Alanis Thames Associated Press Sports Writer
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — There was a different light in Leo Jungermann's eyes the first time he attended a hockey game.
His father, Alex, said Leo had tried other sports, including soccer and tennis, but it wasn't until he watched an 8-year-old hockey player play for the Toronto Marlies, the minor league team of the Toronto Maple Leafs, that he really fell in love with the sport.
“I spent most of my time watching him while watching the game,” Alex Jungermann said, “and it was fascinating, so when he said he wanted to try out for the game, I jumped right in.”
After moving to Florida from Brazil with his family in 2015, Alex began looking for youth hockey programs for Leo, who knew nothing about hockey and couldn't even skate.
That's when he came across the Florida Panthers' Learn to Play initiative, a program aimed at introducing boys and girls to hockey while lowering the barriers to entry into the sport. It's part of the Panthers' overall effort to expand the game to underserved communities, particularly the fast-growing Hispanic market.
About 30% of Floridians are Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, higher than the national average of about 19%. Broward County, home to the Panthers' Amerant Bank Arena, is home to more than 500,000 Hispanic residents. In neighboring Miami-Dade County, Florida's most populous county, the number is more than 1.7 million.
“The demographics of Florida certainly speak to an interest in connecting with the Latino community that is extremely important,” said Rob Knesaurek, the NHL's senior vice president of community development and industry growth. “They have deep roots in sports, so why wouldn't they choose our sport?”
Knesaurek added that the NHL is becoming more proactive in promoting the sport in Latino communities where it has historically been less active, starting with league-wide efforts to connect with Hispanic fans and fans in underserved communities and trickling down to grassroots efforts by individual teams.
The NHL and NHL Players Association's Industry Growth Fund has committed more than $180 million over the past decade to programs that bring hockey to communities across North America, with the fund primarily focused on combating barriers of access and cost.
Through this fund, many clubs are able to offer equipment and lessons for an affordable fee (some offer them for free) and hire coaches who speak both Spanish and English.
Alex Jungermann estimates he spent about $300 on the Panthers' Learn to Play program, which got Leo a full set of equipment to start his hockey journey, including skates and six lessons.
Instructors were able to translate hockey lingo for the Jungermans, and Leo said he felt welcomed by the Panthers, especially at a time when he felt intimidated about learning the game.
“Skating has made me want to quit so many times,” Leo said. “It's like balancing your whole body weight on two tiny edges. It's hard to master.”
He stuck to it, and now he's 16 and playing for the Florida Junior Panthers travel hockey team.
“Leo's a perfect example of a family that could have easily walked away from this if they didn't feel welcome or like they were a part of this,” said John Colombo, the Panthers' vice president of community relations, “and I think that's important. I think hockey culture has gotten too much of a reputation for being too exclusive.”
Overall, more than $4 million in grant funding has been awarded from the Industry Growth Fund to support the Panthers' sport growth efforts, the NHL said.
The team's floorball athletics programs serve more than 300,000 students in 450 schools across Florida, introducing kids to the sport and the Panthers brand with the goal of cultivating lifelong fans.
Throughout the season, the Panthers celebrate South Florida's Hispanic and Latino communities with a “¡Vamos Gatos!” night. The Panthers have hosted the LATAM Cup, a three-day tournament featuring Latin American and Caribbean countries, since its inception in 2018. They have also expanded into the entertainment sector, inviting more Hispanic and Latino artists to perform at Amerante Bank Arena, which hosted the Latin Billboard Music Awards in 2020 and the Latin American Music Awards in 2021.
“(We're) not looking for the next NHL player,” Knesaurek said. “What we're looking for is building good, healthy, vibrant communities through good citizens.”
The Panthers' recent success on the ice has undoubtedly contributed to their popularity, with Florida holding a 3-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals, where the Panthers are appearing for the second straight year.
“Given the popularity of the sport and the progress the teams have made over the last three or four years, I think we're going to see an upward trend,” said Brian Smolinski, a former NHL player and regional director of the league's Industry Growth Fund.
Hispanic and Latino participation in Florida's Learn to Play programs increased by 15% from 2023 to 2024.
Leo Jungermann was featured on the team's first “Learn to Play” poster in 2015. The Jungermann family keeps it hanging in the entrance of their home as a reminder of how much he's grown.
“Whenever someone comes to the house for the first time, we make sure they stop in front of the poster and we explain its story,” Alex Jungermann said. “We're really proud of it.”
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