February 29, 2020- Uniondale, NY- Governor Andrew Cuomo makes announcement at NY Islanders Game in Nassau Coliseum (Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo) |
"The Islanders have always been Long Island's team, and I'm proud to announce this iconic sports franchise will be coming home for good - one year ahead of schedule," Governor Cuomo said. "This long-awaited homecoming will bring the Islanders back to their passionate fan base while generating energy and excitement from Long Islanders for the new Belmont Park Arena opening next year."
(Photo by Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo) |
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, "As the National Hockey League looks forward to the Islanders' move to Belmont Park Arena for the 2021-22 NHL season, thanks to the state's investment and upgrades to the facility and the commitment of Islanders ownership, we have now determined that the best option during this period of transition is for the Club to play all of its regular-season home games next season and any home Stanley Cup Playoff games this and next season at Nassau Coliseum at NYCB Live. We thank Barclays Center for playing host to the Islanders over the past five years and thank Islanders fans for their patience and loyalty while the League and the Club work together with the State of New York to build the new home this proud franchise needs and deserves."
Today's announcement is the culmination of years of work by Governor Cuomo, the Islanders, and the National Hockey League, resulting in the Islanders returning home to Long Island full-time in October 2020. The team will now play any home playoff games this season and next at the Nassau Coliseum, along with all 41 home games during the 2020-21 season.
The $6 million in state-funded upgrades brought the building up to minimum NHL standards. Improvements included renovating team locker rooms, installing new cabling infrastructure and related modern broadcast media equipment, establishing additional dehumidification measures, setting up ice plant redundancy systems, and upgrading the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.
(Photo by Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo) |
The news of the Islanders' full-time return to Long Island comes as construction on the new Belmont Park Arena continues at a brisk pace. To date, more than 330,000 cubic yards of soil have been excavated from the site, the entire 15,000 cubic yard concrete foundation has been poured, and approximately 20% of the project's structural steel beams have been installed. In addition, PSEG Long Island has made steady progress on upgrading Belmont Park's electrical infrastructure to support the new development and the Long Island Rail Road has commenced design work on the new Elmont Station, which will be primarily funded by the arena developer through a public-private partnership and is the first new, full-time LIRR commuter station built in decades.
Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-Designate Eric Gertler said, "The Islanders have been an integral part of Long Island since 1972, and I am thrilled to see this franchise return home — both as the head of New York's economic development agency and as a lifelong hockey fan. Thanks to Governor Cuomo's vision and leadership, the Islanders are building a state-of-the-art, permanent home on Long Island, while generating thousands of jobs and billions in economic development, and today's announcement further supports those efforts."
(Photo by Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo) |
Islanders fans can reserve tickets for potential 2019-2020 home playoff games and purchase tickets for 2020-21 home games at the Coliseum here.
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