Anders Lee Talks Leadership Lessons with 43 Oak Foundation

Anders Lee knows a thing or two about leadership.
He's been the New York Islanders captain since the start of the 2018-19 season, wore the C as a junior at the University of Notre Dame and captained his high school hockey team, the Edina Hornets.
On Wednesday night, Lee imparted some of his wisdom on a captive audience, speaking to the children in the
43 Oak Foundation
mentorship group, via video chat.

For Lee, authenticity is key to his leadership style, as well as looking out for his teammates.
"One of the biggest things is that you don't need to be someone you're not," Lee said. "You look out for your teammates and you're going to start to earn their respect, and you're going to have to show respect for them in many ways. That's what makes a great teammate and having their backs in more situations than just on the ice."

Lee said that even during a winning streak, a player might be dealing with on-ice struggles, or something off the ice, so it's important to check in with the entire team and not assume everyone is having the same experience.
"You have to be compassionate," Lee said. "You have to have empathy for your guys."
The 31-year-old Lee said being a captain at the NHL level means dealing with a wider range of ages, off-ice priorities and personalities. In college, the whole team is on a similar class schedule and stage in life and the age gap may only be five to six years, whereas the Islanders had players ranging from 21 to 45 this past season. Older NHL players have family considerations, where younger players have more idle time. He knows because he was once that young player walking around Roosevelt Field after practice, but as a father of two, his afternoons are a little busier nowadays.
"You have to be able to pivot a little bit and recognize your group," Lee said. "That's where all of this starts. The stuff about knowing what to say or how to pump the guys up or how to bring them up after a loss."
A good leader puts the group's needs before their own and Lee found that out first-hand in the 2021 playoffs. An ACL injury in March sidelined the Islanders captain for the team's run to the Stanley Cup Semifinal, but Lee was a fixture in the room, pumping up his team pregame. A cinematic recap of the Islanders' 3-2 win in Game 4 over the Tampa Bay Lightning showed Lee reading out a lineup card before slamming a door on the way out to the raucous applause of the room. That wasn't an easy time for Lee, who was rehabbing a major injury, but he said it was important to always be positive at the rink around the team.

"Sometimes it's as simple as having a smile on your face when you walk in," Lee said. "I have to put my feelings aside and put everyone else in front of me and do what I can to, you know, to make sure that we're in a good spot succeed."
Of course, Lee doesn't lead alone. Throughout Lee's captaincy he's been aided by veteran players like Cal Clutterbuck, Josh Bailey and Johnny Boychuk, who have been helped maintain a team culture of accountability, discipline and hard work. And while Lee has a 40-goal season under his belt, he knows leadership and leadership lessons come from all corners of the room.
Eric Boulton was a formative figure when a young Lee was breaking into the league. Boulton was 35 when he joined the team and played his final four years with the team, with the tough guy coming in and out of lineup, while also battling some injuries.
"He showed me the ropes on how to be in the room and how to act at this level," Lee said. "You can learn from anybody, and you can learn from simply sitting in the room and watching what guys are doing and how they work… If you want to be a leader, if you want to be a guy that people will look up to, or are inspired by, you have to be right there as the hardest worker in the room."
Leadership isn't a linear thing, but Lee said it's important to believe in your decisions and be constantly evolving, learning from mistakes along the way. He said he's made decisions that felt right in the moment, but are things he might have differently a month or two later.
"You're constantly learning. I think that's a huge thing," Lee said. "Leadership isn't something that's just defined by a few things, it's a constant evolution of yourself and to want to be better for yourself and want to be better for the guys around you."

The hockey players on the 43 Oak video chat were all there because they love the game, which was something Lee said was essential to being a good captain. The 43 Oak Foundation fosters that deep love of the game and is committed to growing the sport by providing opportunities to underprivileged youths and expanding diversity in the game.
"We're dedicated to supporting all 43 Oak Foundation student athletes as they pursue their athletic and academic dreams," Anneliese Mesilati, Head of Brand Activation, Sponsorship and Events, UBS Americas said. "The UBS Hockey team and volunteers from our UBS MOSAIC employee network, which focuses on promoting, supporting, and empowering the rich ethnic diversity across UBS, have embraced this opportunity and it's great to see this mentorship program grow with each session."
The Islanders, UBS and UBS Arena partnered with the 43 Oak Foundation this past year, making a five-year, $1M commitment to increasing diversity in hockey. That's included on-ice clinics at UBS Arena and Northwell Health Ice Center, as well as spotlighting the young players who are developing their games through the foundation. Wednesday's session with Lee was an added benefits an organization like the 43 Oak Foundation can provide young players, as the 43 Oak Foundation continues to lead the way in growing the game.
"Mentorship is such an important piece of our partnership with 43 Oak Foundation," Mesilati said. I've been thrilled to see how many UBS colleagues have been connecting with the 43 Oak Foundation student athletes to discuss topics such as goal setting, networking and leadership. We're excited to continue working with Sean Grevy and the whole Foundation to support the next generation of youth hockey players excel on and off the ice."
Learn more about the 43 Oak Foundation here
.
Learn more about the Islanders, UBS and UBS Arena's partnership with the 43 Oak Foundation
.