Islanders: Remembering The Return To The Coliseum

Two years ago today, the New York Islanders returned to play at the Nassau Coliseum for the first time in the regular season since 2015.

It was a very emotional goodbye when the Nassau Coliseum closed its doors to the Islanders in the Spring of 2015. For a laundry list of reasons, the Barclays Center never felt like home after three years of trying to make it work.

Well, two years ago today, the Isles returned home to the Coliseum to play in front of a rambunctious crowd that waited a long time for that moment.

For us here at Eyes on Isles, it was a big moment for us too. We had Mitch down for his first appearance ever inside the Coliseum. He was welcomed in properly with a YesMen tailgate and yours truly on the grill.

I just remember, how amped up people were outside that day. It was a 7:00 pm puck drop but the lot was jumping by the mid-afternoon, as expected. To be in the building for it was truly a treat, but we did miss out on one of the best tributes that I’ve ever heard courtesy of Brendan Burke.

Goosebumps. The crowd going bananas, Burke’s monolog, the crowd shots. Give it to me right in my veins, please. As for the game itself, it was an intense one. After falling behind 2-0, the Islanders stormed back in a typical fashion.

Anders Lee scored his ninth of the year and then Anthony Beauvillier scored his seventh of the year in the second period to tie the game. In the third, Casey Cizikas, the fourth-liner with all the heart, netted what would be the game-winning goal.

On the schedule, these were just two December points. But to all of us, it meant so much more than that. It felt like a playoff game, the only other time I felt that way was a couple of months later when John Tavares made his return to Long Island.

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I can’t believe it’s been two years already. Hopefully, there’s a way that we can get into the Coliseum, safely, to watch this team again before going to Belmont.