For one night on Long Island, New York, the heated NHL rivalry between the Islanders and the Rangers was put on ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Escorted by the Islanders\u2019 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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critelli, a decorated Army staff sergeant who survived World War II\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt makes me happy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critelli has performed in front of large crowds before, including UBS Arena in 2023, but this performance, he said, was personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI lost a lot of friends,\u201d he said of his fallen brothers-in-arms. \u201cI\u2019m doing this for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Medals and memories of Critelli\u2019s 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. \u201cA proud veteran lives here,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critelli says he practices his instrument an hour a day, and he glides from tune to tune, including one of his favorites \u2014 \u201cOh, Marie,\u201d with ease and precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the arena, his mission was straightforward: Stay sharp and pay tribute to the country he loves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI mean, is there any better song to play than ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’?\u201d he says? \u201cBeautiful, you put your heart in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he played, chants of \u201cU-S-A\u201d rang through the rafters. But Critelli says he was so focused, he didn\u2019t even hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh my God, I missed that!\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was so interested in \u2018the land of the free,\u201d Critelli added. \u201cI want the kids to remember that, because that\u2019s very important to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n