For one night on Long Island, New York, the heated NHL rivalry between the Islanders and the Rangers was put on ice.
Escorted by the Islanders’ Energy Team in front of more than 18,000 fans on Saturday, 104-year-old Dominick Critelli took his seat, adjusted his soprano saxophone and played one of his favorite melodies, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Critelli, a decorated Army staff sergeant who survived World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, immigrated to the U.S. from Italy when he was 8. He has been playing the sax since he was 13.
“It makes me happy,” he said.
Critelli has performed in front of large crowds before, including UBS Arena in 2023, but this performance, he said, was personal.
“I lost a lot of friends,” he said of his fallen brothers-in-arms. “I’m doing this for them.”
Medals and memories of Critelli’s youth adorn his home in Floral Park, New York. In his front yard, an American flag waves above a sign with the same patriotic colors. “A proud veteran lives here,” it reads.
Critelli says he practices his instrument an hour a day, and he glides from tune to tune, including one of his favorites — “Oh, Marie,” with ease and precision.
At the arena, his mission was straightforward: Stay sharp and pay tribute to the country he loves.
“I mean, is there any better song to play than ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’?” he says? “Beautiful, you put your heart in it.”
As he played, chants of “U-S-A” rang through the rafters. But Critelli says he was so focused, he didn’t even hear it.
“Oh my God, I missed that!” he said, laughing.
“I was so interested in ‘the land of the free,” Critelli added. “I want the kids to remember that, because that’s very important to them.”
