Islanders Wives Go Holiday Toy Shopping for Children  

The New York Islanders’ wives and girlfriends got a jumpstart to the holiday season on Tuesday morning with their annual shopping trip, handpicking toys for children in local hospitals.

Coming together for a good cause, the wives and girlfriends had fun as they were running through the aisles at Target in Westbury, selecting presents with care for kids ranging from toddlers to adolescents. The toy shopping and delivery, which will see the Isles pass out toys in the annual holiday tradition, is supported by the Islanders Children’s Foundation.

“This is one of my favorite events that we do,” Cassie Clutterbuck said. “It’s so special because these children and these families are in the hospital for the holidays. Anything we can do to make it a little easier on them, it makes us feel so good.”

Clutterbuck took part in the event along with Sydney Martin, Grace Lee, Madison Fasching, Matilda von Sicard, Sandra Hoppa-Bostrom, Alexa Serowik, Danielle Magda and Camille Legault. Many of them are veterans of the annual outing and are excited to welcome the new faces such as Fasching and von Sicard, Pierre Engvall's fiancé.

“It’s a great group,” Lee said. “We’ve added a lot of really great girls, and they bring a plethora of new ideas. It’s so fun to show them the ropes.”

As many are moms themselves, thinking about what their children would like to open on Christmas morning is helpful in their decision-making process when building their shopping carts. Martin has two children – a one and three-year-old – so she was able to select toys for toddlers in a matter of minutes.

“Even before becoming a mom, this was one of my favorite events that the Islanders do,” Martin said. “It was a lot harder though, before I had kids to figure out which toys to pick out but it’s much easier now that I’m a mom.”

By the end of the trip, more than a dozen shopping carts were checked out and overflowing with puzzles, dolls, stuffed animals, games and more. Over 600 gifts will be distributed to 12 local Metro-NY hospitals in December, some delivered by the players themselves. Martin pointed out how special it feels to be part of the collaborative effort of bringing joy to the children going through a tough time during the holiday season. 

“It’ll be meaningful when the guys hand out the toys in the hospital, knowing that we picked them out beforehand,” Martin said. “We’re happy that we can make this special for kids in the hospital, it means a lot.”