The Ice Lions Are In

The 84th nation to join the IIHF was admitted on Halloween, making Kenya the newest nation member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Ice Lions have certainly been through a lot - meeting Sidney Crosby, skating in Canada, and raising the profile of hockey at home - but interest in the sport has been growing in the African nation as the Ice Lions become more popular. For a country with one rink and less than 50 registered players, Kenya's one of those nations who won't shock the world at a World Championship, but they will win you over with their passion, dedication, and love of the game!

"This is a historic moment for the sport in Kenya," chairman Robert Ouko Opiyo said on Thursday. "We are grateful for the support and opportunity we have received from members of the hockey community across the world to help us achieve this dream. It is the first step towards making the sport more accessible to the diverse groups across Kenya."

That growth is the first step in strengthening the sport inside Kenya's borders as they boast just 24 men and 12 women who play the sport. The key, though, is that more than 50 players participate in the junior program, and that kind of growth should have everyone excited. The nation boasts just one rink in Nairobi, and the Panari ice rink isn't even a full-sized rink as it measures in at 32x12m (105x39-feet). In short, there's a lot of room for growth in both registrations and facilities, but the seeds have definitely been planted!

While it sounds like hockey would be a luxury in Nairobi, the reality is that demand often is higher than the ice time that the Panari rink can provide. Kenya's also making a serious push to grow its women's game by attracting more girls and additional senior women, so that ice time will only get more rare if the programs continue to grow. As such, efforts are already underway to add a second rink in Kenya in collaboration with government and community support.

Clearly, being part of the IIHF has benefits for Kenya as they are part of a community whose 83 other nations are experiencing the same hurdles in trying to gorw their programs, have experienced moderate growth and can pass on that knowledge, or who are part of hockey nations that can share their vast knowledge and experience with Kenya. It won't happen overnight and it certainly will require years, even decades, of time, but Kenya may one day be considered the premiere African Member National Association team ahead of Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia.

It starts with baby steps, though, and a second rink combined with growing the game in all facets is a good start for Kenya. For a country whose ice hockey legacy started in 2006, there's no reason to rush anything when it comes to building their programs and implementing the infrastructure and support for those programs. The Ice Lions are part of the IIHF now, so their growth and evolution will be something to watch over the next few years as Kenya catches hockey fever!

If things go well, we may be talking about a IIHF World Championship appearance at some point for the Ice Lions. How cool would that be for one of the hottest nations on the planet?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!