Hockey Is Hockey

05/12/2026

Join us for Year 11!

AUGUST 12-16 at Peconic Ice Rinks in Calverton, NY

Join us for a festival of hockey - Ice, Inline, Dek - bringing together players, coaches, fans, vendors and the hockey community!

The event kicks off with DRAFT NIGHT, where teams for the Main Event Ice & Inline Games will be selected by coaching staffs comprised of:

Local Celebrities & Entertainment Execs
NHL Alumni & Pro Players
Coaches & Sponsor Reps
Local Hockey Coaches

This year’s event schedule is shaping up to include:

-A Women’s Feature Game
-Youth & Adult Dek, Roller & Ice Feature Games
-John Schiavo, David Ayres & Kim Interdonato Ice Clinic
-Meet & Greets
-Travel Team Exhibition Ice Games
-Parents VS Kids Games
-PYHL Rec League Semi-Final & Championship Ice Games
-Off-Ice Training Sessions
-Open Dek & Roller Hockey Sessions
-Vendor Product Demos
-Vendors, Live Music, Food Trucks, Hockey Arcade Games & More!

All leading up to…

the MAIN EVENT ICE & INLINE GAMES featuring:
NHL Alumni & Pro Players
Celebrities & Coaches
Current & Former International, College, Junior, Travel & Rec Players

Want to be a part of this celebration of the game? If interested in entering a team, organizing a Feature Game, or getting involved as an individual player, coach, sponsor, or volunteer - let us know!

*PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE USING WEEKNIGHT ICE SLOTS AS WELL DUE TO WEEKEND SLOTS ALL BOOKED.

Stay tuned for more details!

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04/16/2026

We are back for year 11!

AUGUST 12-16 at Peconic Ice Rinks in Calverton, NY

Join us for a festival of hockey - Ice, Inline, Dek - bringing together players, coaches, fans, vendors and the hockey community!

The event kicks off with DRAFT NIGHT, where teams for the Main Event Ice & Inline Games will be selected by coaching staffs comprised of:

Local Celebrities & Entertainment Execs
NHL Alumni & Pro Players
Coaches & Sponsor Reps
Local Hockey Coaches

The event schedule typically includes:

Women’s Games & Programs
Sled Hockey Game
Youth Best-of-3 Ice/Roller Series
John Schiavo Ice & Roller Clinics
College Ice Teams Mini-Training Camp
Travel Ice Teams Mini-Camp Training
NCRHA (College Roller) Exhibition Games
PIHA Exhibition Games
Youth & Adult Dek & Roller Games
Summer Youth League Ice Games
Off-Ice Training Sessions
Open Ice/Roller Hockey Sessions
Stick & Puck Shoots
Vendor Product Demos
Public Skating & Family Skate Sessions
Vendors, Live Music, Food Trucks, Hockey Arcade Games & More!

All leading up to…

the MAIN EVENT ICE & INLINE GAMES featuring:
NHL Alumni & Pro Players
Celebrities & Coaches
Current & Former International, College, Junior, Travel & Rec Players

Want to be a part of this celebration of the game? If interested in entering a team, organizing a Feature Game, or getting involved as a player, coach, sponsor, or volunteer - let us know!

Stay tuned for more details!

08/28/2025

HIH ‘25 - Part V.

Saturday - The Main Event Ice Game

Then came the Main Event Ice Game, featuring NHL and AHL players, NHL alumni, NCAA DI players, junior, travel, rec players and friends, all sharing the same dressing rooms and sheet of ice. What these games are meant for… Not necessarily the “best” players around. But rather a mix of professionals & higher level players, along with friends who simply play for the love of it.

With Islanders legend and 2-time Stanley Cup Champion, Ed Westfall, in attendance, the 4 on 4 game play delivered some great drama. Team Silver blew a four-goal lead late, only for Ryan Fine (Harvard) to set up John Schiavo for the game-winner with just 0:08 left on the clock, securing the 12-11 victory for Team Silver. The crowd erupted. The players were fired up. All in all, a great atmosphere throughout.

What followed was just as meaningful: players and fans hanging out for hours, in the locker rooms and out in the parking lot, swapping stories, signing autographs, and taking photos. Nobody wanted to leave.

Another great night, with one more day to go.

08/26/2025

HIH ‘25 - Part IV.

