NHL veterans and recreational players share the ice at Hockey Is Hockey in Calverton
One shift might feature an NHL veteran. The next might belong to a recreational player who never imagined he would share the ice with a professional.
At Hockey Is Hockey, everyone gets drafted.
“You get your jersey from the team you’re drafted to, they announce every player and you come up and take a picture,” said East Patchogue native John Schiavo, a former minor-league professional and two-time Team USA inline hockey world champion. “Even for myself, it reminds you of the dream you had when you were a little kid, hoping to get drafted into the NHL. For an event on Long Island like Hockey Is Hockey, it’s fun to have that feeling.”
That draft-night experience is at the heart of the five-day event, which returns Aug. 12-16 with clinics and games that place NHL alumni, professional and college players on the same rosters as junior and recreational skaters.
Draft night will be held Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Hotel Indigo in Riverhead. The remaining events will take place at Peconic Ice Rinks, located at Veterans Memorial Park at 5789 Middle Country Road in Calverton.
Two management groups made up of local coaches, current and former NHL players, local personalities and sponsor representatives select the rosters, according to rink general manager and Hockey Is Hockey co-founder Jim Tamburino. Each registered player receives a jersey and is introduced after being selected.
“Each side has a full management table that drafts players for the main event games,” Mr. Tamburino said. “It’s become one of the highlights of the week to meet the players and watch the teams come together.”
“It’s a really good way to mix up the teams and make it ultra competitive,” Mr. Schiavo added. “Everyone’s getting amped up about who they’re going to play with and who they’re going to play against.”
The event will feature youth clinics, women’s and youth showcase games and roller, ice and dek hockey. The main-event roller and ice hockey games are scheduled for Aug. 14 and 15.
Organizers said the guest list includes Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, former NHL goaltender Keith Kincaid, Nashville Predators prospect Ryan Ufko and David Ayres, the emergency backup goaltender who earned a victory for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2020.
Mr. Palmieri and former Islanders captain Ed Westfall are scheduled to appear at the draft-night party but not in the main-event games.
Mr. Schiavo, Mr. Ayres and Peconic Ice Rinks skating director Kim Interdonato will also lead an all-ages skills clinic Aug. 14.
“I think it’s awesome for the young kids to be around players like that,” Mr. Schiavo said. “Even myself, seeing our Division I and college players with us, you can see how bright the future is for Long Island hockey.”
Hockey Is Hockey began in 2015 as a pickup roller hockey game organized in Nassau County by Mr. Tamburino and his brother Joe. The brothers invited friends and professional players to share the rink and locker room, giving recreational players an opportunity rarely available elsewhere.
The event later added youth clinics and ice hockey before moving to Peconic Ice Rinks after the Calverton facility opened in 2023. The facility’s indoor rink is named the Ed Westfall Arena for the former Islanders captain and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Boston Bruins.
Photos courtesy of Joey Romaniello
Hockey Is Hockey is a limited liability company separate from the nonprofit Peconic Hockey Foundation. Participant fees and sponsorships currently cover expenses including rink time, referees, uniforms and equipment, Mr. Tamburino said. Organizers hope eventually to partner with a charity that could receive proceeds from the event.
The Peconic Hockey Foundation was established in 2015 by Wading River residents Caryn and Troy Albert, the Riverhead News-Review’s 2023 Sports People of the Year. The foundation spent eight years raising money to build a permanent home for hockey on the East End before Peconic Ice Rinks opened.
The rink now offers youth and adult leagues, learn-to-play and learn-to-skate programs, clinics, skating lessons and public sessions throughout the year. Its indoor and outdoor surfaces allow Hockey Is Hockey to stage ice, roller and dek games at the same facility.
“All of a sudden, we had some other ideas like, ‘Why don’t we do a youth clinic? Why don’t we put together an ice game?’ Mr. Tamurino said. “Before we knew it, we were putting on an event.”
For a schedule, registration information and updates, visit the Hockey Is Hockey event page.
