Golden Knights redefining NHL fan engagement in Latin America

The hockey puck finds its way to the corner of the ice during a Vegas Golden Knights game.

For Jesus Lopez, the franchise’s Spanish language play-by-play broadcaster, there’s only one way to detail this common occurrence in the sport.

“When the puck is in the corner and everybody’s trying to get it out, I say they’re chopping onions and tomatoes and they’re preparing a sandwich,” Lopez said.

It’s part of the “Latin flair” Lopez provides listeners on the local ESPN Deportees affiliate when calling Golden Knights games. Lopez calls the action on all home games and select road contests.

His passion for the team is evident with his charismatic approach.

When the players drop the gloves to the ice and start fighting, Lopez describes the punches like it’s a Canelo Alvarez fight on the Las Vegas Strip. And when the Golden Knights find the back of the net, he lets out a loud, exasperated “Gooooaaaaaallllllllll.”

“There’s nothing that you can compare to hockey when it comes down to delivering excitement and passion,” Lopez said. “But above all, there’s a sense of belonging and a sense of identity.”

Lopez’s calls have been a voice to a pioneering initiative by the Golden Knights to include Spanish speakers in their fandom and grow the game of hockey in a community that many other NHL teams have overlooked.

Las Vegas’ population is 33% Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Sunrise Manor (54.57%) and North Las Vegas (40.73%) are both within the top 100 U.S. cities with the largest share of Hispanic populations, according to the Census Bureau.

When owner Bill Foley launched the team in Las Vegas in 2017, it became a priority to have the Latino community involved within the organization, team officials said.

In addition to Lopez being one of just three NHL Spanish-speaking play-by-play broadcasters, the Golden Knights created the “LosVGK” brand in October 2023 to “celebrate and engage the team’s Spanish-speaking fan base.” It’s an initiative that no other NHL team has done to connect with its Latino supporters.

“We are the Golden Knights. We know who we are as a brand, as a team, as an organization, and we take that jump in everything we do,” said Benjamin Thomas, the Golden Knights director of Latino marketing and outreach. “Whether it’s marketing, ball hockey, or in arena games, we try to connect with our fans at every single one of those pillars.”

In addition to community involvement, the Golden Knights have hosted a “Hispanic Heritage Knight” which included an exclusive logo to be worn on the jerseys and an “ofrenda” set up inside the stadium for Dia de los Muertos celebrations.

Less than a month out from the start of the season, the Golden Knights are making another first-of-its-kind jump in including the Latino community by hosting multiple clinics and fan events in Mexico for a week through today.

The franchise set up shop in San Lorenzo Coacalco in central Mexico and Monterrey in the northwest part of the country.

In a country with just 14 indoor rinks and a population of 131 million, it wouldn’t seem like Mexico is a hotbed for hockey, let alone an NHL team to have fans.

Diego De La Garma, the coach of the Mexican national hockey team, said he doesn’t know if it’s the Vegas Golden Knights logo, jersey or because the team recently won the Stanley Cup, but the team is wildly popular in Mexico.

Upon the announcement that the Golden Knights were coming to Mexico, Garma was flooded with phone calls and emails by locals asking how they could get a chance to see the team.

“They are super enthusiastic,” Garma said. “We’ve got around 400 kids that have signed up for the clinics. I’m getting emails, messages and stuff like that every single day, all day long, about the VGK fanfest they’re going to be hosting here.

“We knew it was going to be a success, but this is way ahead of our expectations.”

While soccer and boxing remain the most popular sports in Mexico, hockey is continuing to grow, he said. In addition to coaching the national team, Garma runs a handful of club teams across the country focused on developing the sport.

Having an NHL team coming across the border and working within the community accelerates the growth of the sport. Lopez believes that the Golden Knights’ trip to Mexico could open the door to possible preseason games in the country.

“The fact of having these brands, these names behind us and trying to get a touch of the game, it’s going to be huge,” Garma said.

The LosVGK brand is focused on growing hockey within the Latino community in Las Vegas, but the team has also taken responsibility for growing the game in Mexico with this trip.

“This is a good opportunity for us to host on-ice clinics, ball hockey clinics, and support the growth of hockey in Latin America,” Thomas said.“We can also connect with those Vegas Golden Knights fans who don’t live in Vegas.”

Lopez was surprised that Vegas was the first team to do something like this as the Los Angeles Kings, whose market has a higher Latino population than Vegas and has been around a lot longer, has not.

“I don’t understand why they haven’t gone full throttle over the Hispanic community. I just don’t get it,” Lopez said on the Kings’ involvement in the Latino community. “We are the 27th or 28th Spanish-speaking market in the United States and look at what the Vegas Golden Knights have achieved. That spreads everywhere.”

At the Golden Knights’ championship parade, Lopez held up a Mexican flag and was met by constant cheers from fans. He’ll walk into a La Bonita supermarket and see customers wearing Golden Knights merchandise.

It’s a sense of inclusion that the Golden Knights have instilled in reaching out to Vegas’ Latino community. That effort has made the Golden Knights the NHL team of Spanish-speaking fans all over the world.

“There’s a sense of belonging and a sense of identity,” Lopez said. “The Vegas Golden Knights have put all this effort to reach the Hispanic community and go to Mexico too. I think that gave the Golden Knights great, great respect.”