COMMACK, NY — Mathieu Schneider was the man of the hour at the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday. The former New York Islanders blue-liner was inducted as part of their 2024 class at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack.
While in the Hamptons over the summer, Schneider received the call from Jason Bartow, the Hall of Fame’s chairman.
Bartow called it “a tremendous honor” to make the call.
“I was with my wife and two of our kids. Everyone was thrilled,” Schneider told The Hockey News. “I was really looking forward to this day. It seems like it just flew by the whole time from when I found out to today.”
Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round (No. 44) of the 1987 NHL Draft, Schneider’s career spanned 1,298 games with 10 different teams.
The New York City native tallied 223 goals and 520 assists for 743 points from the blue line.
He came to the Islanders in the trade that sent Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malahkov to the Montreal Canadiens; Kirk Muller and Craig Darby followed him to Long Island in the deal.
Watching New York’s dynasty be forged at a young age, Schneider embraced the opportunity to play for the franchise despite playing in an era of struggles.
“I grew up watching the Islanders win the four Stanley Cups. I was definitely an Islanders fan because of that,” Schneider said. “And that was a lot of the reason why I wanted to become a hockey player, to begin with.”
However, Schneider made the most of his time on Long Island, scoring 14 goals and 42 assists for 56 points in 78 games.
He made his first of two All-Star teams in 1996 before being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Among other career highlights for Schneider was winning the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Coincidentally, that fateful run went through Long Island as the Canadiens faced the Islanders in the Conference Finals of that year’s postseason.
“I remember that series. It was very hard fought. A couple of overtime games could have gone either way, like any playoff series in the NHL,” Schneider recalled.
While Montreal won the series in five games, he said that playing at Nassau Coliseum in the playoffs was “awesome, no doubt about it.”
Bartow, an Islanders fan, found the irony of inducting someone from that team humorous, but it was also something that felt needed to happen.
“As I said during my speech, if you told 1993 me that I’d be inducting a member of the Canadiens that broke my heart when I was a junior in high school, I wouldn’t believe you,” Bartow said.
However, given Schneider’s success with the Islanders and throughout his NHL career, he added it was a no-brainer to induct him.
“He excelled when he was here. He was an All-Star when he was here with the Islanders,” Bartow said. “So, when the opportunity came about, his name popped up, and I was a little surprised he wasn’t inducted already.
Joe McMahon, the Islanders equipment manager for 19 seasons and the class’ George Young Award recipient, helped Bartow contact the former Islander. After conducting the Hall of Fame’s vetting process, Scnehider’s name was enshrined.
In addition to Schneider’s induction, the National Jewish Hall of Fame also opened their Pucks and Pioneers exhibit, celebrating the legacy of Jewish NHL players.
Names present in the exhibit are Stan Fischler, Gary Bettman, and the Hughes brothers, among others.
Those names are among a growing network of Jews in hockey, which boasts several high-profile talents in the game. Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, Vezina Trophy winner Jeremy Swayman, and 50-goal scorer Zach Hyman are just some of the names in this group.
Matthew Page / The Hockey News
Schneider takes pride in being a member of the Jewish community, reflecting on advice from his father and the support from the 10 cities he called home in his career.
“My father — I still hear his voice in the back of my head all the time — said, ‘Remember who you are, remember where you came from,’ and that’s been a guiding light for me in my career. Being a Jewish professional athlete meant an awful lot to me.
“I always hoped to set an example wherever I was playing for the young kids in that community. I played in some amazing, amazing cities that had some tremendous Jewish communities […] I just had so much support, and you can’t have a great career without great support.”
Bartow echoes Schneider’s sentiment, calling the National Jewish Hall of Fame “essential” for the next generation of Jewish athletes.
“Jewish people, they’re out, they’re loud, they’re proud, they’re excited to be Jewish,” Bartow said. “Being in New York, which is one of the most heavily populated Jewish areas, for this to be here, for kids to see this, it’s really important.”
