UBS Arena Set to be State of the Art and Sustainable

With UBS Arena less than two months away from opening night, the New York Islanders' top brass opened up about the team's state of the art new building.
Islanders Co-Owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky were joined on stage by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke and Sterling Equities Executive VP Jeff Wilpon for a panel discussion at the UBS Arena Summit on Thursday afternoon.

The fivesome covered a variety of topics surrounding UBS Arena and confirmed that the arena will be ready on time for the Islanders' home opener on November 20th.
"One thing you can absolutely bet the house on - because we did - is that we're opening up on November 19th with a private concert for charity. We're going to have a wonderful hockey game on the 20th," Leiweke said.

Leiweke said crews were working overtime and on weekends to finish the building, which he described as one of the finest arenas to ever be built. While the building's low ceiling will harness the intimacy and noise Isles fans are accustomed to from Nassau Coliseum, the comparisons end there. Gone are the long lines for restrooms and hot dogs. Instead, UBS Arena will have more restrooms per person than any arena east of Mississippi and elevated food options.
"This is a hockey arena," Malkin said of the building's hockey-first design. "The sightlines, the height of the ceiling, the configuration, the intimacy. Our goal is that you feel the emotional power that we together felt at the Coliseum, but you get the energy and technology and excellence of that state of the art undertaking."
Malkin and Ledecky had the wants and needs of Islanders fans in mind during the planning stages of UBS Arena. Not only did the Islanders co-owners want to offer fans a comfortable and communal experience for watching games, they also wanted to create a place where fans could make memories for a lifetime.
"Great venues have the highest possibility, highest probability, of delivering spectacular memories night in and night out," Malkin said. "That's the memories you make with friends, family, that's the gift of a great night."

Health and safety became another top priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. While construction had to briefly pause in the spring of 2020, Ledecky said the pause allowed the developers the chance to enhance the air circulation and sanitation equipment, providing fans a safe environment and peace of mind when they visit UBS Arena. Other buildings will have to retrofit to achieve the same level of air circulation and sanitation that UBS Arena will have on day one.
"The only blessing I think is that we were able to get the best air handling system," Ledecky said. "Our fans deserve to know they're coming to a place that's safe and secure. They can bring their families and know that every single thing that's the top-of-the-line standard is being incorporated into the original campus."
Leiweke said UBS Arena is thinking far beyond day one with its sustainability efforts. The building plans to be carbon neutral within a few years of opening, becoming just the second carbon neutral arena in the world. Some of the efforts include electric vehicle charging stations, utilizing solar and wind power, and donating unused food to food banks after games and concerts.
"It is a massive commitment back to our planet," Leiweke said. "That's a dedication we should all have to our children and their children - that we must save the earth - and this building is going to go a long way towards doing that. That might be the biggest difference in this building - our commitment to sustainability."
Bettman, who had previously visited the site for the topping out ceremony last year, and more recently for a mid-summer check in, said he envisions the All-Star Game and NHL Draft being held at UBS Arena after the accompanying retail and hotel development is finished. The commissioner said the building is one worthy of a fanbase as devoted as the Islanders and the league at large.

"It's good for the league. It shows that our franchises are strong and vibrant and worthy of substantial commitments and investments," Bettman said. "It'll give us an opportunity to show off another great building and this is going to be one of the best buildings in the world."
For Malkin, UBS Arena will be about Islanders fans first and foremost and giving them opportunities to create memorable experiences when the building opens in November. He expects that to start on night one.
"There's an Islanders way on the ice and there's an Islanders way in terms of our vision for our fans," Malkin said. "This arena is about every fan. This is a shared experience. The Islanders are a community team."
Malkin added: "In the arena we hope that we have a chance every night for people to say this was a special moment."