Isaac Levy has been involved in Israel’s hockey for the better part of a generation, first suiting up for the under-18 national team in 1998, when nearly all of his teammates were dual citizens who grew up in North America — Israel itself having so few ice rinks that developing players in the country itself was next to impossible.
So believe the 42-year-old Levy, one of the founding members of the Israel Elite Hockey League and the captain of the Jerusalem Capitals, when he talks about what it means for UBS Arena to host two IEHL clubs this weekend, when Jerusalem faces off against HC Tel Aviv at 5 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s an incredible thing. Stanley Cup banners hanging from the ceiling and you have two teams from Israel playing,” Levy told The Post by phone this week. “It’s historic. I got to live so many historic moments playing for Israel hockey, but this is definitely the one that’s gotta be on top.”
The game on Long Island is not the IEHL’s first showcase outside of Israel — a select team of the league’s best players have played games in North America and Finland — but this is the biggest arena in which they’ve played, and the first time two IEHL teams have played in such a game, as opposed to the select team.
