It’s been something that has annoyed fans for years and has been a big sports radio topic.
Your team announces a bobblehead night that you want to go to, but you have to get their early to make sure you get one. That’s because the bobblehead is generally only given out to a certain number of people, generally the first 18,000 for baseball stadiums and the first 10,000 fans in attendance at arenas.
Last season, the Islanders gave away Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat bobbleheads to the first 10,000 fans on each night and there was a mass amount of people jamming the area outside UBS Arena on both nights as the fans to try and get their hands on one.
On both nights, there were more than 7,000 fans who came away without a bobblehead.
But this season, the Islanders are making sure that won’t happen because when they give away an Ilya Sorokin bobblehead on November 27th when the Islanders host Winnipeg and a Matthew Schaefer bobblehead on February 13th when the Isles entertain Minnesota, all 17,255 fans in attendance will get a bobblehead.
“We’re bringing back the two bobblehead nights again this season,” said Simone Perrin, Senior Vice-President of Islanders Marketing and Fan Engagement. “But we’re doing a full arena giveaway for both instead of the first 10,000 fans to make sure that every fan who comes to those games walks away with a bobblehead.”
That has made Islanders Country very happy.
Bobbleheads have historically been one of the most sought-after giveaways that any team has on their promotion schedule and the Islanders are no exception. So, when the team went to work on plans for this season and what bobblehead nights they would have, it was a no-brainer to with Schaefer, the Calder Trophy winner as NHL Rookie of the Year, and Sorokin, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL.
“We definitely believe that the fans will be very excited about the Schaefer bobblehead night and the Sorokin bobblehead night. From what we’re seeing on-line already, there’s a ton of excitement for both of the nights. We’re really excited for both of those days to happen and for every fan to walk away with one of those bobbleheads.”
Matthew Schaefer bobbleheadNew York Islanders
When the Islanders announced the promotional schedule earlier this week, the designs for both bobbleheads were revealed. There is a lengthy process that goes into having a bobblehead night. From determining what bobblehead to give away, to the players and organization taking part in the design, to the final approval, it takes a while to get from start to finish.
“We work very closely with our hockey operations team and with each player in designing the bobblehead,” said Perrin. “Both players were involved in reviewing and signing off on the final design of the bobblehead and we hope the fans love it just as much we do.”
While the Schaefer and Sorokin bobbleheads highlight the Islanders’ promotional schedule, there are other giveaways and theme nights during the 2026-27 season that Islanders fans will be excited about. From opening night to Fan Appreciation Night, there are many dates to circle on your calendar.
“We were really excited to release this schedule,” said Perrin. “Last season, we really focused on how to create a promo schedule that the fans would love. We try to take feedback from every direction and build a schedule prioritizes the fans.”
Ilya Sorokin bobbleheadNew York Islanders
The promotional schedule kicks off on October 3rd when the Islanders host the Devils on Opening Night at UBS Arena. All fans in attendance will receive an exclusive Islanders t-shirt courtesy of UBS.
After a few seasons of scarf giveaways, the Isles have changed course this season to go with a t-shirt inspired by a social media graphic.
“When we announced our home opener, we rolled out a graphic on social that fans really responded well to,” said Perrin. “We had the idea of pivoting this year and instead of doing the scarf re-creating that graphic on a t-shirt that all fans could throughout the season and beyond this season.”
Other promotional nights this season include…
*America 250 Night on October 10th when the Islanders host Tampa Bay.
*Pride Night on October 20th when the Isles entertain Anaheim.
*Military Appreciation Night on November 7th when the Islanders welcome the Devils to UBS Arena. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Camo Hat, presented by Ford.
*On November 17th, when the Islanders host Columbus, all fans in attendance will receive the Islanders 2026-27 yearbook.
*Hockey Fights Cancer night on November 23rd when the Islanders host Toronto.
Another night that Islanders fans will enjoy will be on December 1st when the Islanders host Florida. It will be “GOAT USA Night” with the first 10,000 fans in attendance receiving a Chuck the Goat Ornament.
“We’ve done a bunch of retail collaborations with GOAT USA,” said Perrin. “They’re great partners with us in terms of creating great fan experiences and it’s a brand that resonates with our fans, so we’re really excited to bring them on to do a full theme night this season.”
Among the other promotional nights…
*First Responders Night on January 15th when the Islanders host Dallas.
*Star Wars Day on March 7th when the Isles entertain Pittsburgh. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive an NYI x Star Wars bucket hat, courtesy of Dime Commercial Bank.
Other theme nights include an Italian Heritage Celebration on October 22nd, a Jewish Heritage Celebration on December 10th, a Salvadoran Heritage Celebration on February 26th, and a Greek Heritage Celebration on March 27th.
The Islanders’ promo schedule concludes on April 10th when the Isles host Columbus on Fan Appreciation Night.
And that’s just what the Islanders have already announced.
There could be more special days and nights.
“We have a few other ideas in the works that haven’t been announced yet,” said Perrin. “We’re still working through a few final details but we expect to roll out a few additional theme nights, ticket packages, and other great experiences for fans that have not been announced yet.”
There’s no doubt that much of Islanders Country will be fixated on the Matthew Schaefer and Ilya Sorokin bobblehead nights, but the Islanders’ 2026-27 promotional schedule certainly has a little something for everyone.
