Islanders Arena History: How We Arrived At UBS Arena
After waiting for decades, the New York Islanders are finally getting their arena Saturday night. So in celebration, let’s take a look at the Islanders’ arena history.
The Lighthouse Project
During the 2008-2009 season, the Islanders were in the second-oldest arena in the NHL, the Nassau Coliseum. Owner Charles Wang wanted to build a new arena, a five-star hotel a new Minor League Baseball stadium. There was also going to be an athletic complex, conference and exhibition facilities, stores and restaurants – it was all going to be called the Lighthouse Project. A lot of Islanders’ fans were excited that a new arena will be finally coming. However, the Lighthouse Project was expected to take over eight years to be completed, and cost about $3.74 billion.
As the clock was ticking, there were rumors that the Islanders would move to either Kansas City, the brand new Sprint Center or even Quebec City.
After three years of deliberations, Nassau County residents voted against the Lighthouse Project, forcing the Islanders to look for another alternative.
Barclays Center
When talking about Islanders’ arena history, Barclays Center is still fresh on everyone’s mind. The Islanders played their last game there in 2020. What was different about it is that Barclays Center was not built for hockey. It was built for basketball. It was announced in October of 2012, over a year after The Lighthouse Project fell through, that the Islanders would have a home for good, starting in the 2015-16 season. After a few preseason games, fans saw the problems. There were multiple sections with obstructed views, making it hard to watch the game.
For the 2018-19 season, a deal was struck to have the Islanders return to the Nassau Coliseum and play home games at two arenas. While the Coliseum was smaller, it still was arguably the loudest arena in the league. Even though the Islanders had success at Barclays Center, both sides wanted to part ways. The relationship finally ended, and the Islanders returned to Nassau Coliseum.
UBS Arena
In 2017, it was announced that plans for a new arena next to Belmont Park were accepted, and the Islanders would break ground in 2018. Recently, a naming rights deal was made with UBS.
Finally, our wait is over. The Islanders have their new arena, after years of waiting. And the Islanders are back on Long Island for good. No more sharing arenas. No more going to Brooklyn. Tonight, a new era begins. We are finally home.
A Native of Danbury, CT. Christian is one of the longest tenured Drive4Five writers, Christian Gardecki began writing for Drive4five In May of 2017. Christian covers Minor League Hockey and the Bridgeport Islanders for Drive4Five. Outside of Drive4Five, Christian was the captain of his High School Hockey team and currently attends Hofstra University with a major in journalism. Christian was the play by play broadcaster for the Danbury Westerners summer collegiate baseball team during their 2021 NECBL Championship. Christian also was the Public Address Announcer for the Danbury Hat Tricks Minor Pro Hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League and NAHL Junior team from 2019-21.
