It left Mathieu Darche in stitches.
The Islanders’ viral fan design and vote for the team’s 2027 alternate jerseys turned into a hilarious internal affair inside the general manager’s household when his son’s design got passed over.
“My son joked he wasn’t in the final eight,” Darche said of the finalists of over 80,000 submissions.
“He goes, ’Hey, go rig it.’”
Darche added that his two boys ultimately backed the winning concept: a navy jersey with a broadside lighthouse logo. He personally did not submit a design to keep it fan-centric — in addition to another reason.
“If you ask my wife, I’m not a fashion person,” Darche laughed.
“I don’t think mine would have been that great.”
He was blown away by the investment from Isles nation to provide so much fodder for the first-of-its-kind NHL jersey design. The winner came down to the wire against a navy and cream submission with “Islanders” spelled out across the torso.
“Whatever jersey you do, not everyone is going to agree,” Darche said.
“That’s the point. That’s why we did a contest, and submissions were great.”
The vast number of runner-up designs may also see the light of day down the road, according to president of business operations Kelly Cheeseman.
“It may not be a jersey that hits the ice, but it might inspire more merchandise or other types of jerseys that we could create,” he said.
“And that’s what’s really cool to me.”
