Colombian players proudly point out that they have defeated Latin American rivals that have ice rinks, such as Mexico, at international competitions such as the Pan American tournament in previous years.
"The passion for hockey is incredible," said Michael Nijjar, a minority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights who has dual U.S.-Colombian citizenship that allows him to play for Colombia. "The guys on our team, that's all they talk about 24/7, they want to get on a rink, they want to play."
Nijjar's ice hockey journey mirrors that of his teammates who live in Colombia. He grew up in Los Angeles as a die-hard Los Angeles Kings fan dating to the team's purple and gold jersey days.
With few ice rinks in the area, Nijjar and his brother started playing roller hockey and became good enough to play professionally. He transitioned to ice hockey when more ice rinks were built in the Los Angeles area and went on to play for the University of Southern California's ACHA team.
Nijjar said he learned that Colombia had a national ice hockey program by competing against some of its players in roller hockey tournaments. From that moment, he wanted to play ice hockey for his mother's country.
"About five years ago, the Pan American Games were happening in Mexico City, and since I've grown up seeing these guys in roller hockey … they knew my mother is Colombian, so they asked me if I wanted to play (ice hockey). I actually went to the consulate, got my dual citizenship, got my cedula, which is an ID card for Colombia, so I'm a full citizen of Colombia, and I flew down to Mexico City to play in the tournament, which was fun."