43 Oak Foundation Player Profile: Onyx King | New York Islanders and UBS Partnership
my favorite part about hockey is being able to express myself with the way I skate the way I handle the puck it’s like an art moving the puck using the stick having the stick be a part of you as a person cuz if you drve your second hockey then it’s like you lose a part of yourself Onyx is very caring he’s he’s very giving he makes sure that everyone’s included in things he’s very passionate on the ice always you know playing hockey 18 hours a day and he probably dreaming about it when he sleeps what the 430 Foundation has done for me is they’ve expanded who I know unlocked A Whole New World of hockey for me Onyx 2 and 1/2 years ago he came to me mom look what I found they’re like just it’s like 43 Oak and I’m going be blunt like they’re black people on Ice you know and he he hadn’t experienced that so so he introduced us to 43 Oak I was so happy to get connected with Onyx and his mother Christine and to learn about their needs and what they what they needed to to push further um so that Onyx could you know continue to play hockey at a high level then we attended uh UBS and the Islanders big event that they had and it was amazing it just opened us up to a larger community of hockey and just let us know that some of the things we were going through and experiencing others were experiencing in the same things that we were and just to let us know like okay you’re not the only one who loves this sport you know it’s to pass down Fifth Element of hip-hop is teaching 43 Oaks is doing that job bringing adults together with with the youth and building something positive with a strong Foundation we had a mentorship session last year and there was a session on public speaking and I jumped up and I gave my own little interpretation on public speaking and he came up to me after and just told me how much he appreciated that and he’s learning a ton he’s he’s pushing the limits after that first event that we met Jazz from hpo hockey players of color we are on their email listing and uh we saw that she was going to be doing a camp in North Carolina and it wasn’t for onyx’s age group but we called her to hey can we support in any way shape or form sure come on down you can be like an assistant coach so you know we packed up drove on down he was helping out with the younger kids on the ice he also got to interview on the news and we were blown away because he was so articulate and he said a whole bunch and it wasn’t just a yes or no kind of answer I realized that I really have a voice to be heard since then I guess I’ve been practicing on like not being being afraid to speak once we got the footage we shared it right away with Sean I saw the ramifications of those mentoring opportunities that he had through um UBS and the Islanders I saw it how it impacted him in terms of what he was able to do on camera on the spot and um make a really good impression since I found 43 Oak I’ve been more outgoing it’s Tau me a lot to like be vocal more and like have people like understand who you are as a person a hockey student athlete of the 43 Oak Foundation the community that he’s built I think has has lent confidence to his self-esteem the way he is the way he thinks the way he moves and I think that’s why he’s pushing himself to be better hockey’s helped my life in so many different ways that I feel like I have to keep playing it to pay it back
Onyx King, 43 Oak Foundation player, has learned a lot both on and off the ice.
In 2021, UBS, the New York Islanders and UBS Arena announce a 5-year partnership with 43 Oak Foundation and a $1M commitment to increasing diversity in hockey. https://www.nhl.com/islanders/community/43oak
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1 comment
Ilse are going to win next year for shure!