You Have To See This! 104-year-old World War II veteran puts on emotional national anthem performance
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A TOUCHING MOMENT — A 104-year-old World War II veteran has gone viral after performing the national anthem at a National Hockey League game.
The performance was caught on camera at a New York Rangers and New York Islanders game on Dec. 27, 2025. Footage shows Dominick Critelli being helped to a chair waiting for him as his name is announced to the audience that he’s there to play the national anthem.
Critelli is seen with his saxophone in his hands as he waves to the crowd, sits down in front of a stand holding his music and then proceeds to play the song.
The crowd cheers for him throughout his performance and at the end, the audience erupts even louder as Critelli held the last note of the song in impressive fashion. Claps and whistles fill the venue as the audience begins shouting, “USA! USA! USA!”
“Amazing. Best thing you’ll watch this weekend. Or any weekend,” one viewer wrote about the video of Critelli.
Viewers have thanked him through comments for his service, have said he should be the Super Bowl halftime performance and referred to him as a “National Treasure.”
“I literally did not want it to end. That was amazingly special,” another viewer wrote.
One person who claims to have witnessed the moment live said, “I was at the game. It was an unbelievable experience. Not only to have this amazing person lead the way with the national anthem, but the crowd singing along in such a subtle tone. It was a very emotional experience.”
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