When Casey Cizikas laces up his skates for the Islanders on Monday afternoon at UBS Arena, it won’t just be another game — it will be his 900th in the NHL, all on Long Island.
For more than a decade, Cizikas, who famously said he was going to "die an Islander" after signing his six-year contract extension in 2021, has embodied the identity of the team throughout his career — relentless, selfless, and proud to do the hard work that doesn’t always make the highlight reels. Drafted in the fourth round in 2009,
Cizikas debuted in 2011-12 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the league’s most tenacious bottom-six forwards.