The New York Islanders are letting their fans design the team's new third jersey for the 2027-28 NHL season.
According to the team, this is the first time "a franchise has turned to its fanbase to create an official team sweater."
The team announced the contest Wednesday and had nearly 12,000 entries within the first five hours. Fans will have until July 24 to submit their designs, after which an Islanders team committee -- made up of executives, players, equipment managers and others -- will select five finalists for a public fan vote in early August. The creator of the winning jersey gets a team autographed version of it, as well as tickets to the game in which the Islanders wear it for the first time.
Fans can use a creator tool on the Islanders' website that includes historic logos and official team fonts. They can apply those, and a wide array of color options, to a jersey template that has been approved by the NHL and Fanatics, the league's gear and manufacturing partner. There also is a notes section where fans can explain unique details they'd like to incorporate into their jerseys.
The contest was driven by Kelly Cheeseman, president of business operations for the Islanders and UBS Arena. Cheeseman led a similar campaign about a decade ago as an executive with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
"Islanders fans are among the most passionate in all of sports, and their emotional investment is the heartbeat of this franchise," Cheeseman said. "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."
The Islanders last had a third jersey from 2018 to 2024: a blue sweater with the "NY" found within their primary logo featured as the crest. They also have featured black alternate jerseys and an orange one in the past.
