104-year-old immigrated from Italy as a child, later returned to Europe in World War II with Army.
On Dec. 27, before the NHL’s New York Islanders took on the New York Rangers at UBS Arena, the crowd got a treat: the national anthem as performed on the saxophone by 104-year-old World War II veteran Dominick Critelli, with them singing along.
Critelli lives in Floral Park, N.Y., but immigrated to the United States from Italy when he was 8. The anthem was easy for him: “I had to learn all those things … and I love this country.” The holder of a music degree and attendee of three universities, he has been playing the sax since he was 13 and formerly played a range of other instruments he still owns, from drums to trumpets.
But Critelli did not play instruments in the Army. In his early 20s during World War II, he served as a mechanic and was sent to aviation school to gain expertise on low-flying observation airplanes, as well as working in parachute repair. He survived the Battle of the Bulge and spent more than 150 days in combat in all in Germany and France.
Critelli is a member of Margraten American Legion Post NL01 in the Netherlands. Hockey is “the only game I like,” and as a bonus to the applause and getting to practice his beloved art, “we [the Islanders] won!”
- Honor & Remembrance