New York just recently finished Derek Jeter’s farewell tour, but this Friday starts a different kind of farewell. On Friday, the New York Islanders will begin their last season playing in the Nassau Coliseum. Next year, the Islanders will begin playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which, contrary to popular belief, is still technically on Long Island according to a map (but don’t tell that to any Brooklynites).
In the early years of the Coliseum, the Islanders were one of the most dominant teams in NHL history. The Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-1983 and lost in the finals in 1984, all while winning an incredible 19 straight playoff series. Unfortunately, the Islanders have yet to return to the Stanley Cup Finals, and playoffs have become a rare occurrence on Long Island.
The last playoff series win came in the 1992-1993 season, when the Islanders advance to the Conference Finals. Since then, the Coliseum has not seen much postseason action, as the Islanders have only reached the playoffs six times. Only making the playoffs twice since the 2004-2005 lockout season, the Islanders have grown used to being the bottom-feeders of the NHL, which has not helped the Coliseum.
On an average night, it would not be a surprise to see more of the opposing team’s fans in attendance. The Coliseum, now the laughing stock of the NHL, needed change. The Lighthouse Project was the plan for change that would keep the Islanders in its same storied location. The new stadium, proposed by Islanders owner Charles Wang, offered a brand new stadium surrounded by shops, restaurants and a five-star hotel. Fans were excited by the opportunity of staying in the same location, especially with rumors of a possible move off Long Island. Sadly, like the team that it hosts, the Lighthouse Project would be unsuccessful, as Nassau County residents voted against the project in 2011.
Wang and the Islanders began to look elsewhere for a new location to play, desperately hoping to keep the team close to its current home. On Oct. 24, 2012, the Islanders announced they would be leaving the Coliseum for the new Barclays Center starting in the 2015-2016 season. While this caused some strain with current fans, Wang assured the public that the team name and colors will not be changing when the team moves to Brooklyn. However, while it may look like the same old Islanders when they hit the ice next season, fans that have experienced Coliseum hockey know that things will be different.
Despite the tight walkways and small capacity, the Coliseum is a place full of history connecting Islander fans past and present. Moving to Brooklyn will cause some angst among fans, although it’s not that far of a move compared to other possible destinations (looking at you Kansas City). However, there is no need to say farewell and look ahead to 2015 just yet, because the Coliseum still has one more year left. Instead, let’s celebrate the history of the Coliseum’s past and hope maybe the ‘80s magic comes back for one last historical run this season.
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