Isle Be There: Paul Cartier

In a series of articles, called Isle Be There, my intention is to focus on the different social groups that support your New York Islanders team & its players. This will also include current events, situations and personalities in and around the team as it relates to its fan base and community.

Happy New Year Isles fans!

The biggest thing we have as fans is a team to rally behind and a very likeable collection of personalities both in front of and behind the scenes.  Whether it’s the BOA, the return of Sparky the Dragon or the hundreds of passionate fans that I have met over social media, Islanders Country bleeds orange and blue every day of the year.  I want to tell you about someone who I have gotten to know from a distance, but strikes me as a good guy.  Even the legendary Jiggs McDonald wished him a Happy Birthday on Sunday’s broadcast.

One of the top requests on the list of things that fans wanted brought over from the sacred grounds of the NVMC to the state of the art Barclays Center was organist, Paul Cartier.  Paul has been the team organist for years and he has been the master of anthems throughout several of the team’s most memorable games.  He got the attention of Mike Bonner and the New York Yankees from his work with the Isles and has been Yankees official organist since 2004.  Since retiring as an air traffic controller after 27 years, Paul is grateful for his time playing for the fans and the team he has cheered for since he was a kid.

Paul has been an Isles fan since ‘72 when he attended the first Isles game ever played against the Atlanta Flames with his brother Rudy. It was then that he embraced the idea of playing organ for the team.  Afterwards, if he couldn’t get tickets, he did anything he could to see John Tonelli, Bryan Trottier and the rest of his team play, including sneaking in to the NVMC.  His strongest memories of the old barn was the atmosphere and passion of the fans cheering for their team.  Whether it was Mike Bossy’s 50 in 50, the 19 consecutive playoff series wins, the team’s first Stanley Cup victory or the clutch come-from-behind wins, the memories he associates with his early fandom are a precious part of growing up on the Island.

At 8 years old, his first experience on a small Korg organ was enough to sell him on the power of music.  At 15, he went to the NVMC to try and win the job of team organist, but was told he was too young.  Not being someone who gives up on what is important to him, Cartier kept working at it until he was invited to play during intermissions by Dr. Fred Mendolson, who by coincidence, happened to be his brother’s music instructor.  Cartier got opportunities later on filling in at Islander games and got most of his professional experience by playing for the New York Arrows indoor soccer team who played at the Coliseum. In 1981, Paul finally landed the job with his beloved Islanders and stayed through 1985.  Later he came back to fire up the fans at home games, where he has remained for the last 15 years.

Whether it’s as a member of the South Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department for 37 years or playing the organ at Our Lady of Hope church, Paul enjoys doing his part in the community.  At the Barclays Center, Cartier mentioned to me that, with his new set up playing out in the open, he has had a much better connection to the fans. This has enabled them to meet on social media and at the games.  Even his commute on the train to games has turned into a time to talk Isles hockey with fellow fans on the way to Bklyn.

Paul hopes to reunite with long time Islanders NVMC anthem singer, Joe Duerr to properly represent the national anthem at Islanders games in their new home at the Barlclays Center.  He told me about @organistalert, a Twitter group that connects fans to the “starting organist” at specific sporting events and serves as a place to talk about the music that they play during games.  Feel free to say hello to Paul at the Barclays Center, look him up on Facebook or say hello to him @PaulGCartier on Twitter.

Paul is a fan of John Tavares and loves the new attitude of the current Isles team.  “They seem to be back and I enjoy watching them win again.  The fans respond when the team wins and when the place (Barclays Center) is full, you can’t beat it.”   When you can make an Isles home game, be sure and stop by and say hello to Paul.

He will be the guy starting a certain chant that has become a crowd favorite.  You know, the one about clapping your hands?

Isles Notes:

The Isles lost to the Penguins on Saturday, 1/2 by a 5-2 score and beat the NHL leading Stars, 6-5 at a packed BC in Brooklyn on 2/3.  They are 3^rd in the east with 49 pts after 40gp with a 22-13-5 record.  They have the Capitals on Thursday 2/7 and then visit the Flyers for an early game on Saturday 2/9.

Jaroslav Halak has been activated off the team's IR list and participated in a full team practice today.  Christopher Gibson has been returned on loan to Bridgeport.

Per John Kreiser, Johnny Boychuk “out 4-6 weeks with upper-body injury. Have allowed 84 SOG, 10 goals, 3 PPG in 1st 2 games without him.  Adam Pelech was recalled on loan from Bridgeport to fill in on defense.

The #BST have signed Patrick Cullity to a PTO. Two other players up from #MoMavs, three players down.

Hockey Notes:

Finland wins the gold at the WJC gold over Russia while team USA wins the bronze over Sweden.  Isles prospect, Linus Soderstrom wasn’t in goal for Sweden for the final, but finished tournament with an impressive 1.42gaa.