00:00I want to make sure that our market is one of the most successful, just because you want to win on the ice, but we want to win off the ice as well.
00:07And we want to make sure that we're doing great things in our community and showing our community that the New York Islanders are there and representing them in all aspects.
00:13They make sure that they see that girls want to play, and that's where we're kind of starting at the grassroots.
00:18It's like, hey, getting these girls in, the more girls that want to play, the more likely an organization to be like, oh, let's have a girls version of that only.
00:26But you just have to see the interest, right? If they only have two girls at their school wanting to play, you can't really start a team with two girls.
00:33So it's like that's when they get shifted over to the regular boys team or so on.
00:37But again, it's all personality, and you just want to make sure you have opportunities for every single person.
00:41And I've been raised in the sport for a really long time, so it's just something, obviously, I get to do.
00:46It's my job, but it's fun, and it's just growing. And it's also growing the individual players.
00:50So we kind of have that platform strategy of, like, how do we grow the game in all aspects, but how do we also grow the individual player?
00:56Because hockey is unique. You have different pathways. Everyone's not just going to school or going here.
01:01Like, you have multiple opportunities, and we want to provide all of those opportunities for kids.
01:05I think it's such a good, fun, exciting time for women's sports.
01:09For one, I just feel so deeply connected to the game.
01:12It was my whole life for the first 26 years of my life, so anytime I have an opportunity to get back on the ice again, even just for me, it's fun.
01:21But I guess it's like, you know, you learn at a young age as a female hockey player.
01:26I think that, like, part of your responsibility is actually inspiring the next generation.
01:32So I think it's sort of just ingrained in me.
01:36So whenever I have an opportunity to help out, I will.
01:38It's fun to see, you know, get on the ice, kind of be reconnected to my passion through these kids.
01:45So, yeah, it's a nice, special time, and anytime I have a chance, I usually, if I can, if it works for my schedule, I try to make it work, yeah.
01:53It's so cool that, like, the game has grown so much.
01:56I think growing up in Massachusetts, like, Massachusetts is a hockey hotbed.
02:00I think a little bit more popular in Massachusetts than it is in New York.
02:03But it's, I think Massachusetts had maybe one or two girls' teams programs growing up.
02:08Today, there's, like, I don't even know how many, you know, and it's so cool to see that.
02:13It's really cool to see, like, the game growing here on the island and in New York in general.
02:20I just think space-wise in New York, there aren't as many rinks, right?
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