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SEPTEMBER 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 43 ABOVE: JESUS LOPEZ, THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS SPANISH-LANGUAGE PLAY-BY-PLAY HOST, CELEBRATES THE TEAM'S 2023 STANLEY CUP TITLE. BELOW: JORGE MORENO & MIGUEL ESPARZA HAVE BEEN CALLING SELECT CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS GAMES IN SPANISH SINCE 2019. You go into any Latino supermarket, you will find someone wearing a Knights t-shirt or jersey. They are crazy about the team."–Jesus Lopez O L D E N K N I G H T S r a d i o a n n o u n c e r J e s u s L o p e z 's mind was not focused on last s e a s o n 's a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s when Vegas clinched the 2023 Stanley Cup in June. Instead, Lopez, the Knights' S p a n i s h - l a n g u a g e p l a y - b y - p l a y h o s t , r e c a l l e d f o r m e r N H L d e f e n s e m a n D e r y k E n g e l l a n d 's m e m o r a b l e p r e g a m e s p e e c h just days after the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shoot- ing in Las Vegas. The city and organization rallied around the alternate captain's words t o t h e o p e n i n g n i g h t c r ow d a n d h i s u s e o f "Vegas Strong." "Finally, the scar is gone!" Lopez said at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. "We are Vegas Strong! " I w a s y e l l i n g t h o s e words," Lopez recalled. "The team became the m e d i c i n e t h a t h e a l e d the wound." The Stanley Cup capped t h e e x p a n s i o n f r a n - chise's six-year journey to the top of the NHL, w h i l e S p a n i s h b r o a d - c a st s h e l p e d t h e t e a m connect with the 22.6% o f N e v a d a r e s i d e n t s w h o s p e a k S p a n i s h , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e 2 0 2 0 U.S. census. " You g o into any Latino supermarket, you will find someone wear- ing a Knights t-shirt or jersey," Lopez said. "They are crazy about the team. Deryk's words when the city was wounded were heard and appreciated. That and winning made for a magical connection." Vegas is not the only NHL organization con- necting with its Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. However, Jorge Moreno and Miguel Esparza, the Chicago Blackhawks Spanish-speaking broadcasting duo, and Lopez stand out as three of the few broadcasting games regularly. The trio make up most of the NHL's Spanish offerings with Chicago (Univision Deportes 1200 AM) and Vegas broadcasting all home games in Spanish. Lotus Broadcasting 's Deportes Vegas 1460 AM added road playoff contests this past spring and will host all road games online this season. Los Angeles, Nashville and Tampa Bay broadcast some home games in Spanish while others offer a few select games. Lopez, Moreno and Esparza know they are set- ting the stage for future Hispanic fans. " We have a responsibility to do right by the s p o r t ," E s p a r z a sa i d . " I t r y t o m a ke s u r e I describe it with my own words and terms to make sure I am painting that picture as best as I can." As pioneers who took nontraditional routes to hockey, all three experienced broadcasters had much to learn while adapting on the fly to hockey slang and terms that don't translate well such as icing, top cheese and toe drag. "One day they asked if I knew anything about h o c k e y b e c a u s e t h e y needed me to fill in," said Moreno, whose hockey experience was limited to playing the video game NHL 94 as a child before attending a Blackhawks home game in 2006. "Of course, I said I did, but I had only seen a few games w h e n t h e B l a c k h a w k s were really good. I had a lot to learn." Esparza and Lopez found help online. Six years ag o, Lopez stumbled across a Spanish version of the 1945 Disney film "Hockey Homicide" featuring Goofy. "I didn't know the proper way to deliver it with accuracy and still keep up with the pace," said Lopez, who had prior experience calling boxing and soccer. "A Colombian soccer broadcaster translated (the cartoon) and I loved the way he did it." "It is a very different animal," Lopez added. "It's three hours of pure adrenaline unlike soccer with six to seven chances each side a game. If you find the right pace to be accurate and still enter- tain, people will listen. That's why I use the long, soccer goal call." Kerry Bubolz, Golden Knights president and C E O, k n e w i t wa s c r i t i c a l t h a t t h e G o l d e n G THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS HELD A HISPANIC HERITAGE NIGHT LAST SEASON VS, THE FLORIDA PANTHERS.