Into the Wild Blue Yonder: Let’s Go Islanders Banner soars over Toronto

Matthew Kammerer raised over $4,000 to fly a “Let’s go Islanders” banner over the city of Toronto. On Saturday afternoon he delivered on behalf of New York Islanders fans.

Kammerer’s banner flew over the NHL’s hub city of Toronto around 1:30 as the New York Islanders returned to their hotel in downtown Toronto. The pilot returned to the ground around 3:15 p.m., Kammerer said in a post on twitter.

#Isles From friends of my wonderful wife’s cousin Emily Bozik on the ground. @KMaherNews12 @NYIslanders @C_Arnold01 @FriedgeHNIC @wyshynski @vipalmonga pic.twitter.com/tMwmmpEjzq

— Mattyboy Kammerer (@ExIsledUsher) August 22, 2020

The Islanders fan from East Meadow pulled off the flyover in under a week from when he started his Go Fund Me page to raise funds for it.

“Love and unity and thanks for making my Monday dream take flight by Saturday,” Kammerer said in a statement posted to twitter Saturday afternoon. “In these often toxic and scary times where neighbors disagree over so much how cathartic is it to come together. Sports fandom may not mean much in the grand scheme of things… except when it does. Now let’s go win a silver chalice.”

Thanks for the love #isles fans!!!! pic.twitter.com/jBZPWkq0ep

— Scott Mayfield (@scottmayfield2) August 22, 2020

The banner caught the attention of several media outlets after Kammerer spoke with NYI Hockey Now earlier this wee and it was captured on social media by eagle-eyed fans in Toronto on Saturday. New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield also took notice, posting a video on his social media accounts of the plane and banner flying overhead.

“Thanks for the love Isles fans,” Mayfield wrote on twitter accompanied with a video.

The idea was the brainchild of Kammerer after he wanted to show his support for the team outside of social media. Quickly the idea of a banner was born and then the die-hard New York Islanders fan looked to his fellow Islanders fans to help out.

“I said, I wonder if I can do something physical where instead of looking down at their phones on the way back from morning skate,” Kammerer told NYI Hockey Now earlier this week. “Instead, they look up in the sky and they see something that really pumps them up. Then basically it just took off.”

The Go Fund Me page was launched on Monday and by Tuesday he had reached well beyond his initial goal. When asked about the banner earlier in the week, Ryan Pulock responded simply, “that’s awesome.”