The 22-year-old Elmont native lives near UBS Arena, but his Islanders roots date back to games at Nassau Coliseum with his dad. He remembers his first game back in 2011, a win over the Buffalo Sabres, and rooting for the likes of Kyle Okposo and Matt Moulson, among others. Today his favorite player is Matthew Schaefer and the playoff runs in 2020 and 2021 stand out as some of his best on-ice memories.
The love of the game stemmed from playing roller hockey and watching hockey fights, but the love of the team was inherited from his father, an Islanders fan dating back to the dynasty.
That’s a familiar fan lineage, but a bittersweet one, as Doyle’s father passed away earlier this year. It’s been a hard time, but winning the jersey contest has been a small beacon for Doyle and the family. Somehow, the lighthouse logo feels a little more fitting.
“We’ve just been like talking about like how nuts my dad would be going right now,” Doyle said.
For a household of Islanders fans – and an extended family of mixed allegiances – it’s been an exciting time.
“I think my family’s like even more excited than me to be honest,” Doyle added. “They were going nuts over it, reached out to me, congratulated me. All my friends were going nuts too, so it’s just – it’s kind of crazy.”