Islanders Enjoy Puppy Photoshoot for Annual Pucks and Paws Calendar

There’s no better way to end practice than playing with some four-legged friends!  

The New York Islanders players got to play with some puppies following practice on Friday morning, partaking in the 10th annual Pucks and Paws Calendar photo shoot, in partnership with the Guide Dog Foundation.  

“It's great,” Adam Pelech said, who has a Chihuahua-Dachshund mix named Duke. “All these dogs are going to go on to have very important roles helping people. It's great to be part of something like that, but also, it's fun for us to just be around all of them.” 

Current and future service dogs came to UBS Arena following practice to pose for photos for the calendar and even make some new friends along the way. That included the team's seventh Puppy with a Purpose.

The calendar will feature photos of precious puppies and Islanders players. The calendar will be on sale Nov. 25 and proceeds will benefit the Guide Dog Foundation. 

“The partnership is just tremendous,” said Guide Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs CEO and President, John Miller. “Everything we do is free of charge for veterans, first responders, and people who are blind, but at the end of the day, partnerships like this help bring awareness and funding to our organization. And really, the Islanders were pioneers in this space too. They were our very first Puppy with Purpose, and now we have over 75 of them, and we're in all the major professional spaces. It all started here on Long Island with the Islanders.”

Raising a service dog can be expensive, but with the partnership through the Guide Dog Foundation, all services are completely free.

Several veterans have benefited from the Puppy with Purpose partnership through the Islanders, like John O’Connell, who is Butchie’s recipient. Butchie was the Islanders’ Puppy with a Purpose during the 2024-25 season. Butchie helps O’Connell daily on his commute and also allows O’Connell to get on the ice and play blind hockey. 

“When I've taken him to the rink, and he's been on the bench, the only thing he does is put his paws on the side, and he just wants to track me on the ice,” O’Connell said. “I'm not looking for him to track me; he just needs to sit there, do whatever, and all he wants to do. So that's the relationship. It's good, it's a good bond, but he's an excellent guide dog.” 

The annual photoshoot is exciting for players like Kyle Palmieri, who has a seven-year-old pit mix named Piper. 

“That was awesome, and the dogs are excited,” Palmieri said. “Obviously, they're for a really good cause, and I think they help a lot of people. So, they're having some fun with it today, and hopefully they enjoyed it as much as we did.” 

The Islanders' new puppy, whose name fans will have the chance to vote on, will embark on a year-long training journey to help a visually impaired person. The puppy is the seventh in the New York Islanders Puppy with a Purpose Program.  

Follow @nyislespup on Instagram to stay tuned on the new puppy’s journey with the Isles!