CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Donny Khan wasn’t certain he'd be able to pull it off.
Khan, NHL Senior Director of Hockey Development and Strategic Collaboration, attended the Amerigol LATAM Cup several times and dreamed of entering a team comprised of players of Pakistani heritage in the international tournament.
“Every year I come here I see this tournament growing," Khan said. "It used to be just South American teams, now there are teams from Lebanon and Israel, and I just thought, ‘Why not Pakistan?’
"I wasn’t sure we could find enough players of Pakistani descent that could play hockey, but I knew we wouldn’t know until I jumped in with both feet and try to see what we could find.”
Khan found 18 players who are wearing green and white and representing Pakistan at the 2024 LATAM Cup at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs and Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, the practice facility of the 2024 Stanley Cup champions.
The tournament features 52 men’s, women’s and youth teams and more than 1,100 players representing 17 countries and territories, including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.