New York Islanders, relieved fans rejoice as they open the team’s ‘beautiful building’ in front of the Calgary Flames
NEW YORK – Facts New York Islanders‘The long wait is finally over.
Nearly four years after winning the bid to build a new home next to Belmont Park, Islanders opened their doors to the UBS Arena on Saturday night. NS The Calgary Flame are The Islanders’ first home opponents this season after the team spent the first six and a half weeks of the season playing 13 road games.
“It’s a beautiful building,” said Lonny Lehman, first season ticket holder from East Meadow, New York, a short drive from the Colosseum. “[Looking forward to] only one house again. … Long time to come. Our politicians have failed us. Fortunately, our new owners have kept us here and they will have a good following. “
The $1.1 billion building is the culmination of a campaign begun more than a decade ago by previous Islanders owner Charles Wang. The first was the Lighthouse Project proposed in 2007, which was part of a redevelopment plan, but went nowhere. Then, Nassau County voters rejected an attempt to secure public funding for a new arena four years later, and an unpopular move to Brooklyn in 2015 finally saw the The team divides the scores of home matches between Barclays Center and Coliseum.
Now, the new arena is here and the years of uncertainty about the team’s future are over. The team itself this season? That could be another story.
The Islanders, who made it to the semi-finals of the NHL last season, returned home in last place in the Metropolitan Division, and Calgary gave them a rough welcome in New York, at least in the beginning. The Islanders led 2-0 in the first half.
With no more on-ice products, fans were buzzing in and around the complex. Lehman also praised Islanders owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, saying: “They’re amazing. I wish they owned one. [NFL’s New York] Jet plane. “
Tickets for the home team’s opening match were sold out months in advance, and there was a waiting list to buy tickets for the whole season. The seller listed ticket prices for the first game from $230 for the cheapest seat in the corner to over $800 on StubHub.com a few hours before the rate dropped.
UBS Arena has a capacity of 17,250 – larger than 13,917 at the renovated Colosseum and 15,795 at Barclays Center.
“This is amazing,” Jason Saltsberg said. “This is definitely much more luxurious than the Colosseum. Things are trending in the right direction. As soon as they announced the arena, the team seemed to shift direction and it all happened at once. and it’s wonderful.”
The Islanders won 5-6-2 in their opening game of the season, which included four consecutive losses. 25 of their next 36 games will be at home, and they have not played more than two consecutive home games until a four-game trip between January 4-11.
“Hopefully they can bring the Cups home,” said Holly Baratta, who purchased tickets for the Colosseum last season, but was unable to use them because of limited seating due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The players had the chance to practice on the ice at the new pitch on Thursday and were impressed.
‘It totally blew me away,’ the islanders’ Mathew Barzal speak. “I walked right in, saw the gym, saw the dining area and I couldn’t wait to see more. The whole facility and the rink and the way it was set up was very upscale. … We’re really the lucky group.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
