Copyright New York Post
Islanders 18-year-old rookie Matthew Schaefer, the first-overall draft pick in June, takes a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: How do you deal with the pressure of great expectations? A: I think the pressure is what I put on myself. Pressure is a privilege. I think for me I put a lot of high expectations on myself, which is a good thing in ways, because I know when I can be good and I always want to the best. I think that’s like everyone, you always want to do your best, you want to be the best, you want to just train every day and work hard and get better each and every day. Yeah, for me, I think I just put a lot of high expectations on myself. There’s really no other pressure outside of that, it’s just what you put on yourself. I know when I’m at my best and I know when I can be better. Q: How does your girlfriend Samantha deal with your celebrity? A: She takes it really good. I mean, it’s tough when you know your boyfriend’s in the spotlight. She loves it. She’s happy for me. She wants the best for me. Q: How do you deal with your celebrity? A: You don’t think you should be in the spotlight because you think you’re just like every other kid, you’re just normal like every other kid. I think the biggest thing is like when I was in high school, all these younger kids were coming up to me going, “Oh my God, can I get an autograph, can I get a picture?” I go, “Guys, I’m the same as you. You guys can get it if you want, but I mean, I’m still in English class, I’m still in math class, you guys are in the same [place], so we’re the same people here.” Q: So you don’t feel like a star? A: No, no, not at all. I think I’m just like every other kid. Q: Tell me about Samantha. A: It’ll be a year soon. She’s going to school right now in Prince Edward Island. … She actually plays hockey, too. She’s the same age as me. She lives like 20 minutes from my hometown [Hamilton, Ontario]. Long story short, I knew her through people and then she played hockey and then I ended up meeting her. Her brothers work out at the same gym as me, and then she was there too working out. I got to know her through that, too. Q: How do you explain your maturity? A: (Laugh) Don’t let me fool you. I don’t know, I think watching my brother grow up, watching my dad, watching my mom and the people they are. I think the biggest thing was just being a good person to other people and treat other people how they’d want or be treated. We didn’t want to be a family that was known as cocky. You don’t go far in life if you’re cocky and arrogant and not a good person, so I think the biggest thing is just be a good person, be humble, kind and just be happy each and every day. Q: Your mom, Jennifer, succumbed to breast cancer in February 2024. Describe the prayer you say to before every game. A: I’ll always talk to my mom, say a prayer. It’s nice when you can just pray and kind of like talk to your mom and you know she’s right there with you and she’s listening to everything. Q: What do you say to her? A: Just a lot of things. Obviously I miss her so much, and just look over me, my dad, brother and just be there for us. I just wish she could be here with us and be in this journey with us, and wish I could see her one more time and give her a big hug. … It’s tough to lose someone you love, especially when it’s your mom. Every family needs a mom. The first person I’d call when I was sick or I miss home is definitely my mom and then my dad, too. … But my mom, you have so many great memories. She’d light up a room with her smile, her laugh. She was always so happy, she was always family. Yeah, that was definitely the hardest obstacle I’d have to overcome. It’s always going to be tough. I’m lucky I get to help people that have lost someone or are battling things which I love to do. I want to have a foundation in her name and do a lot of things for her and a lot of things to help cancer and raise money. Q: You also lost your billet mother Emily Matson, who committed suicide in December 2023. A: Yeah, that was also a tough one too. My billet mother was obviously a great human being, she was always so happy, so energetic. I met her and then I knew her for a couple months, and then it was just like that, it was super quick. I obviously miss her so much, she was the best. Q: You lost them in a two-month period. How did you get through it? A: I think just teammates, you know, family members, I think just being there for each other. … I think just knowing that they’re not suffering anymore, and they’re always going to be with us in spirit. Q: Describe your on-ice mentality. A: I want to win each and every day. I hate losing, but when you have such a talented group of players in the room, it’s fun to play with them and it’s fun to just be with them each and every day practicing and playing games. Q: Do you ever get angry on the ice? A: I think the biggest thing in this league is you just got to move from it, and each shift is a new shift and just worry about that one. Q: What drives you? A: I think a lot of things drive me. I think just playing for my teammates drives me a lot. Playing for my