Mexico City could get an NHL game.
When the National Hockey League, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball or even schools that are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association announce that they are investigating the possibility of playing games outside of North America, they are doing it for just one reason. There may be some pounds, euros or other currencies available that the leagues want. The leagues want to sell merchandise in areas they perceive as having some money. Major League Baseball, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association have identified Mexico as a place where they can find some pesos to add to their coffers. The National Hockey League has now stepped up and the league is investigating the possibility of holding a game in Mexico City. Hockey is not a big deal in Mexico where soccer and baseball have been played for a long, long time.
In October, Steve Mayer, the chief content officer for the NHL, told ESPN’s “The Drop” podcast that “Mexico City is on a short list because our teams are very interested in going there and exploring that market. Our international department and our events department get so many inquiries from all over the world, and we’ve heard from so many people that have done major events in big cities, and they love the fact that hockey can be viable in their countries.” Hockey strongholds are located in Canada, the United States, northern European countries and Russia. “There are teams that would really love to go to Mexico,” Mayer said. Those teams would include Arizona. Dallas and Los Angeles have held hockey camps in Mexico City. The International Ice Hockey Federation has Mexico’s men’s team as the 37th best in the world and the women’s team is 25th. There are just 14 rinks in the country but there are pesos available.
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