The Zoom sessions were organized by dedicated hospital workers, as well as a pair of robots with camera mounts purchased by the team, who took iPads from room to room to facilitate the sessions. The robots helped lower the amount of close quarter, in-person gatherings, as health workers and families all work to stay safe during the holiday season. Playrooms were also flooded with presents that the Islanders players paid for two weeks prior, and the walls were decorated with Islanders stickers and wrapping paper.
Even virtually, there were some tender moments, befitting of the Islanders holiday tradition. Noah Dobson watched eyes light up at the site of a Baby Yoda toy while Jordan Eberle and Johnny Boychuk chatted with kids in Islanders masks and hats and watched as they picked out journals, hockey games and other gifts from stockpile. A nurse asked one of the boys who his favorite Islander was and he looked into the camera and just said "you guys."
The hospital visits have always been about spreading a little holiday cheer to kids who need it most. The Islanders weren't going to let a pandemic get in the way of that.
