America’s Finest Take the Ice for Charity

Long Island Warriors Hockey aims to give military veterans an athletic outlet and raise money for those who have served the country in need. (LI Warriors Hockey/Instagram)

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They were heroes who served our country, and now they are professional athletes playing hockey for a good cause.

Long Island Warriors Hockey was founded in 2020 and aims to provide a sports venue for military veterans and their families on Long Island, strengthen veteran camaraderie and promote community involvement for them. It is a local chapter of the USA Hockey Warriors Program.

“The main goal is to get our warriors, our veterans back on a mission,” said Tom Donaldson, president of LI Warriors and a U.S. Army veteran. the press. “We help each other, we’re there for each other and we try to help the community as well. When you’re in the military, you’re forced to stay fit, and you always have a mission or a goal. And sometimes we lose that on the civilian side and ask, “What are we working on? What are we trying to achieve?”

But it is a double benefit. Not only does the program give veterans a sporting outlet, but the games they play raise money for others who serve the country, including veterans and police officers.

“We take veterans that are interested either from a beginner level or at a high-level game level and we just take them with open arms,” ​​said Jimmy Calderone Jr., Warriors coach and former hockey player. the press. “Some are active, some are retired, some are in the reserves. We take them and say, “Hey, listen, do you want to learn how to play hockey or do you know how to play hockey?” It’s a great outlet for anyone in the military to be able to get away from the day-to-day life or the daily struggles that they face.”

They have two events coming up this month; on June 15, they will play a charity game to raise money for the family members of deceased NYPD officers Clifford Saintvil and Bryant Spagnolo, who both died in the line of duty. Both served in the 13th Precinct of the NYPD. On June 19, the organization will host a golf outing.

Last year, the organization raised money for the Drenckhan family. Steve Drenckhan is an Air Force veteran and former Floral Park police officer who was hit by a car while off duty and had to go on disability; Joanne Drenckhan, his wife, was a nurse who developed myocarditis and had to have a heart transplant. However, Joanne was able to participate and shoot a puck on the ice, and the game raised up to $15,000 for the family.

“It was a bad situation but he did everything with a smile and it was great to be able to help him,” added Donaldson.

LI Warriors has three teams – White, Orange and Blue, divided by level of play. Sometimes they play against each other, with teams that mix to be fair, while sometimes they play against other charity hockey teams; game in honor of the Drenckhans was played against the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office hockey team. The June 15 match will be played by LI Warriors mixed teams.

“These people are the true embodiment of self-sacrifice. To be able to give back to them is always a treat,” Warriors head coach Rob Lynott said. The press. “And their skills transfer well. The way they communicate that camaraderie these guys have? All those things they learned on the job translate.”

Most rewarding, at least for Donaldson, is seeing how the game of hockey improves the lives of veterans.

“The best compliment I’ve gotten is when I’ve had husbands and family members tell me, ‘My husband is better. Stop drinking. He’s exercising, he’s happier, he’s sleeping better,’” Donaldson said. “Some of us are open about our struggles, some of us are not. Getting these guys together to have that support system makes a huge impact.”

Long Island Warriors Hockey’s second annual “Help a Hero” charity game will be held June 15 at 5 p.m. at the Northwell Health Ice Center, located at 200 Merrick Ave. in East Meadow. To participate, donate, join and more, visit liwarriorshockey.org.

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