Barzal surprises Islanders super fan to celebrate one year being cancer free

New York Islanders super fan Tommy Ryan is celebrating being cancer free for one year, and Mathew Barzal made sure to be right there with him.

During Tuesday’s segment on “Fox & Friends,” where Ryan joined the show to talk about his recovery journey, Barzal called in to surprise Ryan and send his congratulations.

“Tommy, good to see you man,” Barzal said on the show. “You look so awesome, buddy.”

Host Lawrence Jones introduced the surprise with an innocuous interview question for Ryan: “What would you tell Mat if you had the opportunity to talk to him?” he said.

“Just thank you,” Ryan responded, not knowing that Barzal was listening. “Thank you for everything.”

“Why don’t you look into that camera and tell him that?” Jones said, before Barzal appeared on the screen.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me when I was sick,” Ryan said, now directly to Barzal. “I was definitely going through a super hard moment in my life, so for you to help me out and go out of your way – and the Islanders organization – I really appreciate it.”

Ryan and Barzal’s relationship goes back to 2025, when Ryan was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare cancer that put him in the hospital. After some chemo treatment, Ryan contracted an infection that cost him his left lung.

Eventually, he was put into a medically induced coma for five days.

Ryan’s father, Dan, reached out to the Islanders and shared his story with the organization.

That’s where Barzal comes in.

The veteran FaceTimed Ryan in the hospital and invited him to UBS Arena for a game once he recovered. In March 2026, Ryan was rinkside to watch Barzal and the Islanders on the ice.

Ryan even got to meet Barzal and other players after the game.

“Being able to look forward to going to an Islanders game and talking with the players and doing all this, it was amazing,” Ryan told the Islanders. “It really brought me hope.”