There’s no ‘poking or prodding’ by doctors allowed in this room at a CT hospital

Hartford Courant – Thursday, September 11, 2025
By Pamela McLoughlin

There’s one place at this Connecticut hospital where there’s no “poking or prodding” by doctors allowed.

But the doctors can join the play in the location any time.

It’s the newly built “Lion’s Den” or high tech, interactive playroom in Yale New Haven Hospital’s pediatric unit.

The recently-opened room was built through the Champions in Courage Foundation, founded and led by NHL legend Pat LaFontaine. The project was funded by Northwestern Mutual, a financial planning company.

It’s a place for kids from 2 to 12 years old to relieve anxiety before surgery or another medical procedure and a place for to help them with recovery from illness.

“We know it takes more than medicine to make a kid feel better and creating this environment is part of that care,” said Toni Crowell-Petrungaro, director of Child Life at the hospital. “It’s a great motivator to get kids out of bed.”

The approximately 500-square-foot playroom, or Lion’s Den in the foundation’s language, is not like in your grandma’s day, as much of the technology wasn’t even within sight then.

But at the same time there are also the most basic, classic toys such as play kitchens, dolls, trucks, blocks, shopping carts, a shopping center, and toy medical equipment.

The state-of-the-art playroom has two zones, one daytime with trees, bright colors, outdoor scenes and another the nighttime with stars, a galaxy.

Children can control the lights, colors, patterns of the lighting.

There sensory items like tunnels, technology such as a large interactive iPad.

“It helps provide an alternate environment,” Crowell-Petrungaro said.

Chris Andricopoulos, managing director at Northwestern Mutual Norwalk, and a board member of Champions in Courage, helped secure funding for the New Haven project through his company’s foundation.

“I think it’s incredible,” he said, of the play area or Lion’s Den as it’s formally known. “The whole mission of it (Champions in Courage) is what drove me to become a board member.”

Andricopoulos said he loves the organization’s slogan: “No child in the fight for life or health should ever have to go through it alone.”

Lafontaine was an ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League and spent his career playing career with the league’s New York State-based teams: the New York Islanders, the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers.

He retired in 1998 – his careers ended by concussions – and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

The foundation was begun by LaFontaine more than 20 years ago.

LaFontaine often spent time in various hospitals visiting children and vowed he would do something more with it after his career.

LaFontaine wanted a ”kid to be a kid when they were in the hospital,” Andricopoulos said.

“It provides a respite to kids in the pediatric ward,” Andricopoulos said

The project at Yale New Haven Hospital is the 21st throughout the country.

Jim Johnson, executive director of Companions in Courage Foundation, said LaFontaine is one of top 100 hockey players of all time.

He began visiting kids in the hospital when he was out injured and his wife said something like,

“You can’t just sit around feeling sorry for yourself why don’t you visit the hospital?” Johnson said.

Yale was in the running years ago, but it didn’t happen because the availability of space and other factors didn’t line up.

Each hospital that gets a Lion’s Den asses its needs and the child life department at Yale asked for a focus to be on those with ADHD and those on the autism spectrum, Johnson said.

The play spaces are designed by Edwin Schlossberg of ESI Designs, known for creating spaces in the Vatican, Ellis Island and children’s museums, Johnson said.

The rooms are adaptive in terms of accounting for technology growth, Johnson said.

Of doctors going into the playroom, Johnson said, “We discourage any poking or prodding in the space. Now if a doctor wants to go into the room to play…”

Referring to LaFontaine and his Lion’s Dens, Johnson said, “Every one is very special to him.”
LaFontaine attended the recent ribbon cutting for his newest Lion’s Den.

“That’s his ultimate happy place,” Johnson said.

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