NEW YORK (AP) — When Bobby Orr's name came up after passing him in the record books, Matthew Schaefer flashed a big grin.
“Who's that?” he asked jokingly.
Schaefer knows very well who Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin and Phil Housley are, and the new face of the New York Islanders is producing just like those Hall of Famers. Scoring his 14th goal in a 2-1 victory at the Rangers on Thursday night, Schaefer broke a tie with Orr for the second-most goals by an 18-year-old
defenseman in NHL history and moved three back of Housley for first.
Seven months since getting taken first in the draft, Schaefer is now also three behind Potvin's franchise record for the most goals by a rookie defenseman.
“Saying all those names, it’s crazy because they’re going to go down as some of the best defensemen to ever play," Schaefer said. “Obviously Potvin playing for the Islanders is pretty cool. Everyone knows him. He’s created a great legacy with the Islanders and everything. You don’t really think about it that much, but when those names pop up and you hear those names, it’s an honor to be with those guys.”
Coach Patrick Roy, himself a Hall of Fame goaltender, invoked a fourth defenseman who's enshrined when asked about Schaefer's shot.
“It reminds me of the wrister by Ray Bourque,” Roy said of a former teammate with whom he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. "Ray always kept it just above the pad and that was his thing. Schaef, now he seems to do the same thing as Ray.”
Schaefer has 36 points and is the front-runner for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, excelling at a position that typically requires a lengthy learning curve for even some of the best. Victor Hedman, for example, took until his fifth season in the league before he cracked the 30-point mark.
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