With the New York Islanders season ended and the team moving to Brooklyn next season, the ice surface at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was taken down for the last time.
The Islanders began play at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 7, 1972, joining the Atlanta Flames in a last-minute expansion designed to keep the upstart World Hockey Association out of Long Island, as the New York Raiders were eying the facility. Now, after 42 seasons, the team is destined to play next season at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
The team hit its stride in the early 1980s, with the likes of Billy Smith, Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier led the Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup championships. Times would never be that good for Islanders fans, despite some up and downs on the ice, and an attempt by owner Charles Wang to build a new arena was shot down by Nassau County voters.
The arena is not going away, but set to be renovated and downsized for family entertainment acts. Billy Joel is set to perform there before renovations begin.
Image courtesy New York Islanders.