family, playing for my mom, I think those are all things that drive me. You go to war each and every year with your teammates, and you become close as a family and you guys go to battle and you guys always have each other’s back. I know everyone in this room will have my back and I know I’ll have theirs. It definitely drives you when guys are blocking shots, making hits, scoring goals, working hard, it definitely pushes the pace for your team. Q: Does greatness drive you? A: Hundred percent. You always want to be great out there. You want to be your best. There’s always things to work on. You strive to be a perfectionist, but the same time, you’re never going to be a perfectionist. I talk to a lot of guys about it — whether it’s [retired Islander] Matt Martin and stuff, I pick his brain all the time because he helps me so much. He’s like, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” I want to be my best each and every day, and he goes, “Don’t strive to be perfection because you’re never going to [reach] perfection, just do what you can do and just work hard and have fun each and every day.” Q: What single trait on the ice are you most proud of? A: I think being a good teammate’s probably a huge one. On the ice is on the ice, but I think off the ice is so much bigger. Being a good teammate, being happy each and every day, being there for your teammates, I think that goes a long way. I think that’s definitely something my mom and dad and brother have really helped me with, and helped me strive to be just a good person. Q: How about intangibles on the ice? A: Obviously I think my hockey sense, my skating, I think those are two big ones. But it’s pretty fun when you’re playing with these players and your hockey sense kicks in and you’re just making plays all over the ice — [Mathew] Barzal, on the power play with Bo [Horvat] and all of them, it’s pretty easy to make plays with them because their hockey sense is just as good and they’re always in the right spots. Q: Do you ever lack confidence on the ice? A: No, I think confidence is a big thing. I think that’s what you gotta do if you get scored on, just go right back out there and get it back. Yeah, I think you just have to have a short memory and just go back out there and work hard. Q: Where can you be better on the ice? A: In lots of areas. For me, my skating ability’s the best when my feet are going. I think that’s always a good start to my game. There’s always things you can always work on, whether it’s D-zone, O-zone. Q: Do you like penalty kill or power play better? A: I like both. I’m on the power play, so I’ll go with power play. I love a good PK though, blocking shots and keeping the lead and stuff, so I love that. Q: How do you deal with guys taking runs at you? A: Yeah, I mean I think every team’s going to really do that. A lot of teams are going to be coming for you, so I guess just make good plays, take your hit. … You just got to be ready to take the hits. Q: What is your best hockey moment? A: I think getting drafted was obviously pretty cool, but just making the opening night roster, being able to play in the NHL, I think that’s been pretty cool. Q: Your worst loss? A: I’d have to say gold medal loss in minor hockey. Q: Have you found good pizza yet? A: Matt Martin knows where to get the pizza, so I just listen to him and he orders the pizza and then we’ll eat it. Q: Bagels? A: The first time I got a bagel I put a little too much cream on it — I had avocado, cream cheese and it was a lot. With the avocado, cream cheese is very like creamy in a way, so I was like, “Maybe we take one of those off.” I got one bagel with bacon, egg and cheese, and then another one was a French toast bagel with cream cheese. So two great orders, but I can definitely add on to that and maybe add some hash browns, so we’ll see. Q: Is Mrs. Martin (the former Sydney Esiason) a good cook? A: Yes. Her and her mom are both are both really good cooks, but they’re also really good people, so super happy to be there. Q: What do you call her? A: I call her Syd. I’m so close to her I call her everything. She’s like another mom. She’s like an older sister, sometimes I call her girlfriend (chuckle), no she’s the best. Q: What’s Boomer Esiason like? A: (Laugh). He’s the best. That was actually the first time I met him the other day, so I’ll be seeing him a lot and watching football with him, but he’s awesome. I was talking about how his career was and how he started in Maryland and everything. He knows what it takes to work hard. He was the 11th-string at one point and then he was in the NFL. Q: Do you listen to his radio show? A: Yeah, I listened to his radio show a couple of times. I’ll listen to it more now obviously because Syd and all them listen to it. Q: What do you know about Rangers fans? A: Well, I met Boomer, so he’s a little crazy (laugh). No, obviously they’re passionate, big rivalry between us and the Rangers. I’m just focused on our team here. Q: Do you do chores living at the Martin house? A: (Laugh) Marty always chirps me, he’s always like, “When are you going to start doing stuff around here?”and stuff like that. And Syd’s