Islanders’ Matt Moulson Mixes with Fans in Mineola

Sunday afternoon New York Islanders fans finally got their cake and ate it too.

Nearly 500 fans waited on a line that stretched down Jericho Turnpike outside the to McKinley Parkway to meet Matt Moulson one of the Islanders’ assistant captains and the team’s hottest player as of late.

Moulson and posed for pictures with fans, a couple of whom had been sleeping out the night before..

“It’s something that I loved when I was a little kid – getting the chance to get an autograph from an NHL player and it’s a little like being able to pay that back for me now,” Moulson said. “I said I’d give away a free signed jersey to whoever got here first and they told me that some girls were waiting here from 10:30 last night.”

Moulson, who came to the Islanders as a free agent in July 2009 and signed a 3-year extension in January, is currently playing some of the best hockey of his NHL career. In 63 games so far this season, Moulson has accumulated 27 goals, 15 assists for 42 points. Moulson now leads the Islanders in goals scored this season.

“It must be something my wife is cooking, but my linemates are playing unbelievable right now,” Moulson said, dressed in royal blue home sweater.

Although the Isles are on 14th place in the eastern conference and far removed from the playoff picture, fans still mobbed the Entenmann’s Outlet and even took advantage of the discount shopping. The Islanders are 13 points behind the eighth-place Carolina Hurricanes with only 19 games left in the regular season, but fans are beginning to rally around their young team.

Saturday night – before Moulson met with fans at Entenmann’s – the Isles played to the first sellout crowd of the season, a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. 

“If we could have gotten some points in games earlier in the season and it’s hurting us right now, we’d be right in the hunt,” Moulson said of his team’s playoff hopes.

Most fans in attendance received autographs and took pictures with Moulson. If fans didn’t have their own item to get signed, they were provided with a small snapshot and everyone in attendance was welcome to free stickers and fridge magnets.

“It was just awesome to see fans come out and have my little autograph on someone’s jersey really make their day,” Moulson said. ““It’s a great chance to get to be out meeting the fans. It’s great to see everyone.”