It was the first time the Islanders held the event, picking a beautiful Sunday morning in early October, and judging by the amount of fans that showed up and the player reactions, it won’t be the last. Islanders team President Chris Dey, who runs the charity, said everyone on the team was on board with the Adventureland event.
“All the players are extremely supportive of the team events and local charities. General Manager Garth Snow and head coach Scott Gordon green-lit the full team event and Adventureland was hugely cooperative,” said Dey. “The fans were also very supportive. It’s a great time for the Islanders to take a leadership role in the community, helping kids who need it the most.”
The Islanders Children’s Foundation, founded in 2003, supports Long Island based non-profit organizations that provide opportunities to children. The foundation works with charities that focus on the areas of health, education, and youth hockey development, including The American Cancer Society, Autism Speaks, Island Harvest, and Children’s Sports Connections. The Islanders raised over $1 million last season, are looking to do even more this season.
Islanders captain Doug Weight said everyone was happy to be out to meet the fans and promote a worthy cause. “Anytime you can get out and be around the fans and put some smiles on some kids faces and throw some signatures around I think it’s a great thing. And obviously for a deeper cause of benefiting some children, you can never go wrong. Being in our position, it’s a great honor to be able to do that.”
Islanders winger Tim Jackman, who has made a name for himself as the team’s enforcer in his third year with the team, showed a little softer side to help a worthy cause. “It’s a great event. Great for the kids to get to go on rides, and they come out and see some of their favorite players. Many of them were at the game, and it’s good to have everybody here.”
Players were scattered across the park in front of all the different rides and games, while fans waited to get their autographs, take a picture, and offer a few words of encouragement. Many of the fans were at the previous night’s home opener, a 4-3 shootout loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. It was also the debut of first overall pick John Tavares, who scored his first career goal and assist in the loss.
To no one’s surprise, he had the longest line of fans waiting to welcome him to Long Island. With many Islanders fans already fawning over him, Tavares didn’t seemed to by fazed by the pressure of the fans’ high expectations. “I kind of had the same situation in juniors, but I’m getting used to the attention,” he said. “It’s good to have the fans getting excited and to have their support. I can’t really complain.”
Islanders winger Jeff Tambellini, stationed in front of Adventureland’s newest ride, Frisbee (built in 2006) said everyone on the team was happy to appear at the park for a worthy cause. “It’s a great event. We’re happy to be out here, we’ve got a gorgeous day and it’s always a fun time to meet everybody and see how everybody is doing, and we’re having a blast,” he said. Tambellini was able to grab a quick ride on the Frisbee, which spins riders around while swinging them through the air. Comparing it to his shootout attempt during the opener, Tambellini said “Mid-ride was more nervous for me. The shootout was the fun part.”
New Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson also took a moment to grab a ride on Silver’s Twister, where he was stationed. The ride lifts you to the top of a pirate’s perch, than swings side to side while also dropping you and lifting you back up. For Roloson, it was an added thrill to promote some great causes in a region that has made him feel right at home. “It’s a great event, it’s for a great cause and hopefully we can raise a lot of money that will help some sick kids around the area. The people around Long Island have been great. They‘ve welcomed us in as a family and it’s been a great change.”
The Islanders Children’s Foundation will be hosting several events over the course of the season, with the next scheduled event is a stick auction for on October 17. There are also raffles at each Islanders home game, the proceeds of which go to the ICF. For more information about future events and how to donate, visit the Islanders website at http://islanders.nhl.com/.