like, “No you’re not doing anything,” and stuff like that. I always play with the kids and stuff like that, so I guess if that’s considered a chore. Q: What is the best Thanksgiving you ever had? A: It’ll be soon, at the Esiason Thanksgiving that I go to. I think this will probably be the best one. Q: Why do you think this will be the best one? A: Syd’s telling me there’s just a lot of food, there’s a lot of people there. They do a lot of fun things so I’m excited. Q: You like turkey? A: I love it. Q: What are you most thankful for? A: I’m thankful for, first off, my family, friends, teammates … being thankful to have all those years with my mom, get to spend time with her. … thankful that she’s not suffering anymore and she’s happy in peace. And obviously just thankful for all the people that have helped me along the way — my best friend [Ryan Scriven] and his family, they’ve helped me so much and they helped my dad a lot all the way. For my dad’s 60th birthday they made a video and it was videos of all of us making funny videos of him saying happy birthday, and then they added videos and pictures of him from over the years. [Ryan is] still my best friend, talk to him every day, we played hockey growing up and then our families became super close. I consider them second mom and second dad, and then he has a younger brother Brady Scriven. They came to my first game in Pittsburgh, all of them. He couldn’t come, but his parents came to watch my first home game here at UBS. They’re going to come down for quite a bit, so I’ll get to see them and show them around. Go to New York City and do stuff probably. That’ll be around Christmastime, so it depends when they come down and then we’ll do some stuff. Q: What do you want to see in New York City? A: Can’t wait for Christmas … all the lights and all the stuff in Christmastime. Q: What is your favorite Christmas memory? A: Santa would always go all out (smile) with the gifts and stuff like that. I think every Christmas Eve we’d go to church, and then we’d go back to either my house or my aunt’s house with my cousins and stuff. We’d have a big dinner and we’d open gifts and stuff like that together. I think just spending time with family is just the best thing ever. Going outside, playing in the snow with my family and stuff. Q: You have a car? A: I have a Cadillac. … It’s a Vistiq. It’s an electric car. Q: What’s on your bucket list? A: Going on more vacations, traveling. I think going to Greece or Italy, travel the world a little more. Q: If you could go back in time and defend against any forward in NHL history, who would it be? A: I think when I was not in the NHL, I’d say [Sidney] Crosby and then I’d have to say [Wayne] Gretzky would be pretty cool. Q: If you were on a breakaway and had to beat any goaltender in NHL history? A: [Ilya] Sorokin [then Schaefer shakes his head and smiles across the locker room] … Patrick Roy (laugh). I’ll say that because he’s my coach. Q: Who are athletes in other sports you admire? A: I do love Tiger Woods. … I love golf. Obviously he’s a great player. … Guys I admire, I think it goes back to like the hockey community, like Nick Foligno and Marcus Foligno — they obviously lost their mom at a young age, so they’ve helped me so much just through everything. Q: What’s the best and worst part of your golf game? A: Ooh, there’s a lot there. I’m not very consistent because I don’t play too much. If my driver is on, that’s a really good thing, but if it’s not, then we’re not looking good. Q: Four dinner guests? A: Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, Josh Bailey … and I’d have to say my mom. Q: Favorite movie? A: “Grown Ups” or “Happy Gilmore.” Q: Favorite actor? A: Adam Sandler. Q: Favorite actress? A: Jennifer Aniston. Q: Favorite rapper/entertainer/singer? A: For rap, I’ll say Drake. I love remixes, so there’s a group called Two Friends. Q: Favorite meal? A: I love a good steak. I love good Italian food, too. Q: What are you most proud of about yourself? A: I don’t really get proud of myself for anything. … Just keep winning games as a team, I think that’s the biggest thing. I don’t really like to talk about myself much. Q: Why don’t you like talking about yourself? A: Because there’s a lot more to the game of hockey than just yourself. There’s five guys on the ice, and there’s four lines at forward, three lines at D and then two goalies. Q: What do you want your hockey legacy to be? A: (Laugh). Still a lot of time, many more years until that, but I don’t know. I guess we’ll see where it goes. We’ll focus on this season, do what I can do and then see what we can do as a team, and then I think we’ll worry about that down the road. Q: A message to Islanders fans. A: Thanks for everything they do. They come out each and every night, makes it easy for us to play in front of them. Best fans in the league. Q: Describe playing on the New York stage. A: I love it. It’s awesome. It’s worked out so amazing, I love everyone here. All the guys on the team have been awesome, the staff, management. Everything’s been awesome here and I love New York. Q: New York doesn’t scare you. A: No, not at all.
