Even though Anthony Duclair was raised in Quebec, Canada, the forward considers Broward County, Florida home, thanks to a stint playing for the Florida Panthers. And so, over the 4 Nations Face-off break, he showed up for his adopted community.
Through his charity, The Duclair Foundation, the 29-year-old aims to make hockey more accessible in underserved communities, and its inaugural effort was unveiled on Feb. 12.
Duclair initially announced plans for the rink during the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend, outlining his intention to combat racism in the game and grow the sport in Broward County. He saw his vision come to life for the first time when he attended a groundbreaking ceremony at Boyd H. Anderson High School, the location for the first synthetic outdoor ice sheet in Broward County.
“I couldn’t wait for this day to happen. I am very excited,” Duclair said before cutting the ceremonial ribbon at center ice. “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.”
He added: “I’m going to be here. I played here with the Panthers for three years, and you guys really left a mark on my family and me. So, I decided it’s my home.”
Duclair, now a member of the New York Islanders, took to the ice as part of its unveiling, joined by his friend and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bokondji Imama. The pair of pros spent time playing with the children at the rink, and both hold youth development camps in South Florida and Montreal during the summer.
The NHL and NHLPA partnered with Duclair to make the rink at Boyd H. Anderson High School a reality, and Duclair intends to bring his workouts and development camps to the new sheet of ice in the future. The location, he said, is particularly important.
“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.”
Feb. 12, 2025 is now declared Anthony Duclair Day in the City of Lauderdale Lakes.