New York Islanders Snubbed From 2018 Winter Classic

The New York Islanders got snubbed for the 2018 Winter Classic that will be held at Citi Field, you know right where the team is rumored to play in the future.

A Winter Classic at Citi Field sounds like a fantastic idea. There was already a Stadium Series game at Yankee Stadium, why not Citi Field too? It’s a perfect setting for the New York Rangers…and Buffalo Sabres? Not the New York Islanders?

Yep, in 2018 it will be the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres playing the winter classic in Queens. Not the Islanders, because that makes sense.

What a joke. The New York Rangers in the game makes sense as much as Islanders fans might dislike them it makes logical sense. They’re an original six team, who draws well nationally. The Sabres makes zippo sense.

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It works better when the two teams are rivals. Sure they play in the same state but they play nearly 400 miles apart. Hell, they’re not even in the same division!

Yet again, it’s just a blatant disrespect to the Islanders. Oh, we have a team that once played on Long Island, who has a large fanbase from Long Island but for the game that will be played in Queens just minutes from Nassau County, no thanks we’ll shuffle in the team a stone’s throw away from Niagra Falls.

The excuse that winning one playoff round in 23 years has something to do with this isn’t valid. The Sabres have been awful for a while now with five going on six years of no playoffs. At least the Islanders have made the playoffs three of the last four years and have a legit chance to make it four of the last five this year.

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The NHL is missing the boat big time here. Nobody cares about Sabres vs Rangers, the Islanders and Rangers have history and are huge rivals which will likely draw a bigger audience.