Appeal of hockey, and its stars, extends to Kenya
Crosby, MacKinnon part of Canadian experience for group
Arnold Mburu was speechless. All he could do was simultaneously smile and cry, while his mind tried to process exactly what was going on.
Was that really Sidney Crosby walking into the dressing room? And was that Nathan MacKinnon behind him? Was this real or a dream?
“I couldn’t say anything,” Mburu said. “I had no idea. We were all dressed up and because we were a few guys short, they told us they are going to get extra guys. But then Crosby walks in. And MacKinnon’s face is right behind them. And I can’t believe it.”
A year ago, the 19-year-old architecture student played hockey for the first time. And he did it in Kenya, of all places. There were no boards in the rink where he learned how to skate. There were no goalies to shoot on. There wasn’t even much in the way of hockey equipment.
So when Tim Hortons brought 12 members of the Kenya Ice Lions to Toronto to experience first-hand what it was like to be a Canadian hockey player, complete with a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame and an exhibition game against a team of firefighters, it was a dream come true.
And then Crosby and MacKinnon walked into the dressing room wearing green and red Lions jerseys and Mburu had to pinch himself.
“It was just really cool to see the reaction, how pumped they were,” Crosby said. “For us to experience that, we had fun, too. That’s what it’s about. Everyone loves the game and everyone has a different story as to why they love it or how they connect to the game.”
Much of the Kenyan Lions’ story is unbelievable, the type that gets made into a movie, or a coffee commercial.
How in the world did hockey become the sport of choice in a country that never experiences winter? How did Mburu come to idolize Crosby, let alone know who he is?
Well, blame Canada.
The only rink in Kenya is located inside a hotel in the country’s capital, next to the famous Nairobi National Park, home to giraffes, lions and zebras.
The rink is mainly used for pleasure skating. But several years ago, workers at the Canadian Embassy began showing up with sticks and pucks. The rest is history.
“The first time I played hockey was in 2013,” said Ben Azegere, the founder of the Ice Lions. “That was my first time holding a hockey stick. It was not so good. I felt like I was walking on a soapy floor. But I never give up.”
They call it hockey, but the rink they play on twice a week is rectangular in shape, with no boards. Over the years, they have accumulated various pieces of equipment, but it’s not uncommon to see some players wearing soccer shin pads, sofa cushions or nothing at all. As a result, the Kenyans might not be the greatest skaters, but they all look like NHLers in one respect.
“Not all of us have full gear,” said Joseph Thuo, who began playing hockey because he was bullied for being overweight. “A lot of us have cuts on our elbows and faces. Everybody has a story. I got hit from the puck twice in the kidney area. A good thing is they weren’t hard hockey shots.”
As for goalies, there are none back home. But there is a twofoot toy penguin they place in front of the net. To score, they have to hit the penguin above the belly.
Expect that to change. In addition to the $30,000 Tim Hortons donated to help develop a youth hockey league, CCM partnered to provide new equipment.
No one is expecting the Kenyans to be at the next Olympics, but with that help they should be able to attract more players and maybe one day even an NHLer.
“Everyone I told is like, ‘Kenya? Like in Africa?’” MacKinnon said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I was really surprised. But those guys were pretty good, I thought. They never had any instruction, but they could skate and move the puck. They definitely know the game.”
“He can fly,” Crosby said of Mburu, who scored in the exhibition game.
The score of the game was secondary, of course. For Mburu and the other Kenyans, it was about changing the narrative. Hockey might be Canada’s game. But the passion really does unite us all, whether you are in Kingston or Kenya.
“First of all, I feel the ice is softer back home. And these are new skates,” Mburu said. “I think that’s why we all falling.
“But it’s a good experience. It’s a fun experience. We’re hoping the next generation achieves our goals.
“I feel like we didn’t embarrass ourselves.”