Massive Turnout Leads NY Islanders To Change Third Jersey Contest

The New York Islanders had to make a change to the third jersey contest after receiving over 80,000 submissions.

Feb 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New York Islanders logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders did what is believed to be a first in their community and fan engagement event this offseason.

Looking to create a new third jersey for the 2027-28 season, they opened things up to their fan base to mock up uniforms and submit them. One lucky fan is going to have their submission selected and will get to attend the game in which they are worn for the first time next year.

It was an incredible idea to get the fan base engaged and feel as if they are part of the team. The Islanders PR team was recognized for their outstanding work during the 2025-26 season, and this is another reason why.

The response was remarkable. More than 80,000 submissions were made, which has led to the team having to make a change to their original plans. When the contest was first announced, it was revealed that five submissions would be selected to make the cut and be voted on as the favorite.

Islanders making changes to third jersey voting process

Dec 17, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Islanders center Brock Nelson (29) goes past the fans for the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Now, there are even more fan submissions that will make the cut. On the team’s official account on X, it was shared that eight jerseys will be selected and put into a bracket. The Islanders could be doing a mini version of the NCAA tournament in the summer to figure out what their next uniform will be.

The incredible turnout is something that other teams around the NHL will assuredly take notice of. Any time fans can be engaged more with a franchise in a positive way, other organizations will look to replicate that success.

A template was provided that was essentially a paint-by-numbers design. There were 15 different patterns, nine logos and 50 colors that people could choose from to create what they believed was the perfect third uniform for the team.

#IslesNation - Because of the incredible number of jersey submissions, we're expanding the voting to an 8️⃣ jersey bracket.

More details on timing coming soon. 👀

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 5, 2026

Everything was preset to fit the parameters the league provides teams when making uniforms, so each submission could be eligible to be chosen from. Even some of the players, such as Mathew Barzal, offered their opinion on what they liked.

The voting process will assuredly be just as popular, if not more so, than the actual uniform submissions themselves. More details are going to be revealed soon, as the positive turnout and reception have likely surpassed even the most optimistic of projections people within the organization had.

July 24 was when the opportunity to submit mocks closed. Early August was when the voting on the five selections was supposed to take place, but plans have changed.