Islanders Continue To Fight Cancer With Class
The Islanders went above and beyond on Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
ELMONT, NY — When the New York Islanders drafted Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick, it was emotional.
Like every No. 1 selection, there’s emotion in the moment and reflection for the journey, the sacrifices it took to get to this point.
But for Schaefer, those emotions were at another level. In February of 2024, when Schaefer was 16, he lost his mom, Jennifer, to breast cancer. Since her passing, Schaefer has carried her with him every step of the way, talking about her in the present tense often as if she’s right there with him.
So, when he got up on the stage and saw that the Islanders had added a Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon, Schaefer couldn’t keep it together. After shaking Bettman’s hand, he kissed the ribbon and pointed to the sky, a moment that had all of us in Los Angeles, and I’m sure all of you at home, in tears.
When Schaefer signed his entry-level deal in early August, he went to the New York Mets game, throwing out the first pitch and staying for a little bit. Before the game, the Islanders had him meet Brandon Nimmo, who gave him a jersey and a lavender Breast Cancer Awareness bat.
A few weeks later, when Anders Lee hosted his annual Jam Kancer event, Schaefer was in attendance. It’s not common for a player who isn’t on the NHL team to attend, but given his ties to the disease and his likelihood of making the team, he was allowed to take part.
The bottom line is the Islanders understand, maybe more so now than ever, about how cancer affects a family. That’s not to say on their Cancer Awareness Nights that they slacked. They made those nights special.
But what the Islanders did on Saturday night for their Hockey Fights Cancer Night was tremendous, going above and beyond.
Coincidentally, the Islanders held his special night on Jennifer Schaefer’s birthday.
To start the night, the Islanders walked into UBS Arena rocking their Cancer Awareness jerseys alongside a child affected by cancer.
The Islanders also had new nameplates in their locker room, with each player writing who they were fighting for.
After warmups, the Islanders welcomed Emma, Jack, Jordan, Matthew, and Annabelle to center ice, five children from Cohen Children’s Medical Center who are battling:
The Islanders also honored the late Larry Brooks, who lost his battle with cancer on Nov. 15, as well as Bobby Marsala, a 15-year employee who left behind a wife and two young kids:
Each moment of the night was special, but one moment that really stood out was when the Islanders had Jordan, Matthew, and Riley come to the team bench to ring the bell, as all three had recently beaten cancer:
Everyone is affected by cancer, one way or another, and Saturday night was a night for an entire fan base to stand up together and show others that they are not alone.
