The New York Islanders have made history by crowning a winner in their unprecedented fan-designed third jersey contest. After an overwhelming response from fans, the team has selected a navy lighthouse-themed design as their official third jersey for the 2027-28 season. This marks the first time in NHL history that a franchise has allowed its fans to create an official team sweater.
The contest, which ran from July 8 to July 24, received an astonishing 80,490 submissions. Initially planned as a simple online vote for five finalists, the sheer volume of designs led the team to adopt an eight-jersey bracket with three rounds of fan voting. The winning design will now undergo a collaborative refinement process with Fanatics to meet NHL standards before its debut at UBS Arena.
The journey to the lighthouse design
The path to the winning design was a thrilling journey for Islanders fans. The contest began with a digital design tool that allowed fans to choose from 15 striping options, 53 color options, nine Islanders logos, and eight different fonts. The initial submissions were narrowed down by a committee that included Islanders players and members of hockey operations.
In the semifinals, the navy lighthouse design triumphed over a navy design featuring the controversial fisherman logo. The other semifinalist, a navy sweater with ‘ISLANDERS’ across the chest, defeated a navy design with a ‘NY’ logo, where the ‘Y’ was shaped like a hockey stick. The first round saw the elimination of four designs, including an orange lighthouse-themed jersey and an orange fisherman jersey.
Mathew Barzal’s role in the contest
Forward Mathew Barzal played a pivotal role in the contest, revealing the final two designs in a video shared on social media. Barzal expressed his enthusiasm for both finalists but ultimately chose the navy ‘ISLANDERS’ jersey as his favorite. He praised the design’s third-jersey feel and the color combination of cream and orange with navy blue.
‘I like both. I would love to wear both,’ Barzal said in the video. ‘Unfortunately, we have to pick one, and my choice is the Islanders jersey spelled out. It’s got a third-jersey feel. I love the cream and the orange and the blue. And I love the idea of the logo being spelled out like that in the front.’
The future of the Islanders’ visual identity
The winning designer will receive a team-signed third jersey and tickets to the game where the jersey makes its on-ice debut. Islanders president of business operations Kelly Cheeseman expressed gratitude to all fans who participated in the contest, stating that it was launched to break down traditional barriers and give fans a direct voice in shaping the franchise’s visual identity.
‘This contest was launched to break down traditional barriers, giving the fans a direct voice in shaping our new look,’ Cheeseman said. ‘We are excited to move forward and create the full uniform that our fan base will be proud to call theirs.’
The Islanders will also be adding a separate alternate jersey this season as part of the NHL and Fanatics’ ‘Hometown Remix’ uniforms for each of the 32 teams. This innovative contest has not only engaged the fan base but also set a precedent for other teams to follow in the future.
