'I never dreamt it would happen': El Paso natives share their stories

EL PASO, Texas -- When 10-year-old Ethan Perez stepped foot into El Paso County Events Center on Sunday morning, the last thing he thought would happen would be to come away with a stick from one of his favorite players. But that changed the moment Stars forward Tyler Seguin locked eyes on him.

As the Stars were wrapping up their pregame skate, a hand-off was made.
"It was awesome," said Perez, proudly displaying his souvenir. "In all the games I've been to, the only thing I've gotten was a puck. I guess Tyler saw me in a Stars jersey, and he decided to give it to me."
The Stars and Coyotes are here because El Paso won Kraft Hockeyville™ USA 2020, which earned its designation as 2020's most-spirited hockey community in America after garnering the most votes in the online Kraft Hockeyville™ USA 2020 contest. El Paso won $150,000 in rink upgrades from Kraft Heinz and $10,000 worth of new equipment from the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund. The game was not hosted in 2020 due to COVID-19.
There was a strong sense of community inside the barn (it still functions as one with cattle heaters in the back), and the natives of El Paso were beaming with pride.
"It's really a strong hockey community here," Ethan's mother Idalia Santiago said. "When we came to our first hockey game here, the fans were so amazing. They really rally for their teams. We fell in love with hockey here. It means a lot for the Stars and Coyotes to come here, show the support and help us out because Ethan loves hockey.
"My son has a few medical conditions, and he's always been afraid to play sports. The atmosphere in El Paso is so amazing when it comes to hockey. He fell in love with it. Little by little, we've been getting him more practice time."
El Paso County Events Center is home to the El Paso Rhinos, a hockey team in the junior North American Hockey League (NAHL). Banners hang from the roof of the rink chronicling the team's accomplishments since its inaugural 2006 season.
"I have a Rhinos jersey that's signed by all the players," Perez said proudly. "But I never thought I'd see the Stars here. It's crazy. It's so cool they're playing here in my rink. I'm a Stars fan because that's the biggest and most popular team in Texas. I'm going to hang the stick on my wall."
"I was so excited for him," said Idalia. "Just to see his face. He lights up and loses his words."

El Paso natives Danny Marquez and Amanda Herrera couldn't believe their eyes as they watched the Stars skating on the ice earlier today.
"I keep waiting for my alarm clock to go off and wake me up because this feels like a dream," said Marquez. "I never thought this would happen. It's amazing that hockey has come out to the far west end of Texas. It's just surreal."
Marquez' love for the game came at an early age.
"My uncle would take me to trading card shows as a kid," he said. "Something about the hockey cards was really intriguing for me. I loved it. Then, as a little kid, you get the Mighty Ducks movie coming out, and that turns people on to hockey. I love the speed and intricacies. Just how fast and aggressive it can be. It's the best sport out there."
Marquez and Herrera make annual trips to see the Stars on the road. This year, they're heading to the Pacific Northwest to see the Stars face the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena in April.
"We get a puck from every arena we see the Stars," he said. "We've seen them in Florida, New York, California, Arizona and Colorado. This season we're going to see them in Seattle in April. I've never missed a game. If I wasn't watching the game on TV because I'm so far away, I was there in person. I went to the Winter Classic, and that was a dream come true. I don't miss a game. I bleed green."
For Herrera, there's a strong feeling of hometown pride.
"This is my hometown," she said. "I was born here, raised here. My family was born here. This, right here, with the NHL doing something here in El Paso, I never dreamt it would happen. The Rhinos sell out all the time. We're a hockey community."
Marquez says he hopes this event makes new fans out of those that came out.
"I appreciate this being in the hometown," he said. "For hockey to be here, I just hope all these kids and everyone here that witnesses it gets a better appreciation for the game, and they start playing. It's such a great sport, and great to see it in our hometown. It's great that it's expanding. I hope it continues to expand. We have championship banners hanging here from the local team. It's great. I'm speechless."

The Rangel family is used to attending Stars games, but never in a setting quite like this. The natives of El Paso are huge Stars fans and want to show everyone that this city has a strong hockey following.
"This is huge," Melissa Rangel said. "We could for sure support an NHL team. There's a lot of hockey-loving people in El Paso. The fact that the Coyotes are six hours away and Dallas is much longer, though a quick plane ride, it would be nice to host a preseason game every year. That would make El Paso very happy. It's really cool to have the NHL in El Paso."

El Pasoans Max Murillo and his dad Ruben were taking in the sights and sounds of an NHL team skating in their hometown rink. It was a sight they'd never seen before, and it meant everything to Max, who was wearing a white Stars jersey. "It's a dream come true," said the 11-year-old. "I've never seen professional hockey players up close before. This is my first time."
It just so happens his favorite players made the trip to El Paso.
"Seeing my favorite Stars like Seguin, Jamie Benn and Anton Khudobin is awesome," he said. "I've been having so much fun."

Proudly wearing a Victory Green Stars jersey, Sandra Rodriquez was living in the moment. The El Paso native always knew her hometown could put on an event like this, so to see it come to fruition meant a lot.
"It's a big event for El Paso," she said. "It shows that El Paso has a big hockey following here. I'm very proud to have the Stars and Coyotes here. I've been to Stars games at American Airlines Center but having them come to El Paso means a lot to me. It means a lot to the fans because we have hockey fans from El Paso. We're small, but we love the local team here."
It was also an opportunity for her son to see the Stars up close for the first time in his life.
"I've been wanting to bring my son to a hockey game," she said. "This is his first time seeing the Stars in person. I've been wanting to take him to a Stars game. It's crazy seeing them here."
You can catch the game live on NHL.com beginning at 8 p.m. CT with Stars TV Analysts Brien Rea and Brent Severyn calling the action.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.