Hockey with Hicks: Inside the Islanders Street Hockey Session with Thomas Hickey

Every kid enthusiastically raised their hand to ask a question to former defenseman Thomas Hickey after he ran Friday’s Islanders Street Hockey session at Northwell Health Ice Center on a summer afternoon.

“Everyone was smiling and chatty,” Hickey said. “Everyone was super comfortable asking me anything from my favorite candy to things about hockey. All good questions, super engaged group of kids. We had the perfect day for it too.”

Over 50 kids ages 3-14 were in attendance to enjoy playing in the outdoor street rink, having fun in a rotation of drills while getting to chat with and play with Hickey. One drill included the former defenseman setting up the kids to take slapshots.

“First we were doing stickhandling and then shooting from a pass,” said eight-year-old Aden Mandel. “And after that we were having faceoffs and doing 1v1, 2v2 and then the last game was 4v4. It was fun.”

Kirsten Yacino's nine-year-old son Hudson came straight from school, thrilled for the clinic.

"He lives for this kind of stuff," Yacino said. "He was so excited on the way here."

Hudson is an active participant in the Islanders Street Hockey program. He developed a passion for the sport, both on the ice and in a street hockey setting and his mother is pleased to watch him become more well-rounded through playing.

“It’s great to see how much he’s improved out there," Yacino said. "And socially, he’s making friends outside of school. Through events like this, he’s learning to be a good teammate and a good friend.”

Nine-year-old Andrew Fogarty is involved in the Islanders Learn to Play program, which introduces kids to the game of hockey on the ice, but his passion for playing all started when he got involved in Islanders street hockey five years ago.

Andrew was all smiles when he was running around with other kids, making more outdoor memories with his friends alongside Hickey, who met every participant personally after the session to take a photo with them. After getting to meet Hickey, every kid went home with a stick, autographed photo and two tickets for a 2025-26 preseason game.

“I told him about street hockey with Hickey and he was like yes definitely, sign me up,” said Andrew’s mom, Denise Fogarty. “He watches all the Islanders games, including the pregame and postgame stuff and we remember him as a player.”

Hickey, who played for the Islanders from 2012-2022, remembers going to a Stanley Cup Parade in Prince Edward Island as a kid when former winger Grant Marshall brought the cup there after winning with the New Jersey Devils in 2003. Marshall personally greeted the kids and let them see the Stanley Cup one by one, which stands out to Hickey as a fond childhood memory.

“So today, this certainly wasn’t the Stanley Cup but it’s a memory for kids,” Hickey said. “Maybe makes them fall in love with the game or make a new friend or learn how enjoyable it is to be part of a community like we have here.”

Hickey ran into Marshall a few years ago at a charity event and told him about how much the interaction back then meant to him. Now as an active Isles alum, Hickey hopes to pay it forward and make a similar impact for kids in the community on Long Island.

“If the [memory] sticks, that’s great, and if it’s as big of a memory as I had growing up, that would be extremely special if 15 years down the road if the same thing is said to me.”