The Story Behind the Islanders Pride Night T-Shirt

When Mona Monahan won the Islanders pride t-shirt design contest last June during pride month, her goal was to convey inclusivity through her art.

“I hope that my piece shows that pride is about recognition and acceptance of a person’s authentic self,” Monahan said. “No matter if you’re a player, a fan or a part of the Long Island community, you deserve to express yourself and feel accepted, no matter what your orientation is.”

Monahan’s design will be showcased on Tuesday when the New York Islanders host the Vegas Golden Knights on their annual Pride Night at UBS Arena, where the special piece will be sold on t-shirts for fans to enjoy and resonate with. A portion of the proceeds from the t-shirt sales will benefit LGBTQIA+ programs supported by the Islanders Children’s Foundation.

"When I saw that I can use my artistic talents for awesome cause, I knew I had to do it," Monahan said. "You can make art for yourself, but design is for the masses. It can change people somehow, it can make a difference."

As graphic designer and recent college graduate living in Manhattan, Monahan certainly has an artistic eye. During her free time, she enjoys immersing herself in the culture of New York City by “people watching,” by sketching the eye-catching and interesting people bustling in the city as quickly as she can. In the early stages of creating a design for the Islanders Pride contest, she took a similar approach. Her attention to detail through careful observation ultimately sparked the inspiration behind her design.

“In hockey especially, the movements are very beautiful and fluid compared to other sports,” Monahan said. “I noticed when a player makes a short stop, ice shavings kick up dramatically and makes a cool effect. I remember thinking that I can totally use that shape for my design.”

Monahan made sure to integrate the rainbow – the most recognizable symbol of pride – into her piece.

“I landed on illustrating what it would look like if the ice flying through the air was able to catch a rainbow,” Monahan said. “Just as it does when it rains in nature, which was the inspiration for the shape around the skate.”

Passion for Islanders hockey is rooted in her family lineage, as Monahan described being an Islanders fan as a birthright. Coming from a big family of mainly Islanders fans, her grandparents started it all, becoming Season Ticket Members in 1977 and keeping the passion in the family ever since. They used storytelling to pass along thrilling moments in Islanders history for their children and grandchildren to live through vicariously.

“Every family holiday, I’d always hear stories from my grandma about iconic games they’ve been to,” Monahan said. “Especially Bobby Nystrom's Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 1980, and how crazy it was to be in that environment.”

Her grandparents’ home Deer Park featured a unique fixture in their basement in the form of an Islanders shrine, comprised of memorabilia, printed out news articles and hand-stitched logos. Monahan appreciated the space since she was little, even using her imagination in their basement to foster a love of hockey.

“When I was really young, I used to pretend to skate on the linoleum floors in the basement because it was so slippery, I felt like an ice skater,” Monahan said.

Her grandma was one of three sisters and grew up as sporty siblings, going to Brooklyn Dodgers games with her dad. When the team eventually relocated to Los Angeles, she was looking to fill the void for years. When she moved to Long Island, she naturally gravitated to her new local team.

“The Islanders filled the Dodgers-sized hole in my grandma’s heart,” Monahan said with a laugh.

Monahan is the oldest of five and has two cousins, so attending Islanders games has always been a huge family outing. When she was little, her favorite part was Sparky the Dragon and check out the giveaway items at the game to savor as souvenirs, but spending quality time with her family is what she cherishes the most.

“Going to an Islanders game meant I’d be able to see my cousins and enjoy the game with my whole family,” Monahan said. “That’s something I’ve always looked forward to.”

Designing a piece for her favorite team carries special meaning for Monahan and her family, as Tuesday night will be a full circle moment when the fanbase at large will see her work.

“Showing that even just a small thing like a piece of art like a logo on a tee shirt can really touch someone and make them feel more included and accepted in the world, that’s one of my favorite things.” Monahan said. “I’m so excited.”