The New York Islanders are handing the next chapter of their third jersey over to the fans.
On Tuesday, the team unveiled the eight finalists in its fan-driven design contest, a first-of-its-kind setup in NHL history. The idea drew an enormous reaction right away: the Islanders said they collected 80,490 submissions before a committee made up of players and Hockey Operations members trimmed the list to eight concepts.
Now the process shifts from submission to elimination.
Fans will vote in a bracket-style competition to determine which design becomes the Islanders’ new third jersey for the 2027-28 season. The first round starts Aug. 12 at noon and continues through Aug. 14 at 5 p.m., with four matchups on the board: Lighthouse vs.
Lighthouse, Fisherman vs. Fisherman, NY vs.
NY and ISLES vs. ISLANDERS.
The second round is set for Aug. 15 through Aug. 17, cutting the field from four designs to two. After that, the final round runs from Aug. 18 through Aug. 20, when fans will decide the concept that moves on as the next Islanders alternate sweater.
The team said it plans to reveal the winning design in the days after voting ends, though the concept will still need to go through an extensive development process before the full jersey kit is finalized.
“Islanders fans have once again blown us away with their incredible creativity and the sheer volume of participation,” Islanders and UBS Arena President of Business Operations Kelly Cheeseman said.
With the Fisherman logo still a lightning rod in Islanders jersey history, putting the final call in the hands of the fan base feels right in line with the franchise’s past and present. More than 80,000 ideas have already been whittled down to eight. Now the Islanders’ supporters get to decide which one ends up on the ice in 2027-28.
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