Meet Sam and Dave Boychuk; Two of the New York Islanders’ Newest Fans

Oct 23, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) during warmups prior to a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Editors note: This was a collaborative effort from all of us at Eyes On Isles.  Big thanks to Kenny, Noah, Sean, Chris and Andrew for the ideas, and a huge thank you to Sam and Dave Boychuk for their time.  

When New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow pulled off a trade for defenseman Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins just days before the season started, Islander fans knew the team had acquired a top talent.  What Islanders fans didn’t know was that as Johnny immediately endeared himself to his new teammates, so too did his brothers Sam and David to the Isles fan base.

Instantly embracing the Islanders and their fans, Sam and Dave have become a big part of “isles twitter” and are tremendously engaging with fans.  If you follow them on Twitter they’ve both announced that they are visiting the New York/Metro area this season (Dave has an EPIC sports trip planned.  Follow his twitter to check it out.  It’s basically a guys dream trip), so we thought it’d be a good idea to interview them.  We reached out to The Brothers Boychuk and they were kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

Eyes On Isles: How have you been received by Isles fans via Twitter?

Sam Boychuk: It has been incredible. I personally respond to almost everyone on a day to day basis which at times drives my wife a little crazy lol.I know from talking to people via twitter I can’t believe how welcomed you feel so I can just imagine how fantastic it must be for Johnny on the island.

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Dave Boychuk: The Isles fans have been great. You can really get a sense of excitement with the new changes and the great start.  From the tweets, the pre-game pics, to watching the games and hearing/seeing the fans on social media, I have felt that the Isles fans are extremely welcoming. The banter and convos have been fun to say the least, and always welcomed. Although, I am finding nowadays, that I am charging the phone more often lol.

Oct 23, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) skates in the neutral zone during the second period against the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

EOI: How much did you guys and Johnny both know about the Islanders team/ownership/building situation prior to the trade?

SB: I actually remember as a young guy watching the Islanders back when they were winning that run of Stanley cups with that perfect blend of talent, grit, and timely goaltending. Growing up in Edmonton we saw first hand how good they were because they had the Oilers number for quite a long stretch. In regards to ownership as well as the new building I actually followed it all as things came to fruition well before Johnny became a member of the Islanders. I think it is a special time for this club and the fans. They are a young team and they are building a winner that will be around for a long time.

DB: Being a hockey-minded person, the top players are recognized throughout the league.  A pleasant surprise was being able to watch the supporting guys on the team and realize how skilled and quick they are.  With the changes over the summer, the immediate impact of the new players combined with the existing core group, this team is becoming one of the powerhouses to be contended with.  We knew that the “barn” was older that had a ton of history with a supportive fan base. The older arenas carry with them a history and character that you could never replicate in the newer modern rinks.  I am sure the players and fans are looking forward to upgrading into their new home for next year, but I hope they will be able to take a part of Nassau and somehow integrate it into the new arena.

Oct 14, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

EOI: How closely did the family follow hockey while growing up?

SB: Growing up in Canada it is all hockey all the time. Having three brother all playing high level hockey our family breathed, ate, and slept hockey 365 days a year.

DB: Sorry was the question how did we follow hockey, or did anything exist outside of hockey? LOL.

EOI: Considering you guys grew up in Edmonton, were you guys Oilers fans?  If not, who’d you root for?  What players did you idolize growing up?

SB: You are exactly correct. Growing up in Edmonton we were big Oiler fans & got a chance to grow up watching a special team with the likes of Gretzky, Messier, Coffey etc. I would have to say Messier would have to be the player I idolized the most because he was skilled, hard nosed, wasn’t scared to go to the dirty areas, and was the Alpha male leader of that team. Players on that team were terrified to disappoint him.

I am going to get a hall pass from [my] wife to allow me to experience the tailgating at at least one of the games while we are in town

DB: We grew up literally just down the street from the Coliseum in Edmonton and followed the Oilers Religiously as did the rest of the city.  Personally, my idols in the NHL were mainly all defensemen as I have been a defensemen since I started playing.  Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque, Al Macinnis to name a few.  All-time favorite player – Ray Bourque.

EOI:  When you visit New York this winter, what are you most looking forward to doing/seeing?

SB: I believe being able to be lucky enough to catch some games at the Nassau Coliseum before they move will be one of the highlights no doubt. We are looking forward to spending time with Johnny, wife, and kids. We are bombarded with daughters all close in age so it’s going to be great to see the three girls together again.I have never been to New York but I have heard it is amazing & will try to take in as much as possible. I am going to get a hall pass from [my] wife to allow me to experience the tail gating at at least one of the games while we are in town.

DB: What am I most looking forward to? Honestly, I rarely get to see Johnny and his family other than in the off season, so I am just excited to be able to spend some time with them, especially my 2 beautiful baby nieces!  Our family is a tight group, and the love we have for one another is priceless.  Any time I can get with them is always welcomed.  As a bonus to visiting the Boychuk family in New York, I will be able to see, experience and breathe in Isles Nation.  Nothing compares to the camaraderie between 2 strangers and the excitement of being able to be at a live sporting event while cheering on the same team.

Jun 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk(55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period in game four of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

EOI: What’s the best story you three have from when you were kids?  Ever get in trouble for something innocent you shouldn’t have been doing?

SB: Dave & I used to always get home from school earlier than Johnny and with our parents still at work we used to pull out the plexi-glass dump 100 pucks out and make Johnny shoot them on our net every day no matter how frigid the temperatures were. If he didn’t call his shot we would they would have to be redone before we would let him come inside the house.

DB: When I look back to when were all younger, the best story’s all stem from us being at the outdoor rink in our community of Newton in Edmonton.  We spent all of our free time at the rink as soon as school ended until we had to come home for supper, and head back to the rink until it closed.  Hopefully the extra practice for Johnny has paid off…. He still only has the 3^rd hardest shot out of us 3 boys.  Did we ever get in trouble? You bet we did.  Again it involved pucks, missing targets and smashing windows, our parents having to replace windows every other week

“Johnny took the Stanley Cup to the Edmonton Stollery Children’s Hospital for a few hours to share this great day with kids who had been going through some tough battles of their own”

EOI:  When Johnny won the Stanley Cup in 2011 did you and your family get to spend any time with the cup?

SB: We actually were fortunate enough to be in Vancouver for the clincher so we got to get the full experience. We were on the Ice when they paraded around as well as party in the dressing room with all the boys it was amazing. Each player got to have there one day with the cup so Johnny has a big gathering at Ft Edmonton park with a bunch of guys playing the bag pipes walking him out. Pretty incredible.

DB: We had a gathering where friends and family could come and take pics, have a BBQ and some drinks, I forget how many showed up but I believe it was around 500 or more people.  For the afternoon, Johnny took the Stanley Cup to the Edmonton Stollery Children’s Hospital for a few hours to share this great day with kids who had been going through some tough battles of their own.  Johnny then brought the Stanley Cup back to our parents house, where we had a small gathering of our close family and friends.  Here we took pics, got to study the engravings, drank out of the Stanley Cup, and were able to hoist and feel the weight of this trophy.  I gotta say, the absolute best drinks I have ever had came out of the Stanley Cup, we cannot wait to be able to do this again very soon.