'Anthony Duclair Day' in South Florida honors NY Islanders forward

A nomad during his 11-year NHL career, NY Islanders forward Anthony Duclair has bounced around the league since his rookie season in 2014-15, playing for nine teams. During that time, the longest he spent with one organization was three seasons playing in South Florida with the Florida Panthers.

In a place that has never been known as a hockey hot spot, Duclair vowed to help grow the game in an area he's grown fond of.

Duclair honored in Florida

The Duclair Foundation and the NHL/NHLPA Growth Fund helped construct a synthetic ice rink at Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, dubbing the day, "Anthony Duclair Day."

"I couldn't wait for this day to happen. I am very excited," Duclair said according to George Richards of NHL.com. "I want to say how much it means to be standing here, especially in a community that has shown me so much love, and to celebrate something really special today."

Duclair, who is of Haitian descent, wanted to make the game he loves more accessible to people and more inclusive for those who may not be familiar with the game in the tropical conditions of Southern Florida.

"We wanted to target a neighborhood with people who looked like me, people of Haitian descent, which is very important to me," Duclair said. "I wanted to put this in a neighborhood where people didn't really follow hockey, or even watch hockey. This is now a pathway, an opportunity to introduce the game and hopefully the kids here run away with it. Or they learn something from it, get inspired by it. Anything they can take away from this hockey rink is the goal here."

Duclair is in the first year of a four-year deal with the Islanders, hoping to have a permanent home for the duration of his contract.