Lindenhurst Team Spirit Leads To Visit From Two Islanders

LINDENHURST, NY - New York Islanders professional ice hockey players Brock Nelson and Luca Sbisa paid an exciting visit to Lindenhurst Middle School on Nov. 19 for the building’s annual Islander School Day assembly.

Lindenhurst was one of a dozen New York schools selected by the program for its team and community spirit.

Assistant Principal John Andruzkieiwicz, clad in an Islanders jersey along with the rest of the staff, pumped up the audience with an inspirational video before the players arrived.

Nelson, a center from Minnesota, and Sbisa, a defenseman who grew up in Switzerland, introduced themselves to the rapt audience of sixth-graders and talked about their backgrounds as well as concepts like teamwork and health.

The students had worked hard in advance to prepare questions for the two players, touching on topics such as their daily routine on game days, stress and diet, their views on fighting, their favorite hockey players, major obstacles they faced and the hardest game they ever played.

Andruzkieiwicz finished the discussion by asking Nelson and Sbisa if they would bring the Stanley Cup to the middle school if the Islanders won the championship this season.

They happily agreed, before sitting down to provide autographs for groups of lucky students.

Photos courtesy of the Lindenhurst Union Free School District