The New York Islanders will play a preseason game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, sources tell Peter Schwartz.
Sources tell Peter Schwartz that the Islanders will be playing a preseason game at the new Nassau Coliseum.
A source tells me that the #isles will play a preseason game at the new Nassau Coliseum.
— Peter Schwartz (@pschwartzcbsfan) May 25, 2017
The Isles spent forty-three seasons at the Ol’ Barn on Hempstead Turnpike, before moving to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in the fall of 2015. It’s been rumored that ownership is unhappy with the current arena situation, and is mulling a return to Nassau County.
However, the news comes with the caveat that no, this doesn’t mean that the Isles are returning to Long Island. This is an unconfirmed — perhaps accurate — rumor.
What it likely means is that the Isles recognize a chance to make some money — and maybe even appease a disgruntled portion of the fanbase. A return to Nassau — even for just one game — would presumably have fans actually attending a preseason contest, surely more than would be showing up for a humdrum game at the Barclays.
The Isles recently scheduled a preseason game with the New York Rangers at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, New York. The complete schedule is typically released in early June — mere days from now.
Schwartz speculates that Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment might have cancelled the Katy Perry concert on Tuesday, October 3 for this event. It’s unclear if that’s the case, though, as sources tell me that the event was very likely axed for completely unrelated reasons.
Still, it’s nice to know that the Isles are making a return to Fort Neverlose, where they won four Stanley Cups and made themselves the pride and soul of Long Island.
