Long Island's Matthew Schaefer has a unique connection with the Islanders star, and it's all because of their shared name. But here's where it gets interesting: there are at least two Long Islanders who share Schaefer's name, and one of them even met the rising star before the season began. The elder Schaefer, a Hicksville native, recalled a funny encounter with the young defenseman. He said, 'My son has season tickets for the Islanders, and they had a barbecue where you meet the players. When we walked up to the trailer, I went up to him and said, 'Hey, Matt Schaefer, how you doing?' And he signed my son's stuff and took pictures with us. I said, 'My name is Matt Schaefer, too.' And he's like, 'Get out of here.' It was no prank. Schaefer, 57, pulled out his ID and showed it to the Islander.'
This is just one example of the wit and warmth Islanders fans have come to expect from the defenseman. Another Matthew Schaefer, from Commack, has yet to meet the young star but has already heard about him. He said, 'I'm not too deep into hockey, but when they took him as the No. 1 overall pick, I had a good laugh. It was definitely weird, but funny.'
The UBS Arena is filled with No. 48 jerseys each game, and the Commack Schaefer found it amusing to see so many people wearing his name. He even joked about getting a jersey for himself. The Syosset Schaefer, who works for the Oyster Bay Housing Authority, has a more memorable experience. He said, 'I'm going around and they're like, 'Matthew Schaefer (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap),' everywhere I go walking around, they're saying that now.'
Having the same name as a star athlete can lead to interesting encounters. The perfect example is ESPN's 2013 TV commercial that shows a man named Michael Jordan showing up to places, only to be greeted with disappointment. The Islanders' Schaefer is far from Jordan status, but similar exchanges have occurred for the Long Islanders with the same name. And for his fellow Matthew Schaefers, those memorable interactions may be only the beginning.