Saturday: Action on All Fronts

Saturday, August 16th was a day for wall-to-wall hockey from sunrise to late night. Both rinks consumed with:

Youth & Adult Ice, Roller, Dek, and Sled Hockey

Programs included:

Peconic Ice Rinks Learn to Play & Learn to Skate sessions

Carolina Hurricanes Goaltender, Pyotr Kochetkov, training session

A HIH Ice Clinic with John Schiavo & Kim Interdonato

Mylec Adult Dek Best-of-3 Series

Duhh Hockey 18U & 12U Roller Feature Games

Local men’s ice & roller games organized by TNH/WNH out of Moriches

Local 638 Steamfitters vs FDNY EMS Ice Feature Game

And one of the most inspiring moments of the day - the NY Rangers Sled Hockey Game

Followed by the HIH Women’s Ice Feature Game, with over 35 women ages 14 to 72 taking the ice together. A showcase of skill, community, and love of the game.

All of it built the hype and energy leading into the Main Event Ice Game - the perfect cap to a day that celebrated hockey in every form.

From clinics to feature games, rivalries to showcases, Saturday proved exactly why we do this: because Hockey is Hockey.

08/25/2025

HIH ‘25 - Part III.

Friday Night Lights Continued.

As the kids took the outdoor rink for the FREE Learn To Play Dek Hockey session, the indoor locker rooms were stocked with jerseys, roller pants, dry-fit shirts, sponsor giveaways, and plenty of buzz for The Main Event Outdoor Roller Hockey Game.

Players arrived. Caught up in conversations. Checked out the new gear. Laid out their equipment. Like kids on Christmas morning, prepping to play a game we all love.

Once ready to go, both teams skated outside together, leading down the sidewalk path, surrounded by kids, families and friends: high-fives, chants, and fist-bumps. Under the lights and music, players from Team USA Inline, pro ice and elite roller, college, junior, and rec level talent warmed up on their ends. Mark “MK” McLaughlin, the anthem singer for the NY Mets and NY Liberty, sang the national anthem.

It was a back-and-forth battle, until Team Silver pulled away for a 23–16 win in the three 20-minute periods tilt.

It was a great atmosphere - coming out for warmups to the kids, the music, and the crowd of spectators. It was even better when those Friday night lights popped on and the game, and minimal defensive play, was underway.

Thank you to everyone who came out. Especially some of the players who drove more than three hours just to be part of the one game. It was a great night.

08/25/2025

HIH ‘25 - Part II.

Friday Night Lights

Friday night brought the HIH FREE Learn to Play Dek Hockey Clinic presented by BPE Ironworks, with nearly 40 kids participating and the first 30 receiving free HIH jerseys.

Pepsi, Gatorade, and Ice Warehouse supplied drinks and water bottles, while Mylec provided hockey balls, making the experience even more special.

It was great to see all the kids out on the rink, from first time to seasoned players, playing and learning the game as the sun was beginning to set.

Just in time for The Main Event Outdoor Roller Game!

08/24/2025

HIH ‘25 - Part I.

This year’s Hockey Is Hockey event was how we always envisioned it. While there’s even more to the future vision, and while I’ve said it before, it feels true every single time - this was our best one yet.

Over the course of just 45 hours, more than 450 hockey players, plus coaches, families, friends, volunteers, vendors, and food trucks, came together under one roof (and under the lights) for a celebration of the game we all love. The atmosphere was buzzing. The emotions were real. Parents pulled us aside, thanking our staff, encouraging us to keep going, and even getting a little emotional themselves. It was rewarding beyond words: a reminder that we’re doing exactly what we set out to do from the start.

Draft Night: Setting the Stage

A few days prior to those 45 hours, we kicked the week off with Draft Night, presented by , at Hotel Indigo. Families, friends, sponsors, and our two team management staffs filled the room. NHLer Kyle Palmieri anchored one table, while former Islander Steve Webb led the other. Rosters were built with laughter, strategy, and even a few mock trade negotiations. A brand-new rule - allowing each team to add two players by Friday, August 15 at midnight - sent phones buzzing, with coaches scrambling to recruit talent and urging Palmieri and Webb to get on the horn. Our phones were ringing as well, with players looking for an opportunity to play. A call even went out to Sonny Milano, but he was already in DC.

Adding to the atmosphere was a special appearance by comedian and actor Chris Roach, who lightened the mood with a five-minute standup set. The room was alive - hockey people, families, friends, sponsors - all in it together. It was great to see. It was great to see the vision come to life. And it’s great to know that this is only the beginning.

08/22/2025

08/22/2025