With Robert Rossi at the helm, military men with a remaining passion for the heat of battle and the disarm of camaraderie can skate on New York Islander-certified ice.
Whether at Northwell Health Arena, or Islanders Iceworks of Syosset, the Long Island Warriors hockey organization guarantees opportunities for athletic-minded adults to keep the kid in them alive. The Warriors’ full aim, per their website, is to “educate, train, motivate, and encourage” individuals that spent time in the Armed Forces to “participate in the sport of ice hockey in an environment that is adapted to the level of ability of the participating athlete.”
“We have a couple of different teams, 60 guys in the organization. We use the game of hockey as a common bond—we have it already as Veterans; guys from all different walks of life, a lot of first-responder guys, guys who just got out, guys who’ve been out for forty years. There’s teams like this all around the country,” said Rossi, 38.
The Warriors’ youngest player is in his 60s. Oldest? The late 60s half of a father-son Veteran duo. No one is too old to join the team where no one who’s suited up for the ‘U.S. of A’ is to be denied.
Discharged as a Marine Corporal in 2009, Rossi and his fellow everyday heroes-turned-hockey players are eyeing a 3-day tournament with 8 teams total set for Friday to Sunday, August 19-21 at Northwell’s East Meadow location. If there is a team in the competition not exclusively consisting of Veterans, it’s because they are solely made up of first-responders — equally first-rate citizens who have also signed up to save lives, just on continental soil.
“All proceeds raised – 50/50 raffle, donations, a blind auction of different signed autograph gear,” Rossi noted, “are going to the ‘Tunnels to Towers’ gold star program,’ which pays off the mortgages for families of those killed in action while serving their country.
“Saturday [August 20] will be a tailgate atmosphere,” said Rossi. Needless to say, anyone who comes down that day, or any day that weekend, won’t go home disappointed, Rossi agrees.
All he asks in return: please, donate to their cause.
Visit the LI Warriors Instagram (@liwarriorshkyor) and www.liwarriorshockey.com for donation information, and to help this non-profit continue to thrive.
