Koby didn’t grow up with hockey. Born in Herzliya, Israel, the closest he ever got to the game was through The Mighty Ducks and the swagger of Gordon Bombay. “We thought it was the coolest thing ever,” he laughs. “But there were no rinks, no hockey – just dreams.”
At 42, Koby is finally living that dream.
And he’s doing it the hard way – no shortcuts, no special treatment. Just sweat.
A lifelong racing fanatic who tunes 2,000-horsepower cars for a living, Koby’s world was always fast and extreme: metal music, hot rods, and drag racing. But a few years ago, he realized he needed something else: a reason to move, a way to get healthy, and a goal that mattered. That goal became hockey.
“I was 356 pounds,” he shares. “I wanted to change. I needed a mission. And I chose hockey, partly because my 76-year-old father-in-law, Michael Litsky, still plays, and partly because my 6-year-old son, Asher, plays. I wanted to be out there with them.”
Today, he is. Look at this photo of the three of them - father, son, and grandfather – lined up on the ice. Three generations.
Learning to skate at 42 – the hardest thing he’s ever done
Learning to skate as an adult wasn’t hard – it was brutal. Koby battled constant foot pain, bad gear, and a learning curve most people never face. His first skates didn’t fit. “I had tears in my eyes from the pain,” he remembers. “Nobody thought I’d make it.”
But he didn’t quit. He found new skates. He got custom insoles. And he showed up – every single week. Skating coaches Olga Volozhinskaya and Sergey Petrovskiy at Palm Beach Skate Zone stuck with him, correcting his form, encouraging his effort, and watching him go from two minutes on and forty minute breaks to twenty on. It helps when your skating coach is a former Olympic figure skater. “Meanwhile, I could barely stand up, “ Koby laughs. “But she never gave up on me.”
And his motivation? A powerful one: the Florida Panthers Learn to Play program for adults.
“I signed up for the Panthers Learn to Play, and that became the goal I worked toward,” he says. “Every week of pain, every drop of sweat – it was all for that.”
A gear breakthrough that changed everything
Koby’s biggest breakthrough came the same day he suited up for the first time in the Learn to Play program. The pads were uncomfortable. The jersey didn’t fit. Everything felt wrong – until he got home and opened the package from Titan.
“That neck guard shirt was the first thing that felt right,” he says. “I put it on, and everything else worked better. The pads stopped slipping. The shirt created a sleeve underneath – it made the gear move with me instead of against me. I wasn’t fighting it anymore.”
It was more than the fit, though. It was the feel.
“It fit. It felt engineered. The material was high-quality. I could tell this wasn’t just apparel. It was gear designed by someone who understands performance.”
And then, something even more powerful: “For the first time, I didn’t feel like I was choking or overheating. I looked like a hockey player. I even felt like one.”
When he wore Titan on the ice for the first time, everything changed. “I skated better. I felt lighter. I was faster. I didn’t even notice the shoulder pads anymore,” he says. “It was like it regulated my body temp. I stayed warm, but not hot. I was just… in the zone.”
He pauses, then adds with conviction: “It wasn’t placebo. The shirt works. It made me better.”
Built for Koby and players like Koby
For Koby, Titan didn’t just make protective gear. It made space for someone like him.
“I’m tall, I’m wide – even when I was heavier, nothing fit,” he says. “But when I found Titan and saw they had a 3XL, I felt seen. I felt like someone finally made gear for people like me.”
Now, Koby wears Titan every time he skates and Asher does too.
“My son has one of those old-school neck guards with a strap. Honestly? It’s like a sponge. I come from racing. I know gear. That stuff doesn’t protect you. Titan does.”
Asher recently got his own Titan neck guard shirt and didn't hold back on his review. "It's super better than the other one – I'm throwing that thing in the trash," he said. "It doesn't stick to me when I have pads on or sweating. The other ones did."
It takes a rink
Koby’s story is one of tenacity, but it’s also one of community. From the early mornings skating alongside figure skaters to pep talks from Zamboni drivers (shout out to Mike!) and encouragement from coaches like Melissa, Olga, and Sergey – the rink has become his second home.
“The people are what make it special,” he says. “It’s not just a rink. It’s a tribe.”
He’s now paying that spirit forward. When he heard about a rink in Israel that had been destroyed by a rocket during the war – one that brought together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian kids to play hockey – he rallied support. Together with his father-in-law, Carlos at Skate Zone, and Boca Ice, Koby helped coordinate the donation of seven pallets of hockey gear to rebuild what was lost.
“I had to clear out my garage,” he grins. “Racecars out, hockey gear in. It was a big project, but it felt amazing.”
No excuses – only progress
Koby still has a long way to go. He’s still improving his skating. Asher, his 6-year-old son, can outmaneuver him easily. But he’s out there – practicing, sweating, learning, and growing.
“I don’t think I’m special,” he says. “But I want people to know that it’s never too late. If you’ve got a dream, go do it. Just don’t forget the neck guard!”
And when asked how this journey has changed his confidence, he gives an answer most wouldn’t expect.
“It didn’t boost my confidence – it humbled me. It made me respect the sport, the players, and the process. It taught me it’s okay to suck at something. As long as you show up and work hard, that’s what matters.”
Koby didn’t take the easy road. He took the hard one – on two blades, in full gear, sweating through every second. And that’s exactly the kind of player Titan was built for.
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Photo credit: Black & Yellow Photos
