AMAZING: 104-Year-Old WWII Veteran Performs National Anthem On Saxophone Before NHL Game

The NHL’s New York Islanders welcomed 104-year-old World War II veteran Dominick Critelli to the ice for a spectacular national anthem performance before their game against the New York Rangers.

Critelli played “The Star-Spangled Banner” with his saxophone.

The crowd started chanting “U-S-A” after he finished his performance.

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More from the New York Post:

Critelli, who says a nightly half-glass of wine has led to his centenarian status, was recently knighted by French President Emmanuel Macron for helping liberate the nation.

It came decades after surviving both the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge.

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

The talented jazz player Critelli — he was 86 when Isles rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer was born — earned a music degree at NYU before returning to Europe to fight the Axis powers.

While eager to play for what’s sure to be a sellout crowd, this won’t be his biggest audience.

That came while freeing the Netherlands of Nazi rule, when the staff sergeant performed atop a rolling tank to masses of ecstatic citizens.

“I love this country,” Critelli told the New York Post.

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

Critelli immigrated to the United States from Italy as a young boy.

WWII vet, 104, thrills Rangers-Islanders crowd with national anthem on saxophone as fans unite for ‘USA’ chants https://t.co/l1WEMqILGZ pic.twitter.com/QDk9qNOKop

— New York Post (@nypost) December 28, 2025

NHL.com shared further:

He saluted his fans before making his way off the ice.

Critelli spent 151 days in combat during World War II, surviving the Battle of the Bulge and flying behind enemy lines to provide isolated American troops with much-needed supplies.

For his service, he’s earned the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars, the American Theater Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal.

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