Hockey fans know Pat LaFontaine. He scored 468 goals during 15 seasons for three (Islanders, Rangers and Sabres) New York hockey teams. He has said that his Hall of Fame career prepared him for life after hockey.

That path has pointed him in many different directions, including working with youth hockey players on Long Island. It also took him this past October to the Vatican in Rome, where he participated in a conference on faith and sports.

At the gathering, Pat was joined by New York Giants co-owner John Mara, soccer legend Pele and tennis star Roger Federer. The conference united sports people from all faiths, nationalities and cultures to arrive at a common goal – help people in need, especially the marginalized and the disadvantaged, and to encourage everyone to develop life skills, character, values and enjoyment of life through sports.

Back home, Pat has been helping others for 20 years. During 1997, Pat and his wife started The Companions in Courage Foundation. The foundation brings Xbox Kiosks and playrooms, known as the Lion’s Den, to children in hospitals across North America. Pat figures that the foundation has distributed more than 400 kiosks to more than 100 hospitals. Earlier this month, the foundation partnered with the NHL to deliver its 20th Lion’s Den, placing it at St. Louis Children’s Hospital during the NHL’s celebration of its Winter Classic outdoor game.

The Companions in Courage Foundation serves more than 50,000 patients each year. It is active with 15 hospitals in New York, including Westchester Medical Center’s Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. This facility was the home of the first Lion’s Den that continues to provide children with the opportunity to leave their rooms and participate in the excitement enjoyed by so many other children who use computers, play Xbox, watch television and enjoy movies. A frequent visitor to the hospital, Pat connects with the patients and the families as he talks and plays games with the children.

Grateful and thankful for everything he has in life, Pat is excited about the future for his foundation. New paths certainly will open for him as he continues on the road to help others.

When someone mentions horses on Long Island, most of us think about Belmont Park and that final race for the triple crown. But, Long Island’s relationship with horses actually reaches back to our early days of agriculture and as our first mode of transportation from the shores of Montauk to the then city limits of Brooklyn.

Within Long Island’s communities, we are seeing a growing interest in show jumping, polo and casual rides along the trails. All this “horsing around” is overseen by dedicated people who are keenly connected with these fine animals.

When you talk with the people who raise and care for horses, you learn that the animals are no different than us. Trainers actually compare horses to human athletes.

The animals require constant training and attention to allow for safe competition and to reduce the chances of injury. The process involves regular exercise, grooming, feeding and then the training. Horses, similar to athletes, work on a variety of skills. These include gaits, response to commands and jumps. Horses also require rest and the opportunity to leisurely expend energy.

Horses can’t be pushed or pressured, also similar to some of our young athletes. Trainers allow a horse to communicate through the nudge of a head or a flicker of a tail, and they ensure that a horse’s mind always is given time to refresh. Top trainers are as in-tune with a horse as top coaches are with young players.

Horse care is not a casual job. Horses require constant oversight and it takes a very intuitive person to bond with the animal. Besides races, shows and the personal pleasures that horses provide, the animals also are known for nurturing personalities that support therapeutic care for children and adults with disabilities. Programs with veterans and prisoners have been successful in helping people build personal confidence through teamwork.

So, how many horses are in Nassau and Suffolk counties? Would you believe about 38,000? Some communities have opposed the presence of horses. However, the work of the Nassau-Suffolk Horseman’s Association has dispelled myths about noise and other issues associated with the animals, allowing these beautiful creatures to become more welcomed and admired.

Let’s not forget the words of General Sherman Potter in the television program M*A*S*H – the horse is a noble animal.