Welcome back, Islanders fans.

On Wednesday, February 10, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that sporting venues of greater than 10,000-person capacity could submit plans to reopen live events to fans, effective on February 25. This announcement includes the Nassau Coliseum, so the New York Islanders can submit a plan to host a limited number of fans at games.

While Islanders games will not have feeling of prior years, this announcement is an exciting development for the Islanders and their fans. This season marks the final year that the team will play at the Nassau Coliseum, before UBS Arena opens in Belmont Park, and it will be bittersweet for fans to see them leave “The Old Barn.” However, having fans in the building to soak in the final games before a new era begins will ease the sting.

Fans will have the opportunity to bring back the excitement of attending an Islanders game, but their health and safety remains the top priority. We are still living in very uncertain circumstances, and the Nassau Coliseum will have to enforce strict protocols. As the Islanders embrace the new normal, what can fans expect when allowed back into the Nassau Coliseum?

The Rules:

When Cuomo made his announcement, a series of rules for teams to use were announced when making reopening plans. Some of the rules, including required mask usage and temperature checks upon entry, are fairly obvious. There is also a 10% capacity limit for each of these venues, and seating must be socially distant. For a building such as the Nassau Coliseum, the maximum capacity will likely be close to 1,400 people when fans return. It is also likely that the building will take on newer, more rigorous cleaning protocols, using paperless transactions and tickets only, as well as prohibiting tailgating and other larger gatherings.

However, the one rule that may draw people away is the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test before the event. Within 72 hours, or 3 days, of the event, patrons must receive a negative PCR test in order to enter the building. While the rule makes sense to prove that all in the building are healthy, it does have the potential for drawbacks. Testing does have its flaws, and turnaround times do have the potential to take too long, depending on the area. Regardless, the rules seem to be fairly simple and effective, as various other NHL markets have used similar rules to bring a limited number of fans back.

The Presentation:

For teams with fans in the building, the presentation of the games has varied quite a bit. Some teams, such as the Detroit Red Wings, host as few as 250 people, whereas other teams, such as the Florida Panthers, welcome up to 5,000 people in their arena. The team whose protocols the Islanders may seek to replicate is the St. Louis Blues. Although the Blues hosted a limited number of frontline workers and their families to start the year, that number has recently expanded to 1,400 with the aforementioned guidelines, which is similar to the eventual Islanders number. At the games, the fans mostly reside in the upper parts of the lower bowl, the end zones, and the penalty box sideline. As the television camera faces the benches, these realities may be apparent to most fans, but as the play heads into the end zones, you can see a limited number of people. Islanders games will likely be the same way.

Another interesting piece of the puzzle to follow is the crowd noise. Most of the time, the noise in NHL arenas has been piped in with bits from the EA Sports NHL games. However, in the Blues’ games, the noise has seemingly died down. Even if a bit of it remains, there seems to be some raw, human reactions in there as well. As a result, the reactions and in-game presentation will likely be much better. In fact, the Islanders started using their normal goal horn again, instead of a recording, adding another bit of excitement to the big play. These occurrences may be subtle, but they will bring a sense of normalcy to the games.

As Islanders fans wait in anticipation for the Nassau Coliseum to reopen, they can look around the NHL to see how the games will look. Using the courtesies learned in the past year, the games can take place in a unique way during this bizarre time. It will not be the same, as several other markets can attest, but it will be exciting to see Islanders fans “Rock The Barn” one more time.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.