Jamaica embracing the ''Cool Runnings'' vibes, while quietly putting together a good hockey team

When you mention the words "Jamaica" and "Olympics" in the same sentence, people's minds tend to go straight to the same place - the 1990's John Candy movie Cool Runnings. However, for former NHLer Chris Stewart, the two aforementioned words don't relate to bobsledding, but hockey.

«Sure, when guys think, oh, Jamaican ice hockey, the first thing they say is, like the movie Cool Runnings,» Stewart told Daily Faceoff's Scott Burnside. «Uh, no, we have a real hockey team," he continued.

In fact, Stewart, Jamaica's head coach, has a pretty good team - one who was considered "too competitive" to take part in an international tournament that had been held recently in Florida.

«You can feel the eyes on us,» Stewart said. «We come off the bus and we're all dressed in our yellow golf shirts and slacks and we're moving as a unit. And when we get out there we play some pretty good hockey. You definitely feel the energy in the air when Jamaica shows up.»

The team is comprised of mostly players from North America, who have Jamaican roots, with many having Jamaican passports. The ones who do not have already submitted the appropriate paperwork needed to secure their Jamaican passports.

Since the team is considered too good to enter the Latin America Cup tournament, they have mostly played exhibition games against Puerto Rico, Columbia, Lebanon and Mexico, often dominating the competition. The goal is to continue to play international exhibition games as a way to prepare for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan.

«Everybody is committed to this program,» Stewart said. «And everybody wants a shot to play some of these other countries as a kind of measuring stick. That's definitely at the top of our agenda. We're going to start brainstorming and put some action behind it.»

You can read more about this story in Scott Burnside's article below.

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