Islanders get 'goose bumps' during return to Nassau Coliseum

UNIONDALE, N.Y. --Barry Trotz remembers his first close encounter with New York Islanders fans outside Nassau Coliseum.

During the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Trotz, who was coaching the Washington Capitals at the time, attempted to make the brief walk from the team hotel, the nearby Long Island Marriott, to the Coliseum. But on the way, he was greeted by Islanders fans who arrived hours before game time to tailgate in the parking lot.
"Worst thing I ever did," said Trotz, who took over as Islanders coach this season, days after winning the Stanley Cup with the Capitals.
"They were great, they were fantastic. As soon as I got a few yards away, I started getting beat up a little bit. But that's great. I always love the passion of this area and this team. There's some great glory years and there's been some difficult years. But that passion is still there."

Trotz was on the other side Saturday, coaching the first regular-season NHL game at the Coliseum since the end of that 2014-15 season. The Islanders moved to their current home, Barclays Center, the following season.
In typical Trotz fashion, the Islanders were relentless, even after falling behind by two goals, and rallied for a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets before a sold-out crowd of 13,917.
It was a night that began with Islanders fans screaming when their players hit the ice for warmups, then continued with them suddenly singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in unison.
"I had goose bumps," said Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier, who tied the game 2-2 at 15:24 of the second period. "It doesn't get any better than that."
Their new captain, forward Anders Lee, got them and the crowd back on track after Columbus took a 2-0 lead in the second period, a goal that turned one solid shift into several in a row. Beauvillier tied it less than four minutes later.
"You go out there for warmups, and then that first shift felt like being 20 again and playing your first NHL game," Islanders forward Matt Martin, 29, said. "It was just an amazing feeling. You're ready to run into a wall for them."

Martin was in his usual spot Saturday, alongside center Casey Cizikas and right wing Cal Clutterbuck. Cizikas rewarded the fans for their efforts the best way possible when he gave New York a 3-2 lead at 7:09 of the third period, which led to a roar this building hasn't experienced since the Islanders left for Barclays Center.
"It was huge," Cizikas said. "These points are as much theirs as it is ours. We're a family here and they're a part of that family. It's going to be tough to play in this building, the electricity like that every single game."
But this wasn't a one-off like the preseason games the Islanders have played here the past two seasons. They will play 20 more regular-season games here, where they won the Stanley Cup four straight times from 1980 to 1983, and hope the crowds will continue to help them secure wins. Maybe even a playoff berth.
The win has New York (13-9-3, 29 points) third in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the first-place Capitals.
"You can tell there's a lot of passion," Trotz said. "I think there's so many good memories. It started with the group that won all the Cups.
"But to me, it's beyond that. It's more pride of the Island. I haven't been in the New York area very long, but there is distinct separations. This is Islander Country, plain and simple. They're extremely passionate about their team and where they live and this franchise. We're eager to bring it back to where we want it to be. That's our goal. I like where we're going."