Q & A with Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio is a big-time Islanders fan.
Before - and after - Macchio delivered his famous crane kick in The Karate Kid, he was cheering on the New York Islanders. The Dix Hills native has been a life-long Isles fan and on
Dec. 23 will be immortalized as a Islanders bobblehead
- in the crane pose, of course.
NewYorkIslanders.com caught up with Macchio as he took in a practice at Northwell Health Ice Center recently, talking about his bobblehead, his favorite players and his overall Isles fandom.

NewYorkIslanders.com: How cool is it for you, a die-hard Islanders fan, to get an Islanders bobblehead?
Ralph Macchio:Listen, who gets a bobblehead, it's on the bucket list, I guess I can check it off. I've been doing stuff with the team for a while and it's been all-embracing on both sides. My whole childhood was at Nassau Coliseum. Some of my greatest memories of my childhood were in that building and with this team. To have the opportunity to be honored in that way, I make a joke about it, I have like zero hockey credentials, but it should be a fun night, it's a give back.
And more than nothing else I'm a Long Islander. With the move to Brooklyn it's been tough for some people, so I'm getting out there and carrying the torch for the fanbase to keep us close. What was the alternative, Kansas City? It's very cool, it's bigger for my family than anyone else. My parents, kids, c'mon, I've got a bobblehead with a bobbleleg.

NYI: We see you on the jumbotron at games all the time, but what kind of fan are you? Boisterous and animated? Or are you dialed in and can't talk between whistles?
RM: I like to watch the game. Don't bother me during the game. I mean I can have a conversation here and there, but I like to be locked in on the game. I'm not a guy who boos. In my youth I probably yelled a few times at the referees, but not these days. I cheer the team on, I try to be positive. It's entertainment. My son is like I was, he gets devastated at a loss, excited if they win, but I watch the game. For me it's not about the popcorn, hot dogs or beer, it's about what happens on the ice.

NYI: Who are your favorite players, past and present?
RM:John Tavares is my favorite current player, just because it's magic to watch him play. I love Cal Clutterbuck, Johnny Boychuk and I can go down the list. I'd say Tavares though just cause you're watching greatness and there's only a handful that come around like that in decades, so it's magic to watch him play.
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