New York Islanders Fans React to Nassau Coliseum Return

New York Islanders fans have been waiting for the return home since Game 6 in 2015. Today it happened, and it didn’t disappoint.

When the New York Islanders announced they were playing a preseason game at the renovated Nassau Coliseum, I immediately bought tickets. I wasn’t the only one who made this decision. This is the story of the most important preseason hockey game in NHL history.

Most Islander fans, especially the ones from Long Island, never got over the fact that they left for Brooklyn. The move was a shaky one and now headed into year three at the Barclays Center the future is still uncertain.

I wanted to see how the fans felt about the Islanders playing one preseason game at the old barn. Here’s what I found:

Long Island resident Dan Schreiber told me that the Coliseum is much easier to get to. His words “hectic” describe the commute to Brooklyn perfectly. Fans who commute from Long Island are usually coming straight from work heading into a game.

The trains can be unreliable, and you usually have to transfer at Jamaica Station making something that should be a fun experience rather frustrating.

Tailgater Jessica Way shared a similar answer. She reiterated that this is their home and the commute is a huge nuisance.

The atmosphere in the parking lots was fantastic. Fans got there early and were loud. It was great to hear the “Lets Go Islanders” honks once again.

That atmosphere translated really well once we made our way inside. This is what it sounded like when the team came out on the ice before puck drop:

The sellout (yes, a preseason sellout) crowd rose to its feet and gave the home team a warm welcome. At times, mostly before puck drop and after goals, there was a playoff-like atmosphere amongst the crowd.

It certainly didn’t feel like a preseason game. It was important, to the fans that showed up it meant everything. We were back home.

Once fans got a small taste of their team back in the building they love they didn’t want them to leave. Chants of “Bring them back” broke out.

Although the final result of the game didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things it was the idea of familiarity that was comforting. The concourse was crowded, the bathroom lines were long, but my views were not obstructed and the scoreboard was centered. Things felt right.

In a way, it felt like I never left. I sat in my familiar section (although it was now called 203 instead of 303) and watched my team. I thought it was fitting that the last time I was in the building John Tavares scored an overtime winner (Game 3) and today Tavares scored an overtime winner.

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It added to the nostalgia, and comfortable feeling. Even though the tease lasted for a few short hours it was worth the tease. I’ll still go to games in Brooklyn but we got that taste of the Islanders hockey that we fell in love with. I’m thankful for today.