Kenya's only hockey team hopes to graduate from rooftop practices to IIHF

CTV National News: Kenya’s Ice Lions Genevieve Beauchemin shines a spotlight on Kenya’s only hockey team, the Ice Lions, who have dreams of playing on the world stage.

Being a hockey superstar is a pretty common dream for those growing up in Canada. But it’s also a goal for members of the Ice Lions, a team in Kenya.

The sights are familiar—players lacing up for drills, stickhandling for hours and hours, all with the same goal in mind: reaching the NHL.

That goal might seem a little far away, especially considering the team’s regular practice area. The Ice Lions, Kenya’s only hockey team, spends most of their time roller blading around a rooftop above team captain Benjamin Mburu’s apartment instead of an ice rink.

“Ice time is very expensive, and we do not have any other rink apart from Panari, which is just one rink in the whole of the country,” Mburu said.

About once a week, the Ice Lions are able to trade roller blades for ice skates to practice at the rink at Panari, a luxury hotel.

The squad was founded in 2015, as players in this sub-saharan country came together to celebrate their love of hockey.

“Ever since I was a kid, I was bewildered and amazed when I saw in movies guys playing a sport, very fast and bumping into each other,” Mburu said.

The team has been working on representing Kenya on the world stage for years, hoping to join the International Ice Hockey Federation.

In 2018, the Ice Lions’ dream got a bit of a boost after a Tim Hortons commercial gave some of the players the opportunity to travel to Toronto and meet their idol Sidney Crosby.

But years later, they are still pushing to get more international recognition.

Now, they’re getting an assist from Tim Colby, once a minor hockey coach in Ottawa.

“They are a very dedicated group, the Kenya Ice Lions, so they really deserve this,” Colby said. “They have shown what it takes to develop an ice hockey team and they have done it right here on the equator, so International Ice Hockey Federation, here we come.”

With files from CTVNews.ca`s Alexandra Mae Jones