Story Summary
Joe Vanella’s run on The Traitors has brought a lifelong New York Islanders supporter into a wider spotlight, but hockey remains central to the Long Island native’s identity. Vanella, 44, is still active in the competition after being selected as a traitor and has spoken warmly about the Islanders players and experiences that have shaped his life as a fan.
If he could recruit one NHL player to join him in the Scottish castle, Vanella said he would choose Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer. He met Schaefer at a fan fest event at UBS Arena last season, when Vanella attended with his five-year-old daughter. She brought Schaefer three drawings, and he signed one before returning it to her.
That gesture has endured in the Vanella household. He said his daughter still names Schaefer whenever hockey comes up, while describing the player as someone who made her “feel like a million bucks”.
Vanella has held Islanders season tickets since 2009 and began following the club during the 1990s, when Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe and Eric Fichaud helped spark his attachment to the team. His relationship with the Islanders has since become intertwined with major personal occasions, from his fourth date with his wife to his role as best man at his brother-in-law’s wedding.
His lasting game-night memories include the Islanders’ 2011 Fight Night against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nassau Coliseum, which produced 346 penalty minutes, and the club’s Game 4 win over Pittsburgh in the 2013 Eastern Conference First Round. With filming now complete, Vanella has returned to attending Islanders games whenever possible and greeting supporters around UBS Arena.
Key Facts
- Joe Vanella is a Long Island native, a New York Islanders season-ticket holder since 2009 and a current contestant on The Traitors.
- Vanella was selected as a traitor on the competition programme and remained active in the game at the time of publication.
- Vanella said he would choose Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer as his preferred NHL teammate in The Traitors castle.
- Vanella met Schaefer at a fan fest event at UBS Arena last season while attending with his five-year-old daughter.
- Vanella’s daughter gave Schaefer three drawings, and Schaefer signed one before giving it back to her.
- Vanella began following the Islanders in the 1990s and credited Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe and Eric Fichaud with helping establish his fandom.
- Vanella attended the Islanders’ 2011 Fight Night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which featured 346 penalty minutes and ranks sixth in NHL history for a single game.
- Vanella also highlighted the Islanders’ Game 4 win against Pittsburgh during the 2013 Eastern Conference First Round as one of his favourite fan experiences.
- After filming concluded, Vanella returned to Long Island and resumed attending Islanders games at every opportunity.
IHM Discussion
The hockey element of Vanella’s story is not a celebrity attachment added after the fact. His Islanders support stretches from the difficult mid-1990s teams he first embraced to seasons in which attending games became part of his family life. That history gives his comments on Schaefer a more personal weight than a routine player endorsement.
Schaefer’s interaction with Vanella’s daughter is the detail that explains why the defenceman stands out. A signed drawing may be a brief stop during a fan event for a player, but it became the hockey memory she continues to carry. Vanella’s praise is rooted in that direct moment and in the way a young supporter was treated.
The same personal connection runs through his recollections of Islanders hockey. He remembers the 2011 Fight Night for its old-school intensity and the 2013 playoff win for the physical reaction around Nassau Coliseum after the final horn. Those events are not presented as a list of historical milestones; they are part of how Vanella experienced Long Island fandom with the people around him.
His comparison between his role on The Traitors and goaltending is playful, but it also reflects the language of a committed hockey fan. Vanella described trying to prevent the faithful players from scoring against his side, balancing finesse with the blunt choices required by the game. It is a hockey frame of reference he has carried into a very different competitive setting.
Why It Matters
Stories around an NHL club are often measured through results, transactions and performances, but supporters create the culture that gives those moments their meaning. Vanella’s experience shows how an Islanders player’s attention at a fan event can become a lasting family connection, particularly for a young supporter finding her own way into the sport.
It also underlines the particular bond Vanella feels between the Islanders and Long Island. He described the club as the area’s one true team, a sentiment shaped by decades of following it through leaner years, rivalry games and playoff nights. His current public profile has made that connection more visible, yet he remains a familiar presence at games rather than a distant observer.
Mini Q&A
Why did Joe Vanella choose Matthew Schaefer as his ideal Traitors teammate?
Vanella said Schaefer’s likeable personality and hockey ability would make him a strong partner in the castle, and he also has a personal connection to the player through a fan fest meeting with Vanella’s daughter.
What Islanders memories stand out most for Vanella?
Vanella highlighted the 2011 Fight Night against Pittsburgh, which had 346 penalty minutes, and the Islanders’ Game 4 victory over the Penguins in the 2013 Eastern Conference First Round.
How long has Vanella supported the Islanders?
He began following the club in the 1990s and has been an Islanders season-ticket holder since 2009.
Coach Mark Comment
The drawing Schaefer signed is a small hockey act with a long life. Vanella’s daughter did not leave that event talking about a crowd, a building or a generic autograph; she left with one player attached to her own piece of paper. Young fans remember who stopped, listened and treated their excitement as important. That is how a player becomes part of a family’s hockey story.
What Comes Next
Vanella’s journey on The Traitors is scheduled to continue on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
IHM Final View
Joe Vanella’s competition-show success has introduced his Long Island hockey life to a larger audience, but the central thread remains unchanged: the Islanders have been present in his relationships, his memories and now his family’s experience of the game. His admiration for Matthew Schaefer is especially telling because it begins not with statistics, but with a player making a young fan feel seen.