When the Islanders were in their hayday in the 1980's, Nassau Coliseum could really rock with the noise of the crowd. It was dubbed Fort Neverlose. It really was a tough place to play in because the crowds would get really into it and make it hard for the opposition to deal with. Since the Islanders couldn't get a new deal done on the arena after the 2015 season, the Islanders had to move. Next stop after that was the current place they play, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Nowhere an ideal place to be playing a hockey game, but it was a home for the team, allowing them to stay in the New York City area. Though a state-of-the-art facility, Barclays was not constructed with hockey in mind. It happens to be one of the worst buildings to watch a hockey game in. Its a pain for most Islanders fans to get to for a game, the ice surface is horrible, from what I've heard an seen and some of the sight lines suck for hockey.
On top of all that, fans have often said Barclays’ operators have never understood hockey, specifically the traditions that are associated with the gameday experience. Hearing stuff like that has been another reason why fans have wanted to kind of stay away from going to Barclays Center. Now the Islanders will be back in the Coliseum, to a degree, over the next three seasons. The completion of the Islanders new home at Belmont Park won't be completed until 2020, they have a deal worked out to split time between Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum. According to a report from Newsday the Islanders will play 12 games at the Coliseum in 2018-19 and a combined 48 regular and preseason games the following two seasons. This does make sense. Barclays Sports Entertainment runs both the Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum. They haven't profited from the Islanders at Barclays as they originally hoped, and their management agreement of the Coliseum requires pro hockey to be played at the building. The Isles could be out of the lease with Barclays after next season, which would give them without a home rink before the new one gets built.
A move like this is something that could only happen to the Islanders. They have been a bit of a laughing stock in the league,m in some way or another. Between ugly jerseys, messed up ownership, a building that was falling apart and at times just plain horrible play on the ice, an announcement like this seems only fitting for the Islanders. Yes its annoying to see the Islanders have to bounce back and forth between Barclays and the Coliseum, but it can also be good for the team as well. If the preseason game against the Flyers back in September was any indication, the people of Long Island are starving to have the Islanders back on home ice. The building can support it and the fans are ready for it. This is something that this team and this area is ready for and needs to happen. It can be a little bit messy, but it could work out well for everybody involved, at least from the Long Island point of view.
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