104-Year-Old WWII Veteran Performs National Anthem on Saxophone at Islanders-Rangers Game: ‘I Love This Country’

NEED TO KNOW

• Dominick Critelli, 104, played the national anthem on saxophone before the Islanders-Rangers game at UBS Arena on Saturday, Dec. 27
• The World War II veteran dedicated his performance to fallen soldiers and as a Long Island resident, wore an Islanders jersey during the event
• Critelli, a decorated Army staff sergeant, immigrated from Italy and credits wine and humor for his longevity

A 104-year-old World War II veteran wowed the crowd at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York on Saturday, Dec. 27 with a rousing rendition of the national anthem.

Dominick Critelli, a decorated Army staff sergeant who survived WWII’s deadly Battle of the Bulge, took the ice ahead of the New York Islanders’ game against the New York Rangers, uniting fans of the longtime rival teams with his performance.

Rather than singing, he played “The Star-Spangled Banner” on saxophone, which he’s played since he was 13-year-old. “It makes me happy,” Critelli told NBC News of the woodwind instrument, adding that he practices daily.

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

It wasn’t the first time Critelli has performed at UBS Arena, having also played there in 2023. But this performance carried a deeper meaning for Critelli.

“I lost a lot of friends,” he said of his fellow soldiers. “I’m doing this for them.”

Before leaving the ice, Critelli stopped to salute the audience. Chants of “U-S-A” echoed through the arena — though Critelli admitted that he was so focused he barely noticed.

“Oh my God, I missed that!” he told NBC News of the cheers. “I was so interested in ‘the land of the free.’ I want the kids to remember that, because that’s very important to them.”

And while he’s Team USA through and through, the resident of Long Island’s Floral Park proved he was team Islanders, wearing the team’s blue jersey. It proved to be a taste of what was to come, as the Islanders went on to defeat the Rangers 2–0.

Critelli immigrated to the United States from Italy when he was a child and has lived on Long Island for decades.

During World War II, Critelli spent 151 days in combat, often flying behind enemy lines to deliver supplies to isolated American troops.

For his service, the Army staff sergeant earned the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars, the American Theater Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. He was recently knighted by Emmanuel Macron for helping liberate France during the war.

“He pins a medal on me, kisses me on both cheeks,” Critelli recalled to The New York Post. “And I ask, ‘If I’m a knight, where’s my sword and horse?’ “

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That sense of humor has kept Critelli going, as has his love for America. He told The Post his anthem performance was another opportunity to express gratitude to the place he calls home.

“I love this country,” he said. “If I hadn’t come to this country, I’d be stuck with Mussolini.”

And though Saturday’s game drew a packed crowd at UBS Arena, Critelli said the largest audience he ever played for came during the war, when he performed while helping free the Netherlands from Nazi occupation.

“I guess, it must have been 50,000, 60,000 people,” he said.

“It’s amazing,” added Critelli, who credits a nightly half-glass of wine with helping him reach 104. “I’ve gone through so much.”

Read the original article on People