LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. (AP) — Before he was picked first in the draft by the New York Islanders last year, Matthew Schaefer made his late mother's fight against cancer before her death in 2024 a central part of what motivates him.
On Monday, he added another chapter to that journey. The R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center on Long Island unveiled the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Room, with Matthew, brother Johnny and father Todd on hand to see the finished product.
The room is decked out in Islanders blue and orange and has a bubble hockey table along with family photos, and counseling will be available for children of cancer patients.
"We’ve always wanted to do something," Matthew said. “We didn’t know what we wanted to do, and we had the idea of we wanted to be able to give back and help. But we didn’t know what it was going to be, and then Northwell Health came up with this idea and we were like, ‘This is going to be awesome,’ and we were all on board.”
Choking up in his speech before dedicating the room, Todd Schaefer said: “My wife would be so pleased. The room’s exactly what she would want.”
His youngest son became the face of the franchise immediately and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. The Islanders put a cancer ribbon on the jersey they presented to Schaefer when they selected him, and at 19 he has been eager to do off-ice events to promote the organization.
“Matthew actually does come to this cancer center over and over and over again,” co-owner Jon Ledecky said. “He just wants to make a difference, and I think the center and the room reflect those values.”
This was the latest chance for Schaefer to honor his mom.
“When I talk to my dad and my brother, we wish we had a room like this,” Schaefer said. “It’s just crazy to think that my mom’s name is on the room and it’s going to be able to help kids and families. I mean, it’s her. It’s a bright room. Her smile would be there all the time."
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New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) celebrates after scoring the winning goal during overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
A room at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center, named in honor of New York Islanders' Matthew Schaefer's late mother, Jennifer Schaefer, is seen on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Lake Success N.Y. (AP Photo/Stephen Whyno) Photo taken with smartphone.
New York Islanders' Matthew Schaefer, center, cuts a ribbon during a ceremony unveiling a room at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center named in honor of Schaefer's late mother, Jennifer Schaefer, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Lake Success, N.Y. (AP Photo/Stephen Whyno) Photo taken with smartphone.
