Islanders' Kyle Palmieri hosts hockey clinic in East Meadow for children of military families

Most of the nearly 50 children at the Northwell Health Ice Center Outdoor Rink had played hockey before. But thanks to Islanders center Kyle Palmieri, they all got the experience Wednesday evening.

Palmieri served as a special guest coach for the Try Street Hockey clinic, which he hosted in collaboration with the Islanders and his  Kyle Palmieri Foundation. The event was hosted exclusively for children of military service members ages 5-15.

The Kyle Palmieri Foundation, which raises funds for programs that benefit the military community, is personal to the 16-year NHL veteran. His sister served in the Air National Guard, his brother-in-law serves in the U.S. Army and his niece serves in the U.S. Navy.

“The military has always been a very important cause for me; the ability to kind of use my platform and be part of the military community is something that's always been important,” Palmieri said.

Morgan Price, who works for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, an organization that supports military families who have lost a loved one in service, said children from the program were invited to the event.

“Kyle has worked with TAPS [with] numerous teams that he's played with, not just the Islanders, so it's so amazing that he's willing to give back to the military community,” she said.

In addition to Palmieri, several other coaches were running the children through drills and introducing them to hockey. Islanders mascots Sparky and Nyisles were also in attendance.

The kids were running around with smiles, trying to score as many goals as possible. Palmieri felt hosting a street hockey event was a good segue to introduce them to hockey because it took the hassle of getting skates and equipment on, while still introducing them to the game.

Among those participating were Gary Dowling’s 7- and 8-year-old nieces. His kids, respectively 1 and 2, were too young to participate, but he was glad his nieces got the opportunity to play hockey and hang out with other military families.

The 41-year-old from North Babylon was very thankful that Palmieri hosted the event.

“He could be out training, getting ready for the season,” Dowling said. “He's out here hanging out with the fans and stuff like that. Really, really cool.”

Palmieri, who was born in Smithtown, will be playing his seventh season with the Islanders when the season begins in September. He’s entering the second year of a two-year, $9.5 million contract he signed last offseason.

However, he played only 25 games in the 2025-26 season after tearing his left ACL in November. With training camp starting soon, Palmieri expressed optimism that he’ll be good to go.

“This summer has been as close to normal as it can be seven months after ACL surgery,” he said. “There are some things I can't do or stay away from. But for the most part, I feel good on the ice, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the ice with my teammates.”

But before then, Palmieri was focused on running around with the children at the Northwell Health Ice Center Outdoor Rink and brightening their families’ days.

Said Palmieri: “It's all about them having fun, and hopefully a couple of them get excited about maybe playing hockey someday.”