38 Comments
Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

As a half Mexican/half native American, This is huge. Growing up in the west valley no one, and I mean no one, talked about hockey. The elementary school I went to was 98% Hispanic, and no one had a clue about hockey. Hopefully this really takes off

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Firstly; Awesome read and some really great insider information Craig

Secondly; Holy shit do I get the feeling that Murello just...gets it. I really proud of him as a team owner (which is a weird thing to say), but so grateful for what he is bringing to our team. As a father to a half-Mexican daughter, having a team that incorporates some of her heritage means a lot to me.

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Aug 10, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

I wish they would have the public address announcer say things in both English and Spanish (just like Ottawa announces in both English and French). It might help draw more diverse fans and I think it would make for a more unique home atmosphere for the team.

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Pretty smart move by the Coyotes (and one to be expected with Meruelo and Gutierrez at the helm).

If hockey wants to not be "that sport mostly dominated by white males in every aspect and therefore subject to the whims of said white males" (which isn't a great look in 2020, especially considering everything that's happened up to this point), the people running the show need to figure out how to get people that aren't white, men, or both to really and truly care about the sport without just paying lip service. It would certainly be apropos for change to start here, especially considering many of the things mentioned in the article: just how many Hispanic and Latinx people there are in Arizona, the name of the state and the team themselves being words derived from Spanish, the people in charge of the team, etc.

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

One, thank you thank you thank you for using “Latinx” in your article. I hope that kind of usage in the future continues to be widely used in more common media spaces.

Two, it’s about dang time. I was surprised to see Las Vegas start that outreach before us last year.

Three, that Los Tiburones design is /chef’s kiss

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

To the point of your story...

We were running a Desert Hockey Development ball hockey clinic for kids at the Bonsall Park ball hockey "rink" in Glendale. We had a pretty decent turnout, but there's always room for more.

There was a group of three obviously related kids playing on the playground equipment in the park, two boys and the youngest, a girl. Mom was watching from a bit of a distance in the park, and from all appearances the family may have been living there.

The oldest guy kept looking over, interested in the hot dogs on the grill because they smelled great, like hot dogs on a grill always smell. But he was also clearly interested in the action on the rink.

So we wandered over and asked them if they wanted to play. The big brother, 9 or 10 years old, appeared unconvinced, but interested. We talked awhile, so the question "Have you ever played hockey?" was inevitable. His answer, though, was telling.

"No. We don't like hockey."

"What? Who is 'WE'?"

"Mexicans. Mexicans don't like hockey."

That's from a kid, in a period not far from the Raffi Torres days.

We fixed that problem with those three kids, at least for awhile. But there's a LOT more where they came from.

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Aug 11, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

For years, I've failed to understand how the economics of running a rink don't work in Tucson. It's a big enough of a metro area, with an AHL team, a major university club hockey team, and a youth hockey organization. If you sprinkled in a camp here, a tournament there, perhaps setup an adult hockey league, maybe partnered with a figure skating group, and set up a learn to skate program... you could fill a schedule's worth of ice time. Build it in a modern insulated structure with a modern, economical chilling system, and throw in some consistent revenue stream space like the stores and restaurants we see at the Scottsdale Ice Den. How has this not happened?

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Aug 10, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Arizona's Hispanic heritage is rich and very deeply ingrained - it's so much a part of this state. I do see a diverse crowd at games - I don't think it would take much to get more people really involved.

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Great article !

A push for LatinX inclusivity would definitely be a big plus here in Tucson ... I think It would push our attendance towards sellout levels and raise the STM level as well.

I've been telling Bob Hoffman that we need a 'Dia De Los Muertas' Roadrunners specialty jersey for three years now, no luck so far.

Maybe this season !

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Great article Craig. I love that we as a franchise are trying to actively reach out to the LatinX community and expand our community presence and cultural inclusion. I think the new leadership's ambition and determination to make that happen is awesome and inspiring.

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

It’s things like this that really make you believe in their commitment to this market. Even after all the off-ice drama a few weeks ago, this really makes me feel good about their desire and commitment to the franchise and the community. Amazing piece!

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Thank you so much for this report, Craig. I have two coworkers who are Latinas and I engage with them often on this specific topic. I turned them into Coyotes Fans, and I engage with them often on the outreach, social content and anything they believe could better serve this demo.

I assure you, this story will be a discussion topic tomorrow at work 👍

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Aug 9, 2020Liked by Craig Morgan

Great read, Craig. Thank you!

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Ask most people around the valley that play ice hockey “what got you into hockey” and 8/10 times you’re going to hear “roller hockey”. Definitely a cheaper/ smaller commitment to get introduced into hockey. As you did in the article, look at LA/SoCal. Roller hockey is still booming there and encouraging more kids to try to sport and ease the transition into ice hockey, if the interest is there.

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The Tucson community is dying for permanent ice so it's great to hear that Gutierrez has already recognized that need. Anybody who can put down a sheet or two within spitting distance of the I-10 ought to do fairly well, and some partnership between the Coyotes, Roadrunners and UofA is a slam dunk. Excellent article Craig!

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Murello should really reach out to the Mexicans. I've been saying that for years. Totally untapped market.

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