‘The real highlight’: 104-year-old WWII veteran stuns NHL crowd with flawless performance of National Anthem
Dominick Critelli, now 104, fought in World War II and is among the few veterans still remaining from that global conflict.
He flew supplies to American troops behind enemy lines.
He was awarded three Bronze Stars, the American Theater Medal, the WWII Victory Medal and more.
He survived the Battle of the Bulge and the landings at Normandy.
And just days ago, provided the real highlight to a National Hockey League game between the Islanders and the Rangers, delivering a flawless performance, on his soprano saxophone, of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
104 year old World War 2 Veteran Dominick Critelli performed the National Anthem on the saxophone at tonight’s game! pic.twitter.com/m0v0WT6L2Y
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 28, 2025
NHL.com said he had immigrated to the U.S. as a child about the time many NHL players’ grandparents were growing up.
Reports confirmed Critelli was “the real highlight” of the game.
He “hit every note of the anthem on Saturday, with the Long Island crowd chanting ‘USA’ as he was led onto the ice in an Islanders jersey emblazoned with 104 on it.”
“I love this country,” Critelli told the New York Post before his performance.
Critelli, a talented jazz player, was 86 when Isles rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer was born, and holds a music degree from NYU.
The Post reported it was a big performance, but not his biggest audience.
“That came while freeing the Netherlands of Nazi rule, when the staff sergeant performed atop a rolling tank to masses of ecstatic citizens.”
The Islanders won, 2-0.