Pat LaFontaine

There's little to debate regarding what Pat LaFontaine accomplished on the ice as a five-time All-Star, who spent over seven years on Long Island. Yet, for those who know him best and what he's done away from the rink, you can forget the 478 goals LaFontaine scored and his 1,013 points.

What Islander fans may not be as familiar with are the gifts the recent Hall of Famer has given to humanity, particularly since a series of concussions forced him to hang up his skates in 1998. The injuries pulled the star forward away from the ice prematurely, but LaFontaine continues, to this day, to make his mark off the ice. Even the Islanders-Rangers Charity venture, which is determined by who wins the season-series between the teams, has a trophy named in honor of LaFontaine.

LaFontaine's involvement with the community began during his playing days. He was one of the first in the NHL to have a luxury suite set aside for visiting children with health concerns. When he sustained a torn ACL, he began to spend more time visiting children in hospitals.

"I've always known hockey players to donate their time and help out in any way that they can," LaFontaine once said. "For the first time in my career, I had a lot of time on my hands. I befriended some really special children. I'd go to the hospital to try to put a smile on some of these kids' faces and their courage inspired me more than they could imagine."

Upon retiring, LaFontaine authored Companions in Courage, a moving collection of stories about athletes who have encountered a variety of adversities. He dedicated the proceeds of the book to children's hospitals and eventually founded the Companions in Courage Foundation. An idea to build interactive, high-tech education, recreation and communication centers in children's hospitals took on life when

LaFontaine also met up with Microsoft two years ago at the NHL All-Star Game. The company told him about Microsoft Hockey Challenge, a weekend charity game involving Microsoft employees that helped raise over $1 million for the Seattle Ronald McDonald house last March. They told him they wanted to play for causes more often. He supplied them with a perfect one.

The two organizations decided to team up for a seven hockey games, each to raise money to develop high-tech education, recreation and communication centers called CiC Rooms in children's hospitals across North America. Their goal is to eventually build one in each NHL city.

CiC Rooms are designed to provide children with a place where they can put their hospital life aside and interact with family and friends in the outside world, as well as the new companions they meet in the room. CiCs have access to cutting edge technology, provided by Microsoft and supporting partners such as Compaq and Sony, which will allow for them to participate in a wide array of activities that fit to their individual age groups and interests.