Breaking: Anthony Duclair Foundation Gives Boyd Anderson First Synthetic Rink…
Former Florida Panthers forward Anthony Duclair established his nonprofit organization a year ago with the goal of eradicating racism in hockey and expanding the sport into underserved areas.
This included South Florida, where he created the Anthony Duclair Foundation last year during the NHL’s All-Star festivities in Fort Lauderdale in front of friends, supporters, the media, and Panthers teammates.
Duclair adhered to his word.
Duclair kept his word and started construction on a new synthetic ice rink at Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes on Wednesday, even after being traded to the San Jose Sharks this past summer.
It’s wonderful to be back, and this is like a second home to me, Duclair remarked. “It doesn’t matter if I was traded away—I will keep my word and go above and above what I pledged to do when I founded the Foundation—that we would build rinks here.
I will always hold a particular place in my heart for South Florida because everyone there treated me so well. It makes perfect sense to try to develop the sport down here. With so many diverse cultures and nationalities in one place, it’s ideal. Considering how many Haitians there are, it is very personal to me.
The Panthers returned the favor by sending general manager Bill Zito and a few front office staff members to the historic event to offer their support for Duclair.
Duclair remarked, “I wasn’t expecting Billy [and the front office] to stop by.” “I really appreciate it, and it says a lot about the kind of men they are. Throughout my stay here, I was treated like gold, so I’m really appreciative of them stopping by and [Vinny] Viola’s large financial donation last year.
Throughout his three-year tenure with the Panthers, Anthony Duclair established himself as a role model for the vast Haitian community in South Florida, given that both his parents, Wendell and Dominique, are immigrants from Haiti.
Duclair hopes to use his foundation to help eradicate the racism-filled hockey culture, something he has fantasized of since he was a young player and has experienced firsthand.
For Duclair, it was “a dream come true.” “I had no idea that was feasible.
“I knew I would be active in the community because that is how my parents raised me: to put others before yourself and to give back.” That’s just the way my younger brother and I grew up and experienced the world, but to be honest, I never imagined that this would be possible. I’m just glad it all worked out in the end.
Duclair’s influence continues beyond the new rink.
Alongside Ottawa Senators forward Boko Imama, he intends to hold another youth hockey camp in South Florida, much like he did the previous year.
This summer, the program will launch in Oakland and head back to his birthplace of Laval, Quebec.
Duclair stated that the rink should be operational in “three weeks to a month.”
Together with the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association, the Duclair Foundation acquired the 50-by-100-foot rink next to the Boyd Anderson football stadium through the Industry Growth Fund.
$50,000 was contributed by the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund to buy skates, sticks, pads, helmets, goal cages, and other equipment for use on the rink.
Programs at the school and around the new rink will benefit from a portion of the $100,000 contributed by the Panthers Foundation.
It’s going to be fantastic, he declared. “I am eager for that to be constructed.
“It will undoubtedly be one of my first stops when I go back because I want to check it out for myself and then with the kids. I am excited about it.
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