Barzal and the Band

Already a proven NHLer, Mathew Barzal may be adding rock star to his resume.

The Islanders’ center was spotted on stage over the summer, jamming out on guitar with a band at Still Partners in Sea Cliff.

“It was my first time playing in front of people,” Barzal said. “I looked up and there were just bunch of eyes on me and it was a little nerve wracking.”

A little stage fright is a new thing for Barzal, who is unfazed by playing hockey in front of thousands people nightly at UBS Arena. He wasn’t afforded any anonymity either, getting an introduction on stage, which caught the ears of a few Isles fans in attendance, before breaking out into some Tom Petty and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“It's easy to go play in front of 20,000 when you're comfortable in what you're doing and I feel comfortable on the ice,” Barzal said. “You go up there as kind of a beginner and I definitely had the nerves, but it turned out well. I was playing with two really good players, so they kind of hid some of my mistakes, which is nice.

Barzal started playing guitar in the bubble, when the team was sequestered in Toronto and Edmonton for eight weeks in the 2020 playoffs. It was a good way to pass the time, especially with musically inclined teammates like Jordan Eberle.

“Ebs (Jordan Eberle) would bring his guitar [on the road] and I'd be hanging out in the room with him,” Barzal said. “Finally, I was like dude, show me something and he showed me I think 3AM by Matchbox Twenty and that's where it started.”

That was the beginning, but Barzal’s interest really picked up last season when he was sidelined with a lower-body injury. After a week and a half of idling, he picked up the electric guitar and got the number of a local teacher, and the two immediately hit it off.

“He’s so good on the strings,” Barzal said. “I would go over there probably five days a week for two or three hours a day just jamming. I love it.”

Anders Lee, speaking on the 32 Thoughts podcast, said Barzal has gotten pretty good, pretty quickly.

“We both picked it up a little bit during the COVID year,” Lee said. “He’s got more time on his hands to play, but he’s gotten pretty solid.”

“Barzy took over [for Eberle],” Lee added. “He’s a good little player now.”

While Barzal first learned how to play an acoustic guitar, he prefers playing an electric guitar.

“You can get sliding and lifting and pull offs and stuff,” Barzal said. “I like that you can play more sounds. I got a few pedals now that I mess around.”

Barzal doesn’t have any future gigs planned, but rather a 32-city hockey tour when the Islanders season kicks off on Oct. 14. Still, Barzal is happy to have a new hobby away from the rink.

“I probably pick it up like almost every day,” Barzal said. “Some days I'll play for an hour. Some days I won’t play, but some days I’ll play for two hours. When I'm kicking around and got nothing to do. I'll just pick it up and fiddle.”