Crosby welcomes back Kenyan hockey captain to see Penguins play

TORONTO -- Benard Azegere was in a different country Thursday. But for the captain of the only ice hockey team in Kenya, his trip to Scotiabank Arena was like being in a different world.

"This is amazing," Azegere said, looking up at the rafters of the Toronto Maple Leafs arena. "This experience is unbelievable. I've been staring at the arena from the moment I walked in.
"I've never seen anything like this."
Azegere is the captain of the Kenya Ice Lions, who had 12 members
flown to Toronto in August courtesy of Tim Hortons
to play their first game against an actual opponent. They were given new equipment and had Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon join their team for the day.
When it was over, Azegere said goodbye to Crosby, thinking he would never see him again.
But there was the Penguins captain Thursday, giving Azegere a tour of the visiting dressing room and presenting him with a No. 87 Crosby jersey hours before Pittsburgh played Toronto in the first NHL game Azegere would see in person.

It was the experience of a lifetime for Azegere.
"That's exactly what it has been," Azegere said, wearing his green Ice Lions jersey while clutching the one Crosby gave him. "Him taking me through the dressing room and seeing practice, it's all been pretty amazing. I've never been to any team's locker room. I've learned quite a few things.
"He's one of the best guys I've ever met. He's a good guy. He has a big heart. I know this from the love of the sport."
Crosby was just as happy as Azegere, who was flown back by Tim Hortons.
"I thought I'd never see him again. It's great," Crosby told NHL.com. "I didn't know he was making a second trip. I'm just glad I had a second chance to say hi.

"I'm happy he's getting a chance to experience some more stuff. I know the [team] toured the Hockey Hall of Fame when they were here during the time they skated with us in August. I think just to come here again and see a game live and get closer to it just takes the experience to another level."
Azegere's teammates love the sport too, so much that they vowed to watch the Penguins-Maple Leafs game, which started at 3 a.m. in Kenya.
"All of them couldn't believe I was coming back over here to see a game," Azegere said. '"They were jealous."
They had reason to be. After all, Azegere got to watch the game from a private box. He did interviews with TSN and BBC. Maple Leafs mascot Carlton the Bear gave him a Toronto No. 21 jersey with his name on the back, a moment that was shown on the center-ice scoreboard and cheered by the capacity crowd.
"It is all so overwhelming," he said. "This is my first NHL match, and the players are just so fast."
So how exactly does someone from Kenya become infatuated with hockey?
"I was just going about my business in the house at the time, flipping through channels," Azegere said. "I saw guys playing ice hockey. I really wanted to know how those guys were moving because I saw those guys were moving really fast. It was pretty amazing. I thought one day I would like to try this."

Azegere subsequently learned that there was an ice pad in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Soon he and a handful of friends began playing shinny and posted video of the action on YouTube. When Tim Hortons representatives saw the clips, the company decided to bring the team to North America to live out its hockey dream.
"They came down to Nairobi, they watched three days of playing and then OK, we're going to take you to Canada for a Canadian ice hockey experience," Azegere said. "We never knew it was going to turn out to be this big. It's been surprise after surprise and we all loved it. We learned a lot."
It was a special moment in their respective lives. And in Crosby's too.
"It was awesome," Crosby said. "I didn't even know they played hockey there. Just to see how happy they were and how much they appreciated it was amazing. I've been fortunate enough to be part of certain things over the years and that's something I'll definitely remember. Just to see all the guys light up."

Azegere's two trips to Canada have only heightened his interest in the sport. He said the video of the Ice Lions playing with Crosby and MacKinnon has gone viral in Kenya.
And it all has him thinking big.
"Maybe one day, the same way you guys have the NHL [logo] … We have our logo. We created it back there, so you'll soon be hearing of the Kenya Ice Hockey League."