What drove the eight finalists in the NY Islanders jersey design contest?

The New York Islanders gave fans unprecedented freedom to design the team’s next alternate jersey, but the eight finalists reveal something important about what supporters ultimately wanted: a connection to the franchise’s past, with just enough of a modern twist.

Of the thousands of serious submissions considered by the organization, four themes emerged among the finalists. They were the lighthouse, the fisherman, the familiar “NY” hockey-stick logo, and wordmarks featuring either “Isles” or “Islanders.” If you wanted a fresh jersey look with the classic Islanders logo, you were out of luck. None of the finalists have the Islanders' main crest.

The strongest signal came from the lighthouse.

Speaking to the New York Post, Islanders president of business operations Kelly Cheeseman said 26% of fan submissions featured the lighthouse as the primary crest, making it the most popular logo choice in the competition. It is a notable revival for a mark that previously appeared only as a shoulder patch during the team’s late-1990s wave-jersey era.

Color preferences were similarly revealing. Traditional Islanders blue represented 21% of submissions, while navy-and-orange combinations accounted for another 19%.

That influence is visible throughout the final eight.

The two fisherman concepts lean directly into nostalgia, with one using a navy base reminiscent of the Islanders’ 2022 Reverse Retro jersey but replacing white accents with teal. The other flips the concept into a predominantly orange look.

The lighthouse finalists follow a similar formula, including a navy version featuring an electric teal drop shadow around the numbers.

The “NY” hockey-stick designs strip away the traditional Long Island backdrop, while the “Isles” and “Islanders” wordmark jerseys blend navy, orange and cream.

Cheeseman admitted he has a personal preference. “I would love to see an orange,” he said. “I think that’s a great brand addition.”

Will he get his wish? Time will tell, organge could be eliminated in the first round, which starts voting on Wednesday at 12PM.

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