Los Angeles could never be a conventional hockey town, which is the main reason why most people here have never cared about it. But one man shows why there’s so much beauty in the unconventional marriage between Angeleno culture and ice hockey.

Whether he realizes it or not, Matt Nieto is all about showing people what they have been missing out on. He was destined to make an impact on the hockey universe, yet there was nothing suggesting he would.

Nieto was born in nearby Long Beach, a polar opposite place from the winter wonderlands of Canada and the East Coast that produce most NHL stars. His father, Jesse, is a longshoreman, and his mother, Mary, works as a makeup artist at Nordstrom. And none of his family cared about hockey.

Nieto didn’t grow up in an environment that pushed him to play high-level hockey at a young age and pursue spots on expensive East Coast prep teams. But in this decidedly not-hockey-crazed environment, he found a path to the rink all on his own. At the young age of 2 he saw his sister rollerblading around the house and decided he wanted to try it too. So he asked for a pair of roller blades that year. A short time later, his grandfather bought him a plastic stick for 99 cents, and he began playing roller hockey at the local YMCA at only 3 years old.

He also began watching the L.A. Kings and idolized Dustin Brown growing up.

When he naturally wanted to transition from the court to the rink, he began playing for the L.A. Hockey Club minor ice hockey team with other future NHLers such as Rocco Grimaldi and Emerson Etem.

But when guys like those three get that good in a traditionally non-hockey town like L.A., financial privilege feeds into the advancement of their careers. Grimaldi’s family moved to Michigan when he was in middle school so their son could play against better competition and develop into an NHL prospect. Because of his financial situation, Nieto didn’t have that luxury, and when Grimaldi left, he stayed put. 

Hockey set Nieto apart from his peers in L.A. Nieto’s mother has said he grew up in a dangerous neighborhood where drive-by shootings were common, and many of his friends were members of gangs. Nieto’s focus on hockey kept him out of trouble, she said.

However, it would be an oversimplification to say hockey was a way for him to “get out” of L.A.

Sure, Nieto did eventually move away from his family to enroll at an all-boys school in Salisbury, Connecticut, for high school to play hockey. But Nieto loves the place where he grew up. He smiles when he tells people he grew up around the corner from Snoop Dogg, which is only half true. “Orange County” is proudly displayed in his Instagram bio, and he spends his offseasons there.

That pride has translated to his career in the NHL. Nieto was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks, the first-ever Californian drafted by the Northern California-based franchise.

Nieto immediately became a fan favorite in San Jose and became simply known by the “Long Beach Native” moniker that fans still call him to this day.

Across a career that has taken him to the Colorado Avalanche (twice) and now the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nieto has continued to represent Southern California with pride and has a solid fan base of Californians who cheer for him wherever he goes.

He has played 651 games in his career, making him only the second Californian to appear in more than 600 games in NHL history. He has 85 goals and 114 assists in his regular season career and has added 8 goals and 13 assists in 62 career playoff games.

What adds true meaning to those statistics and accomplishments is his unorthodox place in the sport’s landscape. As a Californian, a Mexican American and as someone who chased his dreams despite financial obstacles, Nieto brings his unique presence to a game where people like him are uncommon.

Nieto has and will continue to inspire people from all kinds of backgrounds to fall in love with the game of hockey.

As a relatively new hockey fan (shoutout to one of my best friends who accidentally made me a diehard Florida Panthers fan this past summer), I’m rooting for Nieto.

I’m rooting for him because he shows what would be possible if we paid more attention to hockey in Southern California. The sport, a marriage of grittiness and toughness but also gracefulness and immense skill, is perfect for the residents of this great, hard working and show-stopping region.

Let’s hope he helps people realize that opportunity in our region brings more of our wonderful people to the thrilling spectacle that is ice hockey. But for now, I’m content rooting for Matt Nieto.

Here’s to hoping we can one day see him raise the Stanley Cup with the same mustachioed grin on his face that has won over so many fans. His day with the cup in L.A. would be nonstop fun.

Ethan Inman is a junior writing about Los Angeles’ unique hockey heroes in his column L.A. on Ice, which runs every other Tuesday.