It’s an unbelievable thing we’ve got going on here, a great group of guys. It’s just cool that we get to do this.”