Islanders, alumni excited for return to Nassau Coliseum

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Clark Gillies and Bob Nystrom were back at Nassau Coliseum, which was home for the New York Islanders for their four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83.

Now refurbished and part of NYCB Live, it will be home again when the Islanders host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday in the first of 21 home games to be played there this season.
"I've never seen the old place look so good," said Gillies, who played 12 seasons for the Islanders, including on the four Cup-winning teams. "I think the fans are going to be the big winners. This place is gorgeous. They've done a lot of great work on it."

After unsuccessful attempts to keep the Islanders in Nassau County, they left the Coliseum, their home since joining the NHL in 1972, when their lease expired following the 2014-15 season and moved to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Coliseum has experienced a $165 million renovation and holds 13,900 fans for hockey, down from 16,234 prior to the move.
In January, it was announced the Islanders would return to their original home for 60 games (now 61; their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 28 has been moved from Barclays Center) through the 2020-21 NHL season. New York state then committed $6 million in enhancements at the Coliseum to meet NHL requirements, specifically investing in ice plant redundancy and dehumidification, and media and broadcasting cabling infrastructure.
The Islanders, who are scheduled to move into a new arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for the start of the 2021-22 NHL season, contributed an additional $4 million to renovate their locker room and facilities.

Gillies and Nystrom, who played all 14 of his NHL seasons with the Islanders from 1972-86, toured the upgraded room Wednesday.
"It's absolutely fantastic," said Nystrom, who got the Islanders dynasty started at the Coliseum with an overtime goal in Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Final against the Philadelphia Flyers. "We have so many memories here. Just in talking to the fans, they're just absolutely thrilled that the team's coming back here to play some games. It makes it a lot easier for the youngsters to come and watch the team. I'm thrilled. I think it's going to be a great thing for Long Island.
"You look at all the buildings that have been replaced: Boston, Buffalo, the Penguins … they were so tight in those days that it was just a little bit of a different feel. To come back here and see the way that it is now and was, it's going to be fantastic."

The current team is excited too.
Islanders captain Anders Lee's first full NHL season was their last at the Coliseum. He was in the lineup for two of their three home games against the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a series the Islanders lost in seven games.
"I'm surprised the roof's still there," Lee said. "I can't tell you how many games we won that year just because we had the momentum of the crowd behind us. A good shift turned into three with that kind of momentum, that kind of energy in that building. That whole season, that home-ice advantage was probably the most evident I had really seen it.
"Going back to that, it's going to be exciting to get back to that a little bit. Obviously in the playoffs, it was taken to a different level."

Islanders coach Barry Trotz was on the other side of that series as coach of the Capitals. He remembers the decibel levels the Coliseum reached for Games 3, 4 and 6.
"I'm excited for the people on the island," Trotz said. "I think it'll be a special day. It'll be special to be back there. I think that's the right place for it. It feels right."
Even with new seats, a fresh coat of paint and upgraded amenities, Gillies is thrilled the Coliseum has the same feel. The memories come flooding back anytime he walks through its doors.
"We went up and down those hallways many times," Gillies said. "In and out of that hallway a thousand times, and most of the time we went in and out of there, we were celebrating a victory. It's a special place for all of us that played on those teams. Just glad to be back. It's so exciting to have the Islanders back home where they belong.
"It's going to be a whole different experience for the fans back here at the Coliseum that it is at the Barclays Center. I'm thrilled. I can't wait."