Jamey Price Photography courtesy of 3A Composites USA
New York’s Newsday is reporting that their sources confirm the New York Islanders will play all of their home games next season at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. The report also states that any Islanders home playoff games this season or next season, will also be played at the Coliseum.
Multiple sources told The Point on Friday that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is expected to head to Nassau Coliseum Saturday afternoon before the New York Islanders’ 1 p.m. home game against the Boston Bruins.
Cuomo is expected to come to the arena to announce before the game that the Islanders will play any playoff games this year and next year, along with their entire home schedule for the 2020-2021 season, at the Coliseum.
If Cuomo’s plan comes to fruition, then March 22 will mark the last time the Islanders will play in Barclays, bringing to an end a five-year tenure.
NHL source confirms there will be an announcement tomorrow saying that the Islanders will play all their playoff games at the Coliseum, as well as, all of next season’s home games at the Coliseum.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) February 28, 2020
The Islanders are currently building a new 19,000 seat arena by Belmont Park race track which is expected to be ready in time for the 2021-22 NHL season. The franchise played all of its home games at the Coliseum from 1972-2015 before moving to Brooklyn full-time in 2015. That lasted until 2018 when they split home games at both arenas, with Nassau Coliseum playing host to their Round 1 matchup against the Penguins and Barclays for their second round series against the Hurricanes.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran sent a letter to National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman requesting that the Islanders play their entire 2020-2021 season at the Coliseum. Bettman’s initial response was that the request was “a little premature.”
“This isn’t just what the fans want – it’s what the players and the organization want too,” Curran said in a statement, calling Cuomo “indispensable” to her efforts to get the team back to the Coliseum.
By Jon Sorensen
