Islanders' Matt Martin, Jon Ledecky, To Attend Clark Gillies' Dix Hills Ice Rink Renaming

DIX HILLS, NY — New York Islanders forward Matt Martin and owner Jon Ledecky are set to attend the ceremony on Saturday that will see the Dix Hills Ice Rink be renamed Clark Gillies Arena at Dix Hills Park in the late Islander legend's honor, the Town of Huntington announced.

The ceremony is open to the public. Other Islanders figures may also attend, according to the town.

The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Dix Hills Ice Rink, at 575 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills.

In addition to Martin and Ledecky, the event is set to be attended by Town of Huntington Councilmembers Joan Cergol and Salvatore Ferro, the Gillies family, the Clark Gillies Foundation, members of the New York Islanders organization, and other Town of Huntington officials.

Cergol and Ferro introduced the resolution to rename Dix Hills Ice Rink in Gillies' honor at the March 15 Huntington Town Board meeting, where it was unanimously approved.

Clark Gillies played for the Islanders from 1974 to 1986, serving as team captain from 1977 to 1979. Along with fellow Islanders Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, Gillies played a vital role in the team's four consecutive Stanley Cup victories from 1980 to 1983.

Gillies played in 872 games for the Islanders, scoring 304 and 359 assists for a total of 663 points; the fourth-highest of any Islander. Gillies played two more seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before retiring.

In 1996, the Islanders retired his No. 9. In 2002, he was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. He is frequently cited by fans and sports analysts as one of the greatest hockey players in the history of the Islanders franchise.

Gillies died on Jan. 21 at the age of 67.

Gillies was a Greenlawn resident, an active member of the Town of Huntington, and a well-known philanthropist across Long Island. He created The Clark Gillies Foundation, which aims to support children in the United States and across the globe facing physical, developmental, and/or financial challenges.

The Clark Gillies Foundation donated $3 million to Huntington Hospital to establish a state-of-the-art pediatric emergency department staffed and equipped to meet the medical needs of children. This pediatric emergency department, along with the entire Huntington Hospital Pediatric Unit, has been named after Gillies and his foundation in honor of his repeated charitable contributions.