NY Islanders Turning To Fan Base for Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

One New York Islanders fan is going to leave a lasting mark on the franchise.

Dec 17, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) give a puck to the fans for the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders have a rabid fan base that is patiently awaiting the team to return to relevancy during what has been a semi-quiet offseason.

It could happen very soon. They surpassed expectations during the 2025-26 season, fighting for a playoff spot to the end of the campaign. With Peter DeBoer taking over as head coach, expectations are on the rise.

The fans are as important as anyone to a team having success on the ice. Home ice advantage is a real thing, and UBS Arena is rocking on a nightly basis in support of the Islanders. But the New York fan base is being given a unique opportunity that no other support system in the NHL has received.

As shared by the Islanders' official account on X, they are launching a fan-driven third uniform design contest. Fans are being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design the next alternate uniform for the franchise to wear on ice.

Islanders allowing fans to create next Third Jersey

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. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Islanders fans are among the most passionate in all of sports, and their emotional investment is the heartbeat of this franchise," said Kelly Cheeseman, President of Business Operations for the Islanders and UBS Arena, via the team’s website. "With this contest, we are breaking down traditional boundaries and inviting Isles Nation directly into the design room to do something that has never been done before in our league. Our Third Jersey will truly belong to the fans, born from their passion and chosen by their voice."

This is a unique and rare ability for fans to get involved with their favorite hockey team. There are a lot of people who have thought, “I can do better than that,” when seeing some of the sweaters their team has worn on the ice, and now Islanders fans will have a chance to prove that they can, in fact, produce a nicer sweater.

There is a design tool that fans can use to create their design while staying within the template for official NHL jerseys. Fans will have an opportunity to use paint-by-numbers to create their best uniforms for the team, which will debut during the 2027-28 campaign.

The #Isles announced today the launch of a pioneering, fan-driven Third Jersey design contest for the 2027-28 season, marking the first time in National Hockey League history that a franchise has turned to its fanbase to create an official team sweater.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) July 8, 2026

The contest will be open through July 24. All submissions will be reviewed by a team committee, which will then select five for public voting that will be held in early August, giving the fans who don’t create a mock-up a say in which uniform will be worn down the road.

Whoever designs the winning jersey will receive a team-signed Third Jersey of their creation and tickets to the game in which New York wears the uniform for the first time during the 2027-28 season.

It will certainly be interesting to see how many franchises follow suit, getting the fan base involved in such an important part of a team’s identity.