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The Islanders will no longer be a two-arena team.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that the Islanders will only call the Nassau Coliseum home beginning with this season's playoffs -- if they qualify -- and ending with their move into their new arena at Belmont Park -- expected in the fall of 2021.
The Islanders have been splitting home games between the Coliseum in Uniondale and Brooklyn's Barclays Center the past two seasons. They will play any home playoff games this year at the Coliseum as well as their entire home slate next season.
Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Images "Getting the Islanders back is very important," the governor continued. "The Islanders are not just a sports team. The Islanders are a point of identification for Long Island. They're a point of pride for Long Island. They're a rallying cry for Long Island."
The team called the Nassau Coliseum home from 1972 to 2015 before relocating to the Barclays Center. In Brooklyn, fans complained about obstructed-view seats and poor ice quality, while many supporters who lived on Long Island did not like the long commutes, resulting in lower attendance.
The Islanders are currently constructing a 17,113-seat arena at Belmont Park. Cuomo said the new venue is currently on time and on budget.
While the vast majority of the Islanders' longtime fans prefer the Coliseum over Barclays, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did not consider the Uniondale arena to be up to modern league standards. Among his concerns were the condition of the ice and accommodations for teams and media. The state, however, invested $6 million in improvements to allay Bettman's concerns.
Bettman credited Cuomo and the Islanders' owners for making the commitment needed to return the team to Long Island sooner than had been expected.
"In addition to thanking the principals up here, this was a decision that ultimately became easy because it was important to Islander fans," Bettman said. "The attendance here during the bifurcated period has been much stronger than the attendance in Brooklyn, and as importantly, this is great for the players 'cause it gives them the continuity and the stability to be as competitive as they need to be in what is an extraordinarily competitive league."
The Islanders have three more games left at the Barclays Center, the last coming on March 22 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
GORING'S NUMBER RETIRED
He also was a coach for the Islanders from 1999-2001 and has been a television analyst on MSG Networks since 2010.
“I’m truly thankful for this moment,” Goring said during his speech. “I didn’t know if it was going to happen a few years ago, but it’s happened now and that’s all that matters.”
It's the second time in a little more than a week that the Islanders have retired a number. On Feb. 21, the Islanders retired former forward John Tonelli's No. 27. He was one of Goring's teammates on those four title teams.
The Islanders lost Saturday's game to Boston 4-0.