NY Islanders commemorate Santa Brawl with Coliseum Classic merchandise at UBS Arena

There are certain moments in New York Islanders history that never really fade. They just wait for the right time to be remembered again. Tuesday night at UBS Arena, the Islanders leaned all the way into one of the most infamous, chaotic, and unintentionally perfect moments the franchise has ever produced by selling shirts commemorating the legendary Santa Brawl of 2003.

If that night happened in 2025, it would have melted the internet in real time. Back then, it lived on through grainy clips, newspaper headlines, and word of mouth. Now, more than two decades later, the Islanders are finally embracing the madness.

It wouldn’t be the Christmas season on Long Island without revisiting Dec. 23, 2003, when the Islanders hosted the Flyers at Nassau Coliseum and decided to run a well intentioned holiday promotion. Anyone dressed as Santa got free admission and a chance to parade across the ice during first intermission. The goal was simple: boost attendance during a sleepy holiday week.

What could possibly go wrong?

What followed became legend. Dozens of Santas flooded the Coliseum, including a group of lifelong Long Island friends made up of Islanders and Rangers fans. In a move that felt straight out of a sitcom, they planned to rip off their Santa suits mid parade and reveal Rangers jerseys underneath. The reaction was immediate and explosive. Booing turned into shoving, shoving turned into chaos, and suddenly hockey had its own holiday brawl that had nothing to do with the score.

To mark the 20 year anniversary, MSG Networks produced a special revisiting the night with the people who lived it. The Santas themselves, reporters who covered the game, and Chris Botta, who ran Islanders public relations at the time, all helped retell the story. What once felt embarrassing or uncomfortable has evolved into something else entirely: Islanders folklore.

Now the team is leaning in. The Santa Brawl shirts entitled "A Coliseum Christmas Classic" sold on Tuesday weren’t just merch, they were a wink to longtime fans and a history lesson for newer ones. Islanders social media even joined the fun, proudly wearing the shirts during the game.

It’s nostalgia, sure. But it’s also ownership. The Islanders are finally treating the Santa Brawl not as something to hide from, but as part of who they are. And honestly, that feels right.