A New Beginning: The sights and sounds of Islanders’ first game at UBS Arena

November 20, 2021, 8:12 PM

On Saturday night, the New York Islanders played in their first game in their new home, UBS Arena.

It was momentous — and years in the making. The Islanders had played at Nassau Coliseum, an indelible if perpetually flawed part of the Long Island hockey experience, since 1972 and then moved to the Barclays Center, an arena that was neither in Nassau County nor all that convenient for many Islanders fans.

Lacking a proper new home for the blue-and-orange left the team feeling transient, leaving many to cling to the Nassau Coliseum bunker while they awaited the arrival of something better.

Now, better is here at last. The UBS Arena, situated next to the Belmont Race Track in Elmont, N.Y., is now the official new home of the Islanders.

The inaugural game at UBS Arena generated a ton of buzz on social media, both from those within the arena and around the city itself.

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